Potty talk...

[ross84]

Hi all,

Quick Question - for livaboards in closed marinas, what do you do regarding the toilet? I was under the impression that all marine toilets just go directly out to sea, but I've also read yachts have a holding tank which can be pumped at more appropriate times i.e. when out at sea.

Likewise, I know marinas offer pump out services. So far I'm looking at yachts, mainly Sadlers and Westerlies in the 29/34ft range - do these sort of boats have holding tanks? Is there any way to find out?

And when it comes to marinas and pump outs - is there a sort of hatch to this 'poo tank' where they stick in a hose and empty it? I'm sizing up being a liveaboard and this was something that was bothering me.

I know on canal boats they either have tanks or use chemical toilets, but the latter doesn't seem appropriate on a yacht.

Thanks!

 

[laika]

Any holding tank on an old westerly (I'm not familiar with saddlers but probably ditto) will be an after-market addition. If they have a pump-out fitting it'll be a pipe up to a fitting on the deck which the pump-out pipe connects to. Some boats with holding tanks don't have a pump-out fitting: The intention is to dump black water at sea. A 29/34ft boat will not have a large holding tank.

Not all marinas will have a pump-out facility.

Mostly I believe UK liveaboards use the marina facilities which is not much worse than our parents'/grandparents'/great-grandparents' (depending on your vintage) generation had to deal with before inside toilets were "a thing" for the ordinary person. Putting on your clothes in the middle of the night to walk through sleet down an icy pontoon to the loo in winter is the less glamorous side of live aboard life.

 

[25931]

Hi all,

Quick Question - for livaboards in closed marinas, what do you do regarding the toilet? I was under the impression that all marine toilets just go directly out to sea, but I've also read yachts have a holding tank which can be pumped at more appropriate times i.e. when out at sea.

Likewise, I know marinas offer pump out services. So far I'm looking at yachts, mainly Sadlers and Westerlies in the 29/34ft range - do these sort of boats have holding tanks? Is there any way to find out?

And when it comes to marinas and pump outs - is there a sort of hatch to this 'poo tank' where they stick in a hose and empty it? I'm sizing up being a liveaboard and this was something that was bothering me.

I know on canal boats they either have tanks or use chemical toilets, but the latter doesn't seem appropriate on a yacht.

Thanks!

I used to have a catamaran with a Portapotti for use in emergency or the middle of the night in amarina.

 

[AndrewB]

We are easy about pee going down the regular marine toilet in anything other than the most confined marinas or anchorages near swimming areas. But for no. 2's - if we really can't face the midnight walk to the marina facilities - then like 25931 it's the Portapotti. A lot less trouble to empty and flush clean than the holding tank, which incidentally we also have (it is compulsory in some places).

If there is a working holding tank fitted in a yacht the size you mention, then it is certain to be mentioned in the specs.

 

[Ohlin Karcher]

Where is it compulsory to have a holding tank fitted? How is that enforced?

 

[AndrewB]

Where is it compulsory to have a holding tank fitted? How is that enforced?

In Europe, Denmark, Spain and Turkey: also some harbours and marinas in other countries. See https://www.noonsite.com/report/european-black-and-grey-water-regulations/.

Regarding enforcement, Turkey for example uses the "blue card" system which keeps a computer record of all pump-outs while cruising the country. It is checked when you depart, and the volume must be commensurate with number of crew and length of stay. Needless to say, ways have to be found round this, as there aren't enough pump-out stations in Turkey. But it does mean you must actually have a holding tank.

 

[Ohlin Karcher]

Thanks for the link AndrewB..I had no idea it was all so draconian!

 

[Heckler]

Hi all,

Quick Question - for livaboards in closed marinas, what do you do regarding the toilet? I was under the impression that all marine toilets just go directly out to sea, but I've also read yachts have a holding tank which can be pumped at more appropriate times i.e. when out at sea.

Likewise, I know marinas offer pump out services. So far I'm looking at yachts, mainly Sadlers and Westerlies in the 29/34ft range - do these sort of boats have holding tanks? Is there any way to find out?

And when it comes to marinas and pump outs - is there a sort of hatch to this 'poo tank' where they stick in a hose and empty it? I'm sizing up being a liveaboard and this was something that was bothering me.

I know on canal boats they either have tanks or use chemical toilets, but the latter doesn't seem appropriate on a yacht.

Thanks!

Two heads in our Bene 381, we took the toilet out of one and fitted a porta potti for use in marinas or on the hard. Much more civilised than traipsing to communal loos at unearthly hours. Also dont see a prob with pees in marinas. Its allegedly sterile when it comes out!

 

[Ohlin Karcher]

That's a good idea taking out a sea toilet and putting in a portapotti, it covers any scenario.

Nit pick: P is not remotely sterile..bacterial infections are very common, and often go un-noticed. Some of these infections are resistant to all common antibiotics. Women and girls are somewhat more vulnerable due to their plumbing arrangements. Don't use for wound cleansing either, if anyone still does.

 

[ross84]

Our local marina is full of swimmers, kids kayaking, etc, and is closed, so would agree with Ohlin. One idea maybe is to have a portapotty and keep it aft or where ever a convenient space could be found.

 

[colind3782]

Our local marina is full of swimmers, kids kayaking, etc, and is closed, so would agree with Ohlin. One idea maybe is to have a portapotty and keep it aft or where ever a convenient space could be found.

That's what we have in Spain in case we're inspected. It's never been used and is still in the box!

 

[oldmanofthehills]

That's what we have in Spain in case we're inspected. It's never been used and is still in the box!

Not a liveaboard but simply cruiser rocking up in numerous places. My portapotty was kept in the heads but never used, we almost always went ashore to go to pub, café or harbour master depending on time of day, and on the rare occasions we didn't in morning but were in a marina or small harbour we simply didn't flush the sea toilet until back out at sea. Portapotty now in shed.

 

[Ohlin Karcher]

Not a liveaboard but simply cruiser rocking up in numerous places. My portapotty was kept in the heads but never used, we almost always went ashore to go to pub, café or harbour master depending on time of day, and on the rare occasions we didn't in morning but were in a marina or small harbour we simply didn't flush the sea toilet until back out at sea. Portapotty now in shed.

I use mine to coil my kedge warp, so the space is not wasted..

 

[RupertW]

Holding tanks are great if you are sure you will be sailing again within a week, so we almost never use the marina loos except at the end of a sailing trip and even then just for pooing.

 

[ryanroberts]

I'd be looking at an airhead or similar composting toilet for liveaboard use on a yacht. We currently get a couple of months out of the huge black tank on our narrowboat but the tank is *enormous*, to the point where we have adjustable ballast to compensate. There is no way anything similar would work on a reasonably sized yacht.

We use a 'natural' black tank on the narrowboat, rather than gallons of formaldehyde we use septic tank bacteria kits. When it goes wrong and you kill the tank there's quite a flush pong though, so we also have a large refillable carbon filter from big orange - the single use ones are an insane rip off. I would go compost on that too, if I were fitting out.

 

[DownWest]

Over on the East coast of the States, dumping in the water is mostley illegal, with draconian fines. There is a lot of discussion on the WBF about composting toilets, as Ryan mentioned. Including DIY ones that work fine. Usually, pee is seperated out by the shape of the bowl and emptied every few days, mixed with a bit of sugar.
The poo is helped by a bit of sawdust, or hampster litter, and emptied every month or two. Users say that there is no odour, because it is dry without the pee. Grows nice Petunias too.