Stop it. Just STOP it!!
I don't want to pester you about it, buuuut .... if you have nothing better to do, yes, I'd love to see your sketch. If you have time. Thanks!
Thetford 550p porta potti
- Thread starter Gene Neill
- Start date
Centerline said..
...a portable may have to be carried out of the boat to empty it, but at least there is also the option of pumping it out at a pumping station if one is available.... after having both types, I will always recommend the portable potty over a fixed MSD toilet on a on a small trailerable boat... because the msd has limited dumping options, and with the portable one has all the options of the MSD plus other options that allow for better enviromental sanitation practices in more areas... if only one would use them...
If you go with the smaller 2-3 gallon size, portable is the only way to go IMO...they just don't hold enough to be worth the effort--and the cost in some places--of going to the pumpout. If you need the additional capacity of a 5-6 gal tank, but also want the simplicity of a self-contained -0- maintenance system, the MSD version is the only one that makes sense IMO because of the weight of a full tank. MSD potty tanks can also be removed taken ashore and dumped if necessary...just requires disconnecting the vent and pumpout hoses and removing the tank same as you would the portable tank--which, btw, would weigh same too.
...a portable may have to be carried out of the boat to empty it, but at least there is also the option of pumping it out at a pumping station if one is available.... after having both types, I will always recommend the portable potty over a fixed MSD toilet on a on a small trailerable boat... because the msd has limited dumping options, and with the portable one has all the options of the MSD plus other options that allow for better enviromental sanitation practices in more areas... if only one would use them...
If you go with the smaller 2-3 gallon size, portable is the only way to go IMO...they just don't hold enough to be worth the effort--and the cost in some places--of going to the pumpout. If you need the additional capacity of a 5-6 gal tank, but also want the simplicity of a self-contained -0- maintenance system, the MSD version is the only one that makes sense IMO because of the weight of a full tank. MSD potty tanks can also be removed taken ashore and dumped if necessary...just requires disconnecting the vent and pumpout hoses and removing the tank same as you would the portable tank--which, btw, would weigh same too.
I am in an area that has a lot of access to pump outs. Because of this a MSD device is the best option for me.
Currently I have a porta Potty without the MSD. I dump when needed but it harder and harder to find a dedicated porta potty dump. I really don't like dumping in restrooms either. This makes it harder.
A lot of other Compac guys on the owners board swear by the wag bags. In find this idea to be a bad solution for me. I can't imagine carrying around a bucket full of bags of crap. Sorry, just not appealing.
Currently I have a porta Potty without the MSD. I dump when needed but it harder and harder to find a dedicated porta potty dump. I really don't like dumping in restrooms either. This makes it harder.
A lot of other Compac guys on the owners board swear by the wag bags. In find this idea to be a bad solution for me. I can't imagine carrying around a bucket full of bags of crap. Sorry, just not appealing.
We always used Double Doodie/Wag Bags in the past on trips and love them overall since there is no pumping overboard or going to a pump-out or having to carry a porta-pottie ashore. Due to laws in some places that I wanted to possibly go I added a Thetford 260P MSD ....
... to the Mac. I didn't like the hold-downs....
...so modified and made new ones. The head is connected to ...
... a macerator pump so it can either be pumped out or if I'm out past 3 miles I can pump it overboard (not through a thru-hull below the waterline).
The whole install starts here....
http://1fatgmc.com/boat/mac-1/mac-inside/page-1.html
If you are considering going places that require a MSD head, such as Marathon, FL, I'd consider putting one in.
On my Bahama trip I still used the....
http://purplesagetradingpost.com/sumner/macgregor/inside-1.html
....Double Doodie head for the entire trip. Still like it the best,
Sumner
====================================================
1300 miles to The Bahamas and Back in the Mac
Endeavour 37 Mods...
MacGregor 26-S Mods...
http://purplesagetradingpost.com/sumner/endeavour-main/endeavour-index.html
Mac Trips to Utah, Idaho, Canada, Florida, Bahamas
... to the Mac. I didn't like the hold-downs....
...so modified and made new ones. The head is connected to ...
... a macerator pump so it can either be pumped out or if I'm out past 3 miles I can pump it overboard (not through a thru-hull below the waterline).
The whole install starts here....
http://1fatgmc.com/boat/mac-1/mac-inside/page-1.html
If you are considering going places that require a MSD head, such as Marathon, FL, I'd consider putting one in.
On my Bahama trip I still used the....
http://purplesagetradingpost.com/sumner/macgregor/inside-1.html
....Double Doodie head for the entire trip. Still like it the best,
Sumner
====================================================
1300 miles to The Bahamas and Back in the Mac
Endeavour 37 Mods...
