Basic low cost portable marine toilet

