Heads Question.

[alandav123]

Hi all, my recently aqquired boat has a very nice seperate space in the forward part that aloows me to fully stand up ( I am 5ft 10) there is quite a bit of space to the sides also, everythings wood making it an ideal place to hang things etc.

It has a delapadated sea toilet ( no holding tank, no electrics, hand pumped) which is loose and I was told by seller that the valves need changing and the whole things past its best.

My question is two fold.

Am I right in thinking that any exploratory work on sea cocks etc would need to be done when the boat had been beached ( easy for me here). I was cleaning the whole area yeaterdaY AND had a terrible thought of me starting to dismantle everything then find the valves that are meant to keep the seawater out had failed and the sea would be pouring into the boat.

Second, I am also toying with the idea of putting a shower in there are well as there is easlily enough room for one and doing both the projects at the same time might be easier.

Lastly, I have a very usable cheimcal toilet from a previous campervan ( the self contained on that splits in two halves for emptying) that could just as easily go in that space. I will mostly be a day tripper sailier with the occasional overnighter for the forseable future.

The beauty of the Chemical toilet is thats its free and I could dismantle the wooden shelf that was built to house the sea toilet thereby freeing up more space for shower/leg room.

If the combined wisdom here is that a boat mostly berthed in an inner harbour area for the forseable future should be using a chemical toilet anyway, then I am happy to go along with that.

I am of course fully aware that a sea toilet would only be used in open water in any case.
Regards Alan

 

[rob2]

It would be possible to check the open/close action of the seacocks whilst afloat by fitting hoses that reach above the waterline and pushing a stick down to test for the expected obstruction, but any more than that will need to be done whilst dried out. A chemical loo would be quick and easy, but emptying cold prove unpleasant if you have to row the tank ashore in the dinghy...

Do you have hot water for a shower? Cold showers can be very -erm - character building! If the area is all varnished wood you'll have to be very fastidious about mopping down and drying after showering or the varnish won't last long.

It could be worth posting a picture of your heads so others can identify the unit and advise on whether it can be refurbished.

Rob.

 

[prv]

Personally I'd go for a sea toilet, but that's because I hate portapotties. Everything from the clammy plastic seat to the tiny bowl to the smelly chemicals to the emptying to the view through the trapdoor.

If you're doing major alterations, it seems prudent to fit a holding tank, even if you never use it at the moment. The requirements for such things seem only likely to increase.

"No electrics, hand-pumped" is absolutely the norm - electric toilets are rare, especially on sailing boats, they're noisy, they eat power, and I have no idea what problem they're supposed to solve anyway.

If the valves are ball-valves (quarter-turn handle on the side) or Blakes valves (brass, handle on top, hose comes off the side) then you can probably trust them to be closed if the handle is in the right position (across the pipe for ball valves, arrow on top pointing away from the hose for Blakes). If they're gate valves (screw handle on the side, like in submarine films ) then you're right to be cautious as they can fail open with no clear way to tell.

Pete

 

[BAtoo]

Certainly if you are in an inner harbour most of the time then a chemical toilet will be helpful. If you dont use the chemicals when "at sea" then you can empty it over the side - assuming you dont drop it !!!

Would certainly do any checking of the valves when ashore, or aground. Once had an engine inlet part in my hands when afloat - fortunately only the spiggot and was able to still turn it off..

FWIW you can replace a toilet for £100 so renovating possibly not worth it financially -
http://www.seamarknunn.com/acatalog/Toilets.html
and you can use the existing fittings assuming they are ok.

Fitting a holding tank will be a few hundred pounds though....

Re showering in the heads - will be fine if you line it out with formica or something similar; or a very careful about drying etc and have an excellent varnish/sealant over the wood. Have you though about how you will drain it away??

What boat have you got??

 

[vyv_cox]

Unless the toilet is extremely old and obsolete there is a very good chance that you can buy a service kit for not very much money. A sea toilet is a vast improvement over a Portapotti for all the reasons prv gives plus the problem of holding the thing down in the boat. Pumping poo overboard is far 'greener' than tipping poo plus formaldehyde over the side, assuming you don't drop it into the cockpit on the way!

Showers in a boat IMHO are not worth the trouble. Even in our camper van where there is a purpose-made lined compartment and gravity takes care of the discharge it is so much hassle that it isn't worth it, If you must shower on board make up a portable tank and shower head, rig up a curtain and do it in the cockpit, or as we do, on a stern platform.

 

[davidej]

If the valves are ball-valves (quarter-turn handle on the side) or Blakes valves (brass, handle on top, hose comes off the side) then you can probably trust them to be closed if the handle is in the right position (across the pipe for ball valves, arrow on top pointing away from the hose for Blakes). If they're gate valves (screw handle on the side, like in submarine films ) then you're right to be cautious as they can fail open with no clear way to tell.

Pete

Sorry to disagree but I found, on my last boat, that the shafts on the ball valves had corroded away. I thought I was closing them but nothing was happening. Luckily a disaster was averted as I realised this as I started disconnectiong the hoses.

 

[prv]

Showers in a boat IMHO are not worth the trouble.

Depends on the boat - I was once on a chartered gigantic Bavaria that had a full-sized domestic-style shower cubicle in the head, completely separate from the toilet part. That was extremely pleasant - no reason to bother going ashore even if you'd been moored directly opposite the bog-block in a swanky marina.

On more normal older boats, though, I agree. Personally on KS I'm quite happy with my Salty John canvas bucket in the cockpit

Pete

 

[Plaicemat]

Depends on your preference. I personally don't like the porta potti things. One of the great luxuries for me is a sea toilet with a holding tank.

 

[ghostlymoron]

Whilst you can get a new sea toilet for around £100, a lot of sailers prefer the Lavac type which is reputably much more reliable and robust but a lot more dosh. I personally would not have a shower on a boat for use in the UK - you will find that the heads compartment becomes very wet (including the toilet paper!) and the rest of the boat will be damp. They are fine in the med or tropics.

 

[Victoria Sponge]

We have a shower as the heads is a moulded heads compartment, so essentially a wet room. The loo roll is handily located just under the sink in a locker.

I wouldn't be without my shower and we sail purely in the UK. Opening a window stops the boat getting damp.

 

[Coaster]

The answer to your question also depends on budget. We have a vacuum system heads, discharging to a holding tank. When full (about 10 days' use for the two of us) or sooner the holding tank is emptied, usually by pump out at sea via a dedicated seacock. I loathe the thought of people using their sea toilets in a marina, pumping straight out into the basin.

We bought the fittings from LeeSan and installed them ourselves. Total cost about £2,300. The result is excellent and users, especially women, seem to regard what we have as vastly superior to the standard seatoilet.

For anyone that's interested, these are the main fittings:

The wc:

The vacuum unit:

And a bespoke holding tank, preliminary details here

I expect that many people will think we're barking mad spending that sort of money on a loo. But we use our boat as a home from home, spend about 60 or 70 nights aboard each year, and greatly appreciate the benefit.