My wife insists on a boat with a head. How do they work?

[KD4UPL]

I want to upgrade from my 20' bowrider to something larger. My wife insists that the next boat must have a head. The last thing I want is a tank full of sewage and a toilet on my boat but I've go to make her happy. The upside is that you have to go to about a 23' or 24' boat to get one with a head.
How do these things work. I see that some are port-a-potty types that I guess you just remove and dump. Some say vac-u-flush, whatever that is. I guess they have a tank that must be pumped out. Is this something I could do myself at my house. One of the lakes we frequent doesn't have any pumping facilities. Also, the thought of an extra fee every time we go boating isn't appealing.
I've got a camper so I'm familiar with draining the tanks but not sure how that translates to a boat.

 

[dingbat]

Re: My wife insists on a boat with a head. How do they work?

Pretty much the same deal as an RV.

I solved the problem by making the rule whoever uses the head, cleans the head. The head has not been used in 4 years.

 

[Natesms]

Re: My wife insists on a boat with a head. How do they work?

In that length of boat you will find the porta potty that you just pull out and dump much more common. The vacu-flush heads do have the tank on board and have an electric pump which creates a vacuum that sucks the waste down. You do have to take these to a pump out, it uses vacuum to pull the waste out. Not sure what options there are for do it your self.

In my opinion the vacuflush styled is the way to go if you plan to use it frequently. Everything is in a closed system and you can use and dump without touching anything. However, you don't usually see to many 23 - 24' boats with the tank systems.

 

[Thalasso]

Re: My wife insists on a boat with a head. How do they work?

Well it seems you definitely have a delima.(mom isn't happy nobody is)

The only type you can empty yourself will be the porti-potty.The others will require a pump out station. How much time do you spend on the boat that would require anything more then a porti-pottie. If it's only day use and no overnights away then the porti-pottie will work fine.
You are right that you will need to get into 24 and bigger. Usually it is 26 and up to get a vacu-flush or electric. They have a holding tank and most have a freshwater tank so you can flush. There are some that use raw water(the water your boating in )by pumping a handle to flush. The vacu-flush you just step on a pedal and the vacu-flush generator creates a vacuum to flush it

 

[Thalasso]

Re: My wife insists on a boat with a head. How do they work?

Pretty much the same deal as an RV.

I solved the problem by making the rule whoever uses the head, cleans the head. The head has not been used in 4 years.

:facepalm:
You do know that depositing waste in the water violates the Clean Water Act?:laugh::laugh:

 

[tpenfield]

Re: My wife insists on a boat with a head. How do they work?

In a 24 foot (+/-) boat you will most likely have the straight porta-potti that you have to take off the boat to dump . . . or . . . possibly the similar style porta-potti that can be pumped out via a deck fitting.

The pump out facilities around my waters are free, so no cost involved.

So, as you look at 'new' boats look for ones that have the pump-out style porta-potti. Vacu-flush are found on the bigger boats . . . they are similar to what is on a commercial airliner.

 

[agallant80]

Re: My wife insists on a boat with a head. How do they work?

My 25 has a pump head with a 25 gallon holding tank. There is a marina on the lake so we pump it every few weeks and after long trips on the coast we hit a marina and have it pumpped. The chemicals you can get for them don't really work that well in terms of cutting down the smell. You can't notice but if you are on deck and someone starts pumping you will notice it real quick. Someone told me laundry deturgent will do a good job of keeping the tank clean and cutting down on the smell. I have not tried yet but I did buy a small bottle for the boat last night when I was food shopping.

 

[Texasmark]

Re: My wife insists on a boat with a head. How do they work?

Porta potty on my 17' boat. It's there if needed. Just having it aboard solves a lot of "anxiety" knowing that if you have to you can. Have never used it, nor needed to, probably for the reason stated. May have bought it at WW; don't remember, been around 8 years. Wasn't very expensive.

Mark

 

[Thalasso]

Re: My wife insists on a boat with a head. How do they work?

My 25 has a pump head with a 25 gallon holding tank. There is a marina on the lake so we pump it every few weeks and after long trips on the coast we hit a marina and have it pumpped. The chemicals you can get for them don't really work that well in terms of cutting down the smell. You can't notice but if you are on deck and someone starts pumping you will notice it real quick. Someone told me laundry deturgent will do a good job of keeping the tank clean and cutting down on the smell. I have not tried yet but I did buy a small bottle for the boat last night when I was food shopping.

Use fabric softener(cup) in the tank. It helps to keep things from getting hard so to speak.Helps to keep the sending unit clean If your getting an odor from your vent when flushing you need to add or change the vent filter.

 

[agallant80]

Re: My wife insists on a boat with a head. How do they work?

Use fabric softener(cup) in the tank. It helps to keep things from getting hard so to speak.Helps to keep the sending unit clean If your getting an odor from your vent when flushing you need to add or change the vent filter.

I never even knew there was a vent filter. I will have to look in to that.

EDIT:
After a google search I do not have one. There is a great example of where Bayliner cuts costs where it can. I will be installing one of these before the season starts.

 

[crabby captain john]

Re: My wife insists on a boat with a head. How do they work?

Right on!! I have the same rule and the same result. I'm buying a new porta-poti this spring as the current one was purchased in '93 and never used. After 20 years I'm afraid it will not work or leak as it has NEVER been used.

Pretty much the same deal as an RV.

I solved the problem by making the rule whoever uses the head, cleans the head. The head has not been used in 4 years.

 

[Thalasso]

Re: My wife insists on a boat with a head. How do they work?

I never even knew there was a vent filter. I will have to look in to that.

EDIT:
After a google search I do not have one. There is a great example of where Bayliner cuts costs where it can. I will be installing one of these before the season starts.

