Pocket Cruiser Questions

[four winns 214]

I'm considering the purchase of a trailerable cruiser in the 25'-27' range. One cruiser I'm looking at has a 28 gallon waste holding tank for a vacuflush head. Is 28 gallons sufficient for a night or two with four adults and that type of head? Four people would be the max and then only a time or two per season. Most overnights would be two people. There will be many trips with six to eight folks out for the day. The only holding tank experience I have is with a porta-potti.

Some of the boats I'm looking at have 5KW generators. It seems that people either use them like crazy or not at all. The crazy end of the scale has double the number of engine hours on the on the generator- 340 engine hours and 727 generator hours. The other end of the scale is two generator hours on a 10 year-old boat with 207 engine hours. How many hours are generators good for? What problems may arise with generator that sees no use?

 

[Thalasso]

Four adults on a 27ftr for a night or two? I hope your good friends and very understanding because it's going to be tight.
As for a 28 gal holding tank I don't think so. Another issue will be your freshwater tank. Most likely it is the same size. You will use more water then the head. For the day it will be fine but you know how women use them. Remember if you didn't eat it first it doesn't go in the head. (sanitary napkins and such). That will ruin your day real quick. Also use 1 ply TP
The generator needs to be run. Occasional running is the worst thing for them. If you start it up load it up for awhile

 

[smokeonthewater]

28 gallons SHOULD be plenty as long as everyone understands how to use a marine head... I've had no trouble getting 2 weeks with a portapotti and one person and that's only 5 gallons.... If 4 people fill 28 gallons in two days there's something wrong.

 

[Thalasso]

28 gallons SHOULD be plenty as long as everyone understands how to use a marine head... I've had no trouble getting 2 weeks with a portapotti and one person and that's only 5 gallons.... If 4 people fill 28 gallons in two days there's something wrong.

Two weeks on 5 gallons? Can be done if your using the swim platform most of the time:laugh:

 

[four winns 214]

Twenty-eight gallons sounds like it's enough for a couple days, but I just don't have any experience with such.

I'm well aware of the space limitations of these vessels. The four will be family. We've made it OK on a 21' cuddy- two in the cuddy and two in the cockpit on fold down seats.

 

[Frank Acampora]

OK as long as no one eats tacos! LOL

 

[Scott Danforth]

28 gallons is more than adequate for a weekend of 4, even if someone eats tacos.

most gennys if properly maintained will get a few thousand hours.

 

[shrew]

We fill approx. 6 gallons/ day with two adults. That is with a manual pump head. We drink beer and 'dry flush' a lot. Vacuflush is very, very efficient on water use. A 27 gallon tank with a vacuflush and 4 adults will be fine. You'll learn about how fast your fill rate is. I have a 20 gallon tank and would easily go from Fri night to Sunday without worries. I would get pumped out on Sunday though.

 

[Thalasso]

Question?
Is there nobody (four people)not taking showers for two days?
I have to show this thread to the GF. I (meaning her) can go thru almost 25 gallons on a weekend with just two.

 

[cptrick3]

Some heads pull from your portable water tank, some pull raw water. Something to keep in mind.

 

[smokeonthewater]

The shower doesn't go into the black water tank so has no effect on the 28 gallons.

 

[four winns 214]

We fill approx. 6 gallons/ day with two adults. That is with a manual pump head. We drink beer and 'dry flush' a lot. Vacuflush is very, very efficient on water use. A 27 gallon tank with a vacuflush and 4 adults will be fine. You'll learn about how fast your fill rate is. I have a 20 gallon tank and would easily go from Fri night to Sunday without worries. I would get pumped out on Sunday though.

Thank you. Exactly the kind of information I am looking for.

 

[JoLin]

We fill approx. 6 gallons/ day with two adults. That is with a manual pump head. We drink beer and 'dry flush' a lot. Vacuflush is very, very efficient on water use. A 27 gallon tank with a vacuflush and 4 adults will be fine. You'll learn about how fast your fill rate is. I have a 20 gallon tank and would easily go from Fri night to Sunday without worries. I would get pumped out on Sunday though.

My experience is the same as Shrew's. 20 gallon holding tank, Wife and I can go a couple days on the hook before pumpout is needed. At a marina, we use dockside restrooms whenever possible. 28 gallons will work for 4 adults for a weekend whether or not you have another place to go. As Kevin noted, figure out where your 'flush' water is coming from. Most are raw water, but some use fresh. PO of my boat installed a separate fresh water tank for the head, and I have a valve I can switch to pull raw water, or from the tank. It's a nice setup.

As for fresh water use, you don't generally use all that much even if showering is involved. You and the passengers just need to be water conscious. Wet yourself down and turn off the water. Lather up, then rinse. You only use a couple gallons. Aside from that we use very little- washing hands, face, dishes, brushing teeth. We don't drink it. It's safe enough if you keep the water supply in good shape, but it doesn't taste very good. We bring our own fresh water supply for drinking and making coffee.

 

[four winns 214]

All very good information, John. Much as I expected, but the confirmation is good. ALL head related activities are better left to marina visits, but I would like at least some measure of autonomy, however limited it may be. I've got years of experience showering in the way you suggest. I've been many times to the big annual EAA airshow at Oshkosh, WI and camped with my airplane (lots of flyer/boaters on iBoats, I'm sure). The airplane campground showers have spray nozzles similar to those on pocket cruisers. They work just fine.