MacGregor 26-S Mods...
http://purplesagetradingpost.com/sumner/endeavour-main/endeavour-index.html
Mac Trips to Utah, Idaho, Canada, Florida, Bahamas
Don't see much difference in that and carrying a porta-pottie full of ..... up to a bath room. I don't enjoy dumping a porta-pottie or cleaning it
.I use the 5 gallon buckets with the snap-on lids you can find at Home Depot for about $5.00 with the lid and put the bags in them and throw the whole bucket away at the end of the trip. On a long trip I put the bucket once full (6 bags) into a large zip-lock bag to ensure that there is no smell and store it. When Ruth and I took our 7 week trip to the Keys we ended up with 2 of the 5 gallon buckets and dumped the buckets at the end of the trip. During the entire trip there was no need to dump or visit pump-outs or restrooms. That is a lot of freedom and since I don't stay in marinas it is freedom I personally like,
Sumner
========================================
1300 miles to The Bahamas and Back in the Mac
Endeavour 37 Mods...
MacGregor 26-S Mods...
http://purplesagetradingpost.com/sumner/endeavour-main/endeavour-index.html
Mac Trips to Utah, Idaho, Canada, Florida, Bahamas
Funny you should mention that. We're actually planning to sail from Marco Island down to Marathon (or thereabouts) this December.
Marathon doesn't allow self contained porta potties??
I have no freaking life with YOT on the hard for the winter. Nothing but time until spring. Soooo, here ya go. You can call a local plastics house for nylon. They will probably have a chunk you can get for next to nothing. Don't use some of the more exotic stuff like delrin as it is expensive and brittle. If you can't get it locally check McMaster-Carr. It is also good to check local areas you plan to visit for their requirements on approved devices and their installation. That's why I called Transport Canada for a clarification of their requirements on the likelihood I will get a Passport and stop at some point. The thickness is 3/8" not 3". Sorry!
Attachments
When we were there a few years back they would not accept that we were using the bags even though they knew about them and they required a "pump-out" head. An MSD like what I recently installed is acceptable but a porta-pottie was not. They needed to be able to go to the boat and pump it out. I called about this time last year as I was considering going back there and they said that was still the case. You might also call. At the time they required us to sign a paper saying that we would get a MSD head installed in the boat within one week. We left before a week was up. They said they are a pilot location requiring this and that it might become more widespread if it is approved for other locations. It was the main reason I put the head in along with hoping to go to Canada at some point.
I was checked for what I was using for a head at Ft. Myers Beach on the way south and once they saw...
... that I had a pump-out fitting (see above) and no thru-hull they were satisfied. The problem in Florida is you never know who is going to check you. I haven't been checked by the Coast Guard but have been checked by Florida Fish and Wildlife (Fr. Myers Beach and Key Largo), the Sheriff's Department at Marco Island (accepted the bags since we had no thru-hull) and Homeland Security by Long Key (only wanted to see identification and registration). There are State Laws, Federal Laws and the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. Often they conflict with each other. I finally decided the best way out was a MSD head even if I didn't use it all the time.
I worried that I might get ticketed even though I might beat it in court but didn't want to get in that situation. The MSD head resolves a lot of those worries,
Sumner
=====================================================
1300 miles to The Bahamas and Back in the Mac
Endeavour 37 Mods...
MacGregor 26-S Mods...
Mac Trips to Utah, Idaho, Canada, Florida, Bahamas
Canadian law does allow installed MSD portapotties, but not PORTABLE potties on their inland waters and their side of the Great Lakes. However, in more than 25 years I've yet to hear of a single US flagged boat that was cited on the water or denied entry on a trailer for having a portable. So I don't think you have to worry.
Oh and one other thing. Apparently there are a bunch of 2 watt bulbs running pump out facilities who can't figure out how to pump out a porta potti. When I was working in the marina biz I bought an extra male disconnect and put an 18" piece of PVC on the thing. Connect the pump side fitting and stick the pickup tube down the waste valve opening. Works like a charm. This method is quite prevalent in my area.
Very right Peggy. My chat with Transport Canada revealed it could not be free but had to have hold down brackets. I always try to comply with the regs and even the fellow I chatted with said they were quite confusing but having the hold down was an absolute and would meet their requirements.
an enclosed bucket of bags of crap, or an enclosed "bucket" of crap that is sloshing around.... is there really that much difference?
it would seem that to drop a bucket of bags into the dumpster would be less messy than emptying the effluent from the other "bucket"...... keep in mind some people keep a cats litter box INSIDE their house, and have to pick thru it often to dispose of the waste. to me, that whole Idea is very much less appealing and more offensive to the nose than dumping my own waste... as for the portable MSD system, the portapottie, wag bag system or a full install of a marine head and tank is sometimes a matter of how much room we have available, but more usually it is just a matter of personal preference depending on how and where we do our boating, and for what length of time...
the wag bag system would allow for the longest time between dumpings.
Thanks Sumner. That dovetails with what I've been able to gather over the last few hours, which is that you have a seven day "grace period" with a porta potty. Not just in Marathon, but the entire Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. This is fine with me, as we'll only be there five or six days most likely. Besides, you'd have to get boarded once, and then get boarded again eight days later by the same cop in order to (maybe) get ticketed.
Interestingly, I could not find this rule (law? regulation? staute?) in writing anywhere on the internet. The FWC confirmed on the phone that the info is not found anywhere on their website, but they have it in a booklet, which they are supposedly sending me.
It is confusing and I think legally from all that I read before if the boat is under 26 feet then it might be exempt (the Mac is 25' 11"). The problem is you could be ticketed and then have to go to court someplace to try and prove your case and being out of state most of the year I didn't want to pursue that course. I'd sure want to be in the Keys longer than 5-7 days if I could swing it. Weather could put you there longer than that. I agree the odds of being ticketed twice are slim unless you are in their system or something.
Enjoy as it is a great place,
Sumner
===================================================
1300 miles to The Bahamas and Back in the Mac
Endeavour 37 Mods...
MacGregor 26-S Mods...
Mac Trips to Utah, Idaho, Canada, Florida, Bahamas
I agree totally that you have to pick a method that meets your needs.
One thing that is very easy to do regardless of if you have an MSD porta-pottie or even a large holding tank is to pick up a box of the bags at Walmart and carry them with you along with a 5 gallon bucket with a seal-able lid that you could put other supplies until it is needed. Porta-pottie or holding tank full, no big deal. Put a bag in the head and use it until you can get the tank emptied and if you need to use more than one store them in the 5 gallon bucket.
If I can get the Endeavour back in the water I'll take the bags with me even though I've installed a larger holding tank and a new head and plumbing. Before I return to the yard to put the boat up for the season I'll dump the holding tank 3 miles off and run a lot of water through it and clean it the best I can. Then I'll use the bags for the next few days returning to the yard. Back at the yard with the boat on stands I won't have to find a pump-out truck to come to the yard and won't have to leave the tank full of crap until I return,
Sumner
===============================================
1300 miles to The Bahamas and Back in the Mac
Endeavour 37 Mods...
MacGregor 26-S Mods...
http://purplesagetradingpost.com/sumner/endeavour-main/endeavour-index.html
Mac Trips to Utah, Idaho, Canada, Florida, Bahamas
Ya know, Sumner, the thing is ... I don't expect to like the Keys all that much.
From what I hear, it just sounds too crowded for my liking. Too many boats, too many people, too many cops, too many rules. Hopefully I'm wrong. But we can always stretch the trip longer if we're having fun (or if mother nature insists!), and we can always go back.
But it's the trip down there and back - the 10,000 Islands, Little Shark River, Cape Sable - this is what I'm looking forward to the most.
I liked the Keys a fair ways north of Marathon and anchored a number of places with no or only a few boats. Loved the 10,000 Islands (see my trip report for that area) and want to go back.Ya know, Sumner, the thing is ... I don't expect to like the Keys all that much.
From what I hear, it just sounds too crowded for my liking. Too many boats, too many people, too many cops, too many rules. Hopefully I'm wrong. But we can always stretch the trip longer if we're having fun (or if mother nature insists!), and we can always go back.
But it's the trip down there and back - the 10,000 Islands, Little Shark River, Cape Sable - this is what I'm looking forward to the most.
http://purplesagetradingpost.com/sumner/FL-spring-2011/FL-Spring-11-11.html
Really liked the area north of Everglades City and not many boats at all in that area and you have the perfect boat to explore there. Not many protected anchorage south of there but Little Shark and it was crowded and I didn't think that pretty. Never went in at Cape Sable, just went by it. Not a lot of protection there. Don't rush the upper 10,000 Islands,
Sumner
===============================================
1300 miles to The Bahamas and Back in the Mac
Endeavour 37 Mods...
MacGregor 26-S Mods...
Mac Trips to Utah, Idaho, Canada, Florida, Bahamas
I have a sealand 975msd hooked up to a Y valve to a macerator and deck pumpout. Unfortunately its broken and the macerator is burned up too (bought the boat like that) so I will be rebuilding the waste system the same way just with new everything. Defender Marine has the 975msd on sale now.
I thought I'd bump this thread once more, just to add an epilogue for the sake of anyone searching for info at a later time.
We bought the 550P and installed it earlier this month. Yes, the hold down kit is flimsy. I would not trust it as is! I reinforced the large plastic tab by laying up strips of fiberglass along it's corners and across the bottom. That stiffened it up pretty good, and it held the potty admirably this week in some occasionally very rough conditions. I trust it now.
It took us two day sails and a five day/night cruise to fill the holding tank to where the little green/red indicator showed 50/50 green and red. I later learned this meant there was about 1/2 gallon capacity remaining before it would have been 100% full. So, for us, six days and nights is about as far as it will go between dumpings. And that's with me using the lee rail 95% of the time. I'm satisfied with that, since most of our cruises are not more than five days.
And, Sumner - the 10,000 Islands are beautiful!
We bought the 550P and installed it earlier this month. Yes, the hold down kit is flimsy. I would not trust it as is! I reinforced the large plastic tab by laying up strips of fiberglass along it's corners and across the bottom. That stiffened it up pretty good, and it held the potty admirably this week in some occasionally very rough conditions. I trust it now.
It took us two day sails and a five day/night cruise to fill the holding tank to where the little green/red indicator showed 50/50 green and red. I later learned this meant there was about 1/2 gallon capacity remaining before it would have been 100% full. So, for us, six days and nights is about as far as it will go between dumpings. And that's with me using the lee rail 95% of the time. I'm satisfied with that, since most of our cruises are not more than five days.
And, Sumner - the 10,000 Islands are beautiful!
