Victoria Sponge
New member
Some friends of ours took the sea toilet out and put a porta potti in. Now they can't sell their boat. I'm not saying that's why, but the boat is lovely..........
Replacing Sea Toilet with Porta Potti...
- Thread starter V1701
- Start date
oldharry
Well-known member
+1 on the lack of smell, convenience, and general all round improvement over the old sea toilet. We used a portapotti for years in a very small motor caravan, and i can assue any doubter - there is NO SMELL except for a very few moments after re-charging it. Modern chemicals are much less odiferous in themselves, and much more efficient at killing any nasty pongs. The locker it lived in was less than a foot from my pillow - and I gurantee it would have been thrown out straight away if it had made its presence known to the slightest degree.
NickRobinson
Well-known member
Good point-
Sold mine with both!
ps- make sure the seal on the outer hull is maintained well- the decor panel takes a/foul....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tOuqPlsVnpw
Sold mine with both!
ps- make sure the seal on the outer hull is maintained well- the decor panel takes a/foul....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tOuqPlsVnpw
Last edited:
pcatterall
Well-known member
Another vote for porta loos! We have one in our camper- no smell.
I had one in the last boat - no smell. The 'new boat' has a sea toilet in the fwd heads and a porta loo aft again - no smell.
A small draw back could be that if emptied at sea you are pouring chemicals into the ogin as well as the 'good' organic stuff!
I had one in the last boat - no smell. The 'new boat' has a sea toilet in the fwd heads and a porta loo aft again - no smell.
A small draw back could be that if emptied at sea you are pouring chemicals into the ogin as well as the 'good' organic stuff!
Seajet
...
The ultimate deterrent
I believe the 'green' - literally ! chemicals are OK if not close inshore.
There is also the 'chemical weapon' benefit which hasn't been mentioned up to now; even Saddam would have quaked at the thought of a portion emptied into his boat ventilators - the mere suggestion has seen boats which were bashing alongside mine and refusing proper lines & fenders scurry off in haste.
I believe the 'green' - literally ! chemicals are OK if not close inshore.
There is also the 'chemical weapon' benefit which hasn't been mentioned up to now; even Saddam would have quaked at the thought of a portion emptied into his boat ventilators - the mere suggestion has seen boats which were bashing alongside mine and refusing proper lines & fenders scurry off in haste.
DownWest
Well-known member
Over in the US, the AirHead gets good reports. Compares with converting to holding tank and goes for months (3?) for liveaboards before getting rid of the compost. Def worth a look.
Also, a Porta potti with a pumpout fitment (elbow and henderson pump) must be the best for a 20 odd ft boat on a drying mooring.
salinia
New member
Our Thetford 465 electric flush fits snugly into its base and we have had no problems with it....we have learned from the past that it pays to use the more expensive chemicals after having tried the cheapo types.
Here is a pic of the base.
Here is a pic of the base.
Seajet
...
DownWest,
such kit would presumably mean through-hull fittings, while the PP has the advantage of avoiding these, and simply carrying the holding tank to a a marina etc loo where everything can be treated properly, hopefully environmentally & anyway legally ?!
Unless unluckily unobservant of the guage, it shouldn't be necessary to pump out a PP while aground, I suspect possibly illegal as well as poor for the local environment; better to empty the lot ( it carries like an attache case but with more useful contents ) into a marina facility or offshore; not difficult, just watch the guage go from green to red !
Mirror Painter
Active member
I am not a proper sailer becuase I only have a tiny cruiser on the Thames.
But I did buy a Thetford protable toilet last year and am very pleased with it. As pleased as one can be with a toilet! It sits in a cupboard and does not smell at all - even in the height of summer. The lower cassette is brought home to be emptied in the house toilet. Nobody could say that exercise is fun but it is fairly innocuos - no bad smell. Just a few horrible, slippery, blue-brown deposits.
But I did buy a Thetford protable toilet last year and am very pleased with it. As pleased as one can be with a toilet! It sits in a cupboard and does not smell at all - even in the height of summer. The lower cassette is brought home to be emptied in the house toilet. Nobody could say that exercise is fun but it is fairly innocuos - no bad smell. Just a few horrible, slippery, blue-brown deposits.
planteater
New member
Emptying a Thetford is much less revolting than changing a nappy!
To avoid filling it up with urine I would also a recommend a Tide laundry liquid bottle (for the gentlemen anyway). Wide neck with secure lid and convenient carrying handle. Much safer than "doing a Maxwell" over the stern.
To avoid filling it up with urine I would also a recommend a Tide laundry liquid bottle (for the gentlemen anyway). Wide neck with secure lid and convenient carrying handle. Much safer than "doing a Maxwell" over the stern.
KAL
Active member
NOOOOO!
Used to have a portapotti on a previous boat, then replaced with another make - even better than portpotti. No smell at all.
MAJOR hassle was emptying. Few ports in the SW have ANY facilities for doing so. In Fowey, the suggested method is to take the foot ferry and walk 1.5 miles up hill to campsite, carrying full tank and ask permission to use their chemical loo emptying point.
