Glen-L.com

for those of you who have a boat that can take a porta potty, or marine head --

which are you using? are they working for you? how difficult is it to empty? -- on the empty question, i have reservations about dragging a porta potty down the dock to empty. the weight alone of a 5 gallon holding tank would be hefty!

that said, i've been considering:

Thetford 92360 Porta Potti 550E Curve Portable Toilet -- has a floor mount available

and on the opposite end of the spectrum:

Sealand Marine Traveler (pump out, self contained 9 gallon holding tank, freshwater flush)

i don't want the head under the vee in my bo jest. so its going to go somewhere in my extended pilot house -- how much room are you allowing for yours? is it in its own compartment?

we will be overnighting on the boat on occasion, and be out on anchor...so a head is necessary.

Scout: Here's my advice for the best, most reliable, simplest to use head.
It's called the Lavac. It's made in great Britain ( well actually now in China for them ...so what else is new!) Look it up on the internet. We installed one in our 34' sailboat in 1997, sold the boat in 2003, it's been in Europe sailing for 9 seasons now and has never been replaced. The lid is closed after use and you give a few pumps on the handle of the large diaphragm bilge pump and that evacuates the bowl at the same time drawing in seawater to refill the bowl. If you have a rare blockage you simply remove the cap on the pump with a twist and clear it. Nothing simpler. The pump is a standard common bilge pump ( Whale I think). We carried spares parts but never used any.
Obviously you need a holding tank for this setup.
We installed the same system on out Titan as we feel the same as you about porta potties under the berth (?)
They are not cheap, but still the best in the long run.
Doug

slug -- i have looked at the lavac and if i go the way of holding tank they are on the list for serious consideration

on a 17 footer like the bo jest, space is at a premium for what you see and what you don't lol, so i was leaning towards the sealand for the best of both worlds.

lots to ponder here...

Sorry Scout; I actually thought the Bo Jest was around 24'...don't know why.

Doug

seems a lot of folks have stretched the bo jest...but mine will leave the hull as planned

I used a port-pottie, mounted to the floor, in my Bo Jest. Emptying it is a pain, but if we avoid using it when other facilities are available, I only have to empty it about every 3rd or 4th day. Normally, if we take a 5-7 day trip, I empty it once during the trip, then stop at an Interstate rest stop on the way home and empty it again in their dump station. (Most rest areas have these for RV use).

Under the v-berth would not have worked for me either, and mine is located under a hinged counter aft of the small sink, which is aft of the captain seat. The counter raises up and latches vertically, and a curtain provides some amount of privacy.

I'm not sure if you could fit that into a Bo Jest without stretching it - mine is stretched by 25".

_________________
Tom
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Knot-So-Fast (A stretched Bo-Jest design)
Travel Log at www.tomstug.blogspot.com

"It's amazing what one can do when one doesn't know what one can't do." - Garfield

couldn't fit your set up

i've seen your boat on the glen-l site (the interview you did).

mine will be based on bob trygg's bo jest (hull left alone, everything else changed and expanded) and he got a head in the pilot house -- but no dinette like you did

i'm also looking into the nature's head, air head, and c-head compostable versions. slightly better than hauling and dumping a porta potty.

the sealand requires pressurized water from what i can tell but it would allow for dockside pumpout.

....and i thought the battery bank would take some thought LOL

When deciding on a system with a holding tank, one of the main considerations is how easy your access is to a pump out station, since that is your only inland option for emptying the tank. Your area may have lots of pump out locations, but on the rivers in Alabama pump outs are few and sometimes far between.

The porta-pottie, with all its negatives, can be dumped (with permission) into any regular land toilet. It's also the cheapest option.

Like all boating issues, you have to weigh the positives and negatives and apply them to your particular boating situation.

_________________
Tom
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Knot-So-Fast (A stretched Bo-Jest design)
Travel Log at www.tomstug.blogspot.com

"It's amazing what one can do when one doesn't know what one can't do." - Garfield

just thought i'd revive this thread with a new product i found during my research....


www.dry-flush.com -- think "diaper genie"

unit is $420. refills are 3 for $49'ish

have a look at the videos...this thing looks like something the astronauts used

Very Interesting. As heads go the price is not bad when you figure the total cost of a conventional head, holding tank, hoses and so on. But at a little more than a dollar a flush it could get costly to operate, especially if you have a female(s) on board. Guys can often figure a way to reduce the liquid deposits in a head - if you know what I mean......

Although for just weekend use it might be acceptable.

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So Many Rivers,
So Little Time....