I just purchased a 1973 Catalina 22 with an illegal marine head. It appears to be in good condition but, of course, it pipes directly to a through-hull under the v-berth. My question - Does it make sense to keep the marine head and add a proper holding tank or take it out in favor of a portable and leave the through-hull alone? I'm not planning a lot of overnights on board but taking out the marine head sounds like it would be as much trouble as adding a holding tank.
Small Boat - Marine Head?
- Thread starter gbtrotter
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Boat Head
Your best bet would be a pernamently-installed Porta-Potty. A boat that size won't likely have space for an adequate holding tank. With a permanently-installed Porta-Potty, you plumb to a deck pumpout so that you don't have to carry it ashore for emptying; it's pumped out at a regular dockside pumpout station, just like a conventional holding tank.
Your best bet would be a pernamently-installed Porta-Potty. A boat that size won't likely have space for an adequate holding tank. With a permanently-installed Porta-Potty, you plumb to a deck pumpout so that you don't have to carry it ashore for emptying; it's pumped out at a regular dockside pumpout station, just like a conventional holding tank.
I took mine out
I also bought a C22 with an illegal marine toilet. Mine was located where the cooler is supposed to be and drained out the transom at the waterline. I removed the toilet and tossed it. I put a seacock where the transom outlet was. We now use a porta-potty which is easy to empty at the marina toilets. Randy
I also bought a C22 with an illegal marine toilet. Mine was located where the cooler is supposed to be and drained out the transom at the waterline. I removed the toilet and tossed it. I put a seacock where the transom outlet was. We now use a porta-potty which is easy to empty at the marina toilets. Randy
I agree...
I don't think it's worth the effort or cost to pump out a small 2-3 gallon portapotty, but a 5-6 gal "pumpable" portapotty is the ideal solution for your boat. It holds about the same number of flushes a 12-15 gal tank connected to a marine toilet...if you keep the marine toilet, you'd need at least an 18-20 gallon tank to gain any noticeable increase in capacity. Plus, a pumpable portapotty has little plumbing and requires almost no maintenance...whereas a head and holding tank has a lot of plumbing and requires a considerable amount of maintenance. Btw, Headmaster <g>...always glad to see your smiling face here.
I don't think it's worth the effort or cost to pump out a small 2-3 gallon portapotty, but a 5-6 gal "pumpable" portapotty is the ideal solution for your boat. It holds about the same number of flushes a 12-15 gal tank connected to a marine toilet...if you keep the marine toilet, you'd need at least an 18-20 gallon tank to gain any noticeable increase in capacity. Plus, a pumpable portapotty has little plumbing and requires almost no maintenance...whereas a head and holding tank has a lot of plumbing and requires a considerable amount of maintenance. Btw, Headmaster <g>...always glad to see your smiling face here.
Porto Potty is the solution!
I just worked on this issue on Wednesday. The best solution is to rip out the old, illegal head, and cap the pipes. We went with a 5 gallon porto-potty and installed it to the same location as where the original head was. Think of it this way: The cost of coversion isn't worth the aggravation, between buying a new tank, buying fittings, and drilling holes in the old fiberglass, plus having a large bill just wasn't worth it -- and you don't get the smells. I hope this helps.
I just worked on this issue on Wednesday. The best solution is to rip out the old, illegal head, and cap the pipes. We went with a 5 gallon porto-potty and installed it to the same location as where the original head was. Think of it this way: The cost of coversion isn't worth the aggravation, between buying a new tank, buying fittings, and drilling holes in the old fiberglass, plus having a large bill just wasn't worth it -- and you don't get the smells. I hope this helps.
Pump out Porti-Potty??
I never heard of a pump out porti-potti. Who sells them? How difficult is hook up? Thanks!
I never heard of a pump out porti-potti. Who sells them? How difficult is hook up? Thanks!
No Portapotti, no time, NEVER
Have been in too many shore side heads where people have dumped the "portapotti" not a nice sight or smell. Have seen one let go on the dock. Talk about your MSD!! Photo shows prefit of a PH II and Vetus bladder tank in a Venture 24. Yes, it is like diamond earrings on a goat. I may have to pump out every day but I will NOT carry buckets of S*** up the dock. Besides; all the portapotties seem to be made of cheesy plastic; how long will that last? Is there room under your vee berth for a soft tank? that would be an elegant solution.
Have been in too many shore side heads where people have dumped the "portapotti" not a nice sight or smell. Have seen one let go on the dock. Talk about your MSD!! Photo shows prefit of a PH II and Vetus bladder tank in a Venture 24. Yes, it is like diamond earrings on a goat. I may have to pump out every day but I will NOT carry buckets of S*** up the dock. Besides; all the portapotties seem to be made of cheesy plastic; how long will that last? Is there room under your vee berth for a soft tank? that would be an elegant solution.