Using public/marina conveniences is frowned on or downright forbidden. Even emptying carefully left very unpleasant clean-up jobs around the said conveniences, often with no appropriate source of paper or cleaning chemicals. We took to taking our own in the end.
HUGEST downside was with four of us on board, even with a big tank, the contraption needing emptying every 48 hours. Ghastly times when small boy needs to go and you're at sea. Small/moderate swell + half full portapotti = s**t everywhere. I've owned half a dozen of them and never found one that doesn't leak even slightly when agitated!
Now have a lavac and have never looked back. I would never again have a boat without a proper sea toilet.
Used to have a portapotti on a previous boat, then replaced with another make - even better than portpotti. No smell at all.
MAJOR hassle was emptying. Few ports in the SW have ANY facilities for doing so. In Fowey, the suggested method is to take the foot ferry and walk 1.5 miles up hill to campsite, carrying full tank and ask permission to use their chemical loo emptying point.
Using public/marina conveniences is frowned on or downright forbidden. Even emptying carefully left very unpleasant clean-up jobs around the said conveniences, often with no appropriate source of paper or cleaning chemicals. We took to taking our own in the end.
HUGEST downside was with four of us on board, even with a big tank, the contraption needing emptying every 48 hours. Ghastly times when small boy needs to go and you're at sea. Small/moderate swell + half full portapotti = s**t everywhere. I've owned half a dozen of them and never found one that doesn't leak even slightly when agitated!
Now have a lavac and have never looked back. I would never again have a boat without a proper sea toilet.
Mirror Painter
Active member
Gosh, you're posh. The Assistant Captain, (my four year old son), and myslef use a 2Ltr pop bottle with the top cut off ot, um, wider the appature. The Salty Sea Dog, (my wife), is allowed to use the cupboard bog for a pee...
V1701
Well-known member
Thanks to everyone for replying, you've definitely helped me to decide...
Having identified the PP 335 as the optimum model for the Vega's tiny heads compartment, as luck would have it there appeared one in nearly new condition by the marina skip a couple of days ago. A mounting kit is available for this model, it's quite sturdy, very simple but cleverly designed I think - the waste compartment is sealed off when not in use, e.g. I have considered composting toilets and having a holding tank but don't really have room for either & frankly really don't like the idea of a holding tank with associated pipework, diverter valves, macerator, nowhere to pump it out, etc. Maybe if I had a significantly bigger boat but to me just more complication and potential problems. The two sea toilets I've had I haven't been that keen on for various reasons, not least of which the holes in the boat.
So I think I'll fit the PP, lose the sea toilet and add dealing with the two seacocks to the list of things to do when I have a liftout. In the meantime I would think closing the seacocks, removing the handles and tapping a softwood bung in until I can deal with them more permanently, unless anyone has a better solution...
Thanks again & happy new year,
Dave.
Having identified the PP 335 as the optimum model for the Vega's tiny heads compartment, as luck would have it there appeared one in nearly new condition by the marina skip a couple of days ago. A mounting kit is available for this model, it's quite sturdy, very simple but cleverly designed I think - the waste compartment is sealed off when not in use, e.g. I have considered composting toilets and having a holding tank but don't really have room for either & frankly really don't like the idea of a holding tank with associated pipework, diverter valves, macerator, nowhere to pump it out, etc. Maybe if I had a significantly bigger boat but to me just more complication and potential problems. The two sea toilets I've had I haven't been that keen on for various reasons, not least of which the holes in the boat.
So I think I'll fit the PP, lose the sea toilet and add dealing with the two seacocks to the list of things to do when I have a liftout. In the meantime I would think closing the seacocks, removing the handles and tapping a softwood bung in until I can deal with them more permanently, unless anyone has a better solution...
Thanks again & happy new year,
Dave.
old_salt
Active member
Had them and used them in the past and they all suffer from the same problem TOO SMALL you have to shuffle back-wards and for-wards to do both jobs properly and then you either get a wet tinkle or a wet trouser crutch from over run.
Our old horse box has a 156 and it's a pain (new one I am building will have an electric loo and holding tank with dump valve to empty it down the main drain) and yes what ever you do THEY smell even if you make a seal with a small pump of flush water to cover the slide valve.
So if you do go for one sit on it in the shop first to check it is comfortable for use.
Our old horse box has a 156 and it's a pain (new one I am building will have an electric loo and holding tank with dump valve to empty it down the main drain) and yes what ever you do THEY smell even if you make a seal with a small pump of flush water to cover the slide valve.
So if you do go for one sit on it in the shop first to check it is comfortable for use.
Seajet
...
So if you do go for one sit on it in the shop first to check it is comfortable for use.
I generally agree with 'trial fits' but I reckon that may cause some alarm among the shop assistants !
I generally agree with 'trial fits' but I reckon that may cause some alarm among the shop assistants !
davidpbo
Well-known member
We have had a Porta Potti 365 for 10 years on our boat. I empty it at the special disposal points and in toilets, I have never had a problem with mess as the emptying spout fits well into the bowl.