It has to be installed higher then the water line and holding tank. You will also need to put a vent thru the hull
along with a fitting on the holding tank if it doesn't already have on for a vent line. Otherwise you might be getting into more work then you want to. Check the tank top first and see if there is a fitting to attach a vent line.

 

[OllieC]

Re: My wife insists on a boat with a head. How do they work?

This is my set up. My Sea Ray has a pump out connection for my Dometic Porta Potty. No macerator, electric pump or anything. You can see the 2 hoses running up the side to a "waste" connection for access outside, one is the vent, the other is the waste disposal. You can get this in a 2.5gallon storage or 5 gallon storage tank. The only time I remove the Porta Potty is in the Winter for winterization. This is a women only head unless there is an emergency. The Red Little John is for the Gents.

 

[Thalasso]

Re: My wife insists on a boat with a head. How do they work?

Right on!! I have the same rule and the same result. I'm buying a new porta-poti this spring as the current one was purchased in '93 and never used. After 20 years I'm afraid it will not work or leak as it has NEVER been used.

The repair kit is around $32.00. The toilet $110.00+. I would be checking it out first. Pour some hot water in the toilet before opening the slide handle. This softens the rubber seal so it doesn't pull out. Lubricate the seal with some cooking oil during the season. Other then that there is only a bellows and a couple o rings in it.

 

[Thalasso]

Re: My wife insists on a boat with a head. How do they work?

This is my set up. My Sea Ray has a pump out connection for my Dometic Porta Potty. No macerator, electric pump or anything. You can see the 2 hoses running up the side to a "waste" connection for access outside, one is the vent, the other is the waste disposal. You can get this in a 2.5gallon storage or 5 gallon storage tank. The only time I remove the Porta Potty is in the Winter for winterization. This is a women only head unless there is an emergency. The Red Little John is for the Gents.

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Why remove it in the winter. Pour some RV anti freeze in it give it a few pumps and your good.

 

[shrew]

Re: My wife insists on a boat with a head. How do they work?

It's not the same as an RV. To my knowledge RV's are based on a gravity system. A boat holding tank needs to be sucked out through the holding tank deck fitting. A porta-pottie has a small portable holding tank that can be removed and carried to the bathroom to be poured out. (yuck).

You're not going to want to leave contents in the holding tank for more than 5 or so days, so if you're a weekend warrior, you're going to want to get the holding tank pumped out at the end of the weekend.

 

[Thalasso]

Re: My wife insists on a boat with a head. How do they work?

It's not the same as an RV. To my knowledge RV's are based on a gravity system. A boat holding tank needs to be sucked out through the holding tank deck fitting. A porta-pottie has a small portable holding tank that can be removed and carried to the bathroom to be poured out. (yuck).

You're not going to want to leave contents in the holding tank for more than 5 or so days, so if you're a weekend warrior, you're going to want to get the holding tank pumped out at the end of the weekend.

They can also be pumped out. In the pics above you will see a hose on the back of the portapottie. That goes to a pump-out fitting at the back of the boat.

 

[KD4UPL]

Re: My wife insists on a boat with a head. How do they work?

So I learned there's 3 types. I hadn't realized the vac flush was different from a pump out type. I think the portable would be the way to go for our use. We used to have one of those for camping when our really small truck camper didn't have a bathroom. I sold it when we got a camper with a full bath. I don't know what I would use to pump the tank out at home if I had that style. That sounds worse than just dumping a small tank anyway.
Thanks for the run down guys. Now, to find a boat with one I can afford.
By the way, we were at a boat show last weekend looking at some Chaparral boats with heads in the port console. You had to flip up the bolster on the seat and rotate the seat to the exact right position to get the door open. A very poor design in my opinion. Even the sales guy had to agree.

 

[crabby captain john]

Re: My wife insists on a boat with a head. How do they work?

The repair kit is around $32.00. The toilet $110.00+. I would be checking it out first. Pour some hot water in the toilet before opening the slide handle. This softens the rubber seal so it doesn't pull out. Lubricate the seal with some cooking oil during the season. Other then that there is only a bellows and a couple o rings in it.

Good thought. They may even have a kit for the antique.

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: My wife insists on a boat with a head. How do they work?

one of the biggest issues with a head on a small boat is not the machinery but the space. Most women who lobby for a head don't want equipment; they want privacy. So this suggestion isn't for everyone, but for many, solve the privacy issue and you solved the equipment issue. You will need a lot less equipment.

And the nice thing about getting older is that privacy doesn't matter as much. (I was trained as a young boy to "turn your head" when the girls needed privacy, having been raised doing outdoor activities, sharing motel rooms, etc. It's not that complicated.)

This is why, as we've seen from the comments, many boaters find their heads are never used (both kinds but that's another rant).

If you are going to stuff some little device down into a hold in the boat, be sure your wife gives it a dry run at the dealers before you buy. If they can't get in there, undress, get back up, dress, all in a 90 degree box, it won't get used.

When I decided to move up to a bigger boat I consulted with my wife and two daughters about all aspects including this. Decided it wasn't necessary but there is (theoretically) room to put a porta in the console. Not to be unkind but I don't think my wife could get in there or worse, back out! Never wanted to add one after 5 years, but the live well gets flushed a lot! And if we had a No. 2 emergency we could make do with a bucket and trash bag.

One trick for home-made that I learned here is to put a disposable diaper in the bag/bucket to absorb p and prevent spills and leaks, easy to toss when you get ashore.

But we all know most p goes overboard, and no harm done IMO. Ever see pictures of a couple hundred people waist deep at a party cove? Don't think about it....

Boating is like camping. backpacking for a week with only 40# of gear and food is camping. So is sleeping in a $300,000 RV. Facilities vary with the participants and their style.