Thetford, SeaLand make pumpable portapotties
The SeaLand Sanipottie is the pick of the litter IMO. Their 965MSD (the "MSD" designation indicates it's pumpable model) holds 5.6 gals...both the vent and pumpout fittings are on the top of the tank (pumpout fitting has a pickup tube to the bottom) which allows the tank to be disconnected from the hoses and carried up the dock in an emergency--but ONLY if absolutely...'cuz removing and reconnecting hoses repeatedly leads to leaky connections. The hook up is relatively simple: the only hard part is installing a vent thru-hull and a deck pumpout fitting as close to the head as you have easy access...connect the vent hose...connect the pumpout hose using double clamps (clamps only, no sealant) at both ends...you're done. It's worth the effort and cost of pumpouts...not only for the convenience of never having to carry the tank off the boat, but because portapotties use so little flush water that they hold as many flushes as a 12-15 gallon tank connected to a marine toilet. They're also much easier to maintain to eliminate odor because they're vented as "regular" holding tanks are...and self contained systems are the easiet of all tanks to rinse out after pumpout...just pour water into it through the "trap door" in the bowl.
The SeaLand Sanipottie is the pick of the litter IMO. Their 965MSD (the "MSD" designation indicates it's pumpable model) holds 5.6 gals...both the vent and pumpout fittings are on the top of the tank (pumpout fitting has a pickup tube to the bottom) which allows the tank to be disconnected from the hoses and carried up the dock in an emergency--but ONLY if absolutely...'cuz removing and reconnecting hoses repeatedly leads to leaky connections. The hook up is relatively simple: the only hard part is installing a vent thru-hull and a deck pumpout fitting as close to the head as you have easy access...connect the vent hose...connect the pumpout hose using double clamps (clamps only, no sealant) at both ends...you're done. It's worth the effort and cost of pumpouts...not only for the convenience of never having to carry the tank off the boat, but because portapotties use so little flush water that they hold as many flushes as a 12-15 gallon tank connected to a marine toilet. They're also much easier to maintain to eliminate odor because they're vented as "regular" holding tanks are...and self contained systems are the easiet of all tanks to rinse out after pumpout...just pour water into it through the "trap door" in the bowl.
I did it....
We have a 1972 Catalina 27 with a similar problem. Really no room for a proper holding tank and after researching the matter I found that the largest I could put in would be a 6 gallon and that the cost would be somewhere north of $600. I went with a Thetford 8750 which comes with mounting hardware and two spouts, one for use as a porta-potty and the other with an included vent tube used for plumbing directly to the deck. The only problem I had was that the boat's head used a small raised triangular fiberglass shelf for mounting the original Raritan head. I had to build a modular floor using 1/2 inch plywood and 2X4 lumber (a little overkill but doesn't weigh much at all). I built it tight and secured it to the raised triangle. The fresh water reservoir can be filled using a hose or can easily be unlatched from the bottom and carried off the boat for filling. If you find yourself in an area that does not have pump out facilities you can easily remove the top portion of the head, remove the plumbed pump out fixture (it's a 1/4 turn unit), replace it with the standard porta-pottie dump valve, release the hold-down bracket (no tools required) and pack the thing into the restroom to empty it. Peggy is right about the very small amount of water required to flush and even though I purchased the manual (bellows) type flush instead of an electric one we're very pleased.
We have a 1972 Catalina 27 with a similar problem. Really no room for a proper holding tank and after researching the matter I found that the largest I could put in would be a 6 gallon and that the cost would be somewhere north of $600. I went with a Thetford 8750 which comes with mounting hardware and two spouts, one for use as a porta-potty and the other with an included vent tube used for plumbing directly to the deck. The only problem I had was that the boat's head used a small raised triangular fiberglass shelf for mounting the original Raritan head. I had to build a modular floor using 1/2 inch plywood and 2X4 lumber (a little overkill but doesn't weigh much at all). I built it tight and secured it to the raised triangle. The fresh water reservoir can be filled using a hose or can easily be unlatched from the bottom and carried off the boat for filling. If you find yourself in an area that does not have pump out facilities you can easily remove the top portion of the head, remove the plumbed pump out fixture (it's a 1/4 turn unit), replace it with the standard porta-pottie dump valve, release the hold-down bracket (no tools required) and pack the thing into the restroom to empty it. Peggy is right about the very small amount of water required to flush and even though I purchased the manual (bellows) type flush instead of an electric one we're very pleased.
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