Waste tank replacement O'Day 34

[dundee]

Hi,

I own a 1982 O'Day 34 sailboat.

Last year, I replaced the whole waste tank hose system on my boat with an odor free one garanteed for 10 years. The odor coming from underneath the v-birth was a lot better after this change. However, since there still was some foul odor, I recently took out the waste tank and was hoping to replace it with a new plastic one.

Here's where it gets tricky.

I placed a couple of calls to Sealand and Todd marine suppliers without any luck in finding a replacement tank of the same or around the same measurements.

Those measurements are precisely 8" 3/4 wide X 11" 5/8 tall X 29" 3/4 long.

The tank sits on a wooden base with wooden sides and the size of the hole it came out matters also for the replacement.

It could be slightly less tall, say 11 inches but I would really like to find one that is as wide and as long as the original one to keep the same tankage.

I did get a quote on a stainless steel one which would be good for a very long time, but at 700.00$ I find the price a bit steep compared with a plastic one around 200.00$

Does anyone have any ideas/leads on where I could find such a replacement tank please?

 

[damauney]

For ODay 35

I have been looking at this site for a while planning to use them. I have heard good history with them. Please post how it all works out as I am right behind you.

http://www.ronco-plastics.net/

Goodwinds
DaveM
s/v DAMWEGAS

 

[dundee]

Thanks!

I'll let you know if it pans out.

 

[DannyS]

I posted some of this info recently so if you've read it, I'm sorry for sounding like a broken record.
I went through this exercise about two years ago. The boat had a definite funk to it, I thought it was just the hoses, but the tank was as bad, if not worse than the hoses. The compartment under the v berth was horrible so I ripped it all out. Now after two years, the boat only has a slight aroma about it after it has been cooped up for a few days. But the compartment under the v berth still reeks. I scrubbed everything in there several times but to no avail. I have an O'day 35 with the same size tank but had no luck finding that same size. I wanted to go with a larger tank but the only way to do that was to cut the fiberglass structure in the berth to get in in and then re-glass it back in place...not something I wanted to do.
In the end, I decided to go with a porta pottie for the time being. I'd like the boat to air out a little longer before I put a more permanent marine head and tank back in but for now, I like the porta pot. One of the biggest reasons for going this rout came from Peggy, "The Head Mistress". I don't have the exact figures but as I recall, a 5 gallon porta pot is roughly equivalent to a 13 gallon holding tank (which is what we had on board) when you factor in the amount of water that needs to be used in order to push the waste from the bowl, to the tank in order to keep the hoses free of the waste that permeates them. Most people don't use enough water to keep the hoses free and clean because they think they'll fill up the tank too quickly and will have to pump out more often. That may be true, but the waste is now sitting in the hoses and not in the tank where it should be.
Probably more info than you wanted on such a nasty subject, but it's worth considering.
I bought a porta pot that can be plumbed in to have a traditional pumpout but I haven't done that yet. We cruise in more wilderness areas without pumpouts available everywhere so I like the idea of just taking the tank off the boat and unloading it (in the proper manner) without having to find a marina with pumpout facilities.

 

[dundee]

Just a little update.

I've ordered a Ronco replacement plastic tank. Part number: B361. I was told by them that it doesn't permeate since it's made out of Polyethylene.

We'll just have to smell, won't we.

The tank that I was able to find was a bit smaller (9 gallons instead of 10) that the original one but I can live with more frequent pump outs since I mostly use the boat on week-ends.

Thanks again for the info and I'll try to post pics of the repair and final result as soon as I'm done with it.

 

[RAD]

Dundee,
here's a link with a large selection

http://www.tank-depot.com/default.aspx

 

[dundee]

I got it done

Finally, after a two weeks delay on the manufacturing and delivery of the tank, I got it installed yesterday. It was very easy tu assemble and put in place. I cleaned the whole space with bleach which got rid of most the residual smell and installed the whole thing in less than two hours. I think it looks great and I can't wait to see how it performs this summer. Thanks for the tips everyone and good luck on your own projects!