Rennovating Sanitation System

[Steve]

I'm replacing the head on a 1986 Cat 30 SR I recently purchased mostly because I don't think I can ever feel it is "my space" unless this part of the boat is new (if you know what I mean). Two questions:1. Should any standard (manual) marine head properly mate with the deck fittings in the head?2. How can I tell if I need to replace any sanitation hoses (they loook OK from the outside)?3. Any recommendations on a good model/brand head for this boat?Thanks,Steve

 

[Peggie Hall/Head Mistress]

It's highly unlikely that the mounting bolt...

pattern for any new head--even the current version of the same make/model--will match the ones on the old one. However, this is not a hard problem to solve: fill the holes (which you should do anyway, even if they do match, to give the new bolts something to bite into securely so the head won't wobble). Find a nice 1/4" piece of teak or mahogany that becomes a "platform" on which to mount the new toilet...finish it nicely, including beveling the edges. Screw it down and seal the edges with silicone to keep moisture out from under it. Do NOT use 5200 or any other permanent "glue" 'cuz sooner or later this new head will have to replaced and so prob'ly will the teak board, because those new holes won't match the ones you're gonna drill in it.Whether the hoses need replacing or not, I'd replace 'em anyway...if for no other reason than the reason you're replacing the head. Besides, it can be discouraging to replace the toilet this year, and then have to replace the hoses next year. Get it ALL done at once, and you'll know where "square one" is in the whole system. Bite the bullet and pay the extra cost for SeaLand "OdorSafe" hose...it's expensive, but the ONLY hose that truly is odor permeation-proof. Lots of choices for a 30' sailboat. Do you want manual or "push button convenience? There are electric macerating toilets that can use onboard fresh water, very little flush water and VERY little power. The Raritan Sea Era would be an excellent choice for your boat. If you want manual, the only two I recommend are also both Raritan toilets (Practical Sailor agrees with me, btw...they rated 'em the two best manual toilets under $500): the PH II or the Cricket. Check all of 'em out on the Raritan website at:http://www.raritaneng.comYou'll also want to read the articles in the Head Mistress forum Reference Library (on the forum homepage) before you start this project.

 

[Tom]

Peg, Do you know if the Raritan SeaEra Conversion

Will work with the Manual Par-Jabsco (model# 29090-2000 Compact Bowl)? (Boy is the Pump mechanism on this thing a piece of crap - pun intended) On Raritan website it says it will fit the toilet bowls from Raritan's crown head, crown head II, PHII, PHEII, Cricket, Compact II or ANY BOWL which has a four hole bolt pattern 3 11/16" (9.4cm) in diameter. Would you recommend only the pressurized fresh water models or would the integral sea water model be ok. How much more juice is used by the "sea Water model" How much more water?

 

[Peggie Hall/Head Mistress]

If your bowl has a 4 bolt mounting pattern,

it'll fit. The Sea Era is a "budget" electric macerating toilet...postioned as an exact replacement/upgrade for the similar Jabsco model...they even made certain that the mounting bolt pattern matches the Jabsco, so you can even use the existing holes in the head sole. At least that's true of the complete toilet...and I'm assuming it's also true of the conversion kit. However, I wouldn't go with a conversion kit...I'd buy the whole toilet. You're not gonna save that much money...and although the Sea Era is a HUGE improvement over the PH II electric conversion (and way better than the Jabsco conversion when it comes to quality), it's still a hybrid...and and hybrids tend to be minimal, without many of the features available on the on the complete toilet. For one thing, the pump is under the bowl on the complete toilet, which takes up less space than the conversion kit beside the bowl. For another, although it's not included in Raritan's literature yet, a wall mounted touch pad with 3 or 4 flush options is available with the complete toilet, but not with the conversion kits. Besides, isn't removing the previous owner's "mark" one the main reasons you're replacing the toilet? Why would you keep the bowl in that case? Although most macerating electric toilets that draw sea water use a LOT more current and flush water than those equipped with a fresh water solenoid, the Sea Era is an exception. The sea water model only draws 18a (compared to as much as 35 for some makes/models) vs 13a for the fresh water flush, and is one of the few equipped with a pump that can run dry, which cuts way down on the amount of flush water required. The sea water and fresh water models cost the same, so if you're in a lake where sea water odor isn't a problem, it doesn't matter which one you choose...but if you're in salt water, the fresh water model will eliminate odor from stagant sea water trapped in the intake. Just my $.02 worth...