Loos

[Guest]

Probably one of the least satisfactory inventions is the yacht loo. It may be good enough for the weekend yachties who uses it a couple of dozen times a year, but if used a lot it has many drawbacks. All the makes, none are any good.

This morning a valve jammed and it was dismantle and clean before getting the sunday dinner. Marvellous.

We have two types, one Lavac, which often jams and also clogs with scale especially in the saline Med. The other is a wickedly expensive power driven Rolls Roycwe job that a wife wheedled me into when I was feeling unusually guilty abiout something. It is called a superloo, and is very good at flinging mouse droppings into the environment but, having been made on the continent, it cannot cope with the products of a carniverous Englishman of 14 stone.

To the devil with the lot of them. back to the bucket!

 

[Guest]

Can\'t beat a 4" pipe through the bottom of the ship Bill. The Dutch got one thing right! nm

*

 

[Guest]

Hah!

The upstairs one in the house just blocked, 4" pipe and all; doubtless due to 6 year old son stuffing it full of loo paper, but a task to be done before going to bed....

As to yot loos....Blakes are the best, the Victory is better than the Baby, the Baby is better than the S-L Kentigern which is miles better than the S-L 400 and even that is better than the junk that they put into production yachts.

 

[Guest]

The bucket and chuck it is the most reliable system but

Since the incident when my crew bounced out through the companion way doors riding the plastic bucket like a child's Hopper! Whilst we were passing the chain ferry at the entrance to Poole. All boats I've owned since have had to have "proper toilets" Certainly Blakes are better than SL but when it you consider the price of the spares for a rebuild on the either (you're a lucky man if you can get away with rebuilding an SL 400) I have turned to a cheap and cheerful plastic job which when they need a rebuild I just replace them it works out cheaper. As for excess paper I always blame the labrador puppy rather than the six-year-old.

 

[Guest]

Diet?

Bill, Close on two years full time use and the bog onboard is still working with no problems to report. (yet)Maybe it is the diet we eat. Loads of veggies and pulses, not a lot of meat. Consumption of large volumes of Guinness might help as well. Our 'secret weapon' is a good slug of cheap cooking oil every day- down the bog that is...

wully.

 

[Guest]

Re: Diet?

Yuk, Wully, I couldn't live on that, though I do like plenty of porage with honey and cream.

Balliol is right. We had a wherry-yacht on the Broads so fitted, and it never failed. It flooded up on the port tack once or twice, but not for long as the river's width was only twice the length of the wherry.

On the whole, or on the hole, depending on your point of view, the board with an appropriate sized hole, nicely chamfered as to its edge, and cantilevered out over the stern is best of all, but if used in harbour you get mistaken for French.

 

[Guest]

Re: Diet?

On the Malcolm Miller we adopted the rule of 'He who blocks it, unblocks it'. Made a dramatic difference to the incidence of blocking. Concur with the cooking oil suggestion. Even our (dare I say it) Lavac has been trouble free with such a regime. All four of us are carnivorous and the smallest is fourteen stone!

 

[Guest]

Plastic buckets? Surely you are supposed to use cedar?

Had the same problem two weeks ago - 20 year old loo failed - no parts - so went up to my favourite chandler just before he closed and walked out with a brand new jabsco loo.

It took just 1 hour to plumb in and bolt to its base, and it cost £98

Given the hassle and unpleasnatness of servicing an old contraption, this seemed like a fine approach. It's simple, has a wonderfully deep bowel of porcelain - and was a very fair price.

Unfortunately, my wife would not accept the bucket approach, so depriving me of an ideal tool / sail stowage compartment.

 

[Guest]

Re: Not sailing ?

Loos...a pain in the ar**.

I have 3 Baby Blakes sitting in my garage awaiting a new home. I gave up. After 10 years of having substances sqirting at me through either one leaking seal or another I pulled them out and replaced them with ITT Par Brydons. Yes these things are a bit lightweight, but they only cost £100 each and so are readily chuckable after a few seasons.

The Yanks make something called a Groco which is meant to be the biz. Must be Ok if it can take the weight of an American bum and its by-products!!

Never made it up the Deben tho did get to Harwich before F7 forecast on the Navtex. Went into Ipswich and saw Brigitte Jones in the warmth of theater....civilised that was.

 

[Guest]

Re: The bucket and chuck it is the most reliable system but

I've just bought new seals for my Lavac's seat and lid; £4.30 (x2) doesn't sound so bad to me. They're quite hefty lumps of rubber.

 

[Guest]

If you can keep your heads when all about you are losing theirs

Sodding, B******ing, F***ing things .. maybe it's the radioactivity out of Bradwell but I reckon I can get two seasons max out of my SL400 before it requires a complete decoke. I hate it and always use a bucket when sailing alone. About 3 seasons ago, during a major overhaul I removed the teak seat and it has remained in my garage ever since until ...... I see in this years Cruisermart catalogue that a teak loo seat will set me back £174 !! I could get 174 builders buckets for that and still have change for a pint (just)

Kind regards,

John S

 

[Guest]

Cedar? Wouldn\'t luan be the one? (nm)

 

[Guest]

Re: Loos - Toilet tissue

SeaLand make a soft biodegradable tissue which disintergrates rapidly (hopefully after you've finished using it) to help keep systems clog free. It is available in one (Model#SEALA#000404) and two (Model#SEALA#000504) ply versions.

See www.westmarine.com

ALSO NOTED A TOILET SEAT THAT FITS A STANDARD 3 OR 5 GALLON BUCKET. YOU LINE THE BUCKET WITH A PLASTIC TRASH BAG PLACE THE SEAT ON TOP. CARRY OUT BUSINESS. TRASH THE TRASH BAG. Who knows what is in that Tesco's carrier bag when you dispose of it.

 

[Guest]

Yes - ITT Par Brydons...

They work. They're simple. Spares are cheap and available. If the worst comes to the worst, just chuck and replace. What's the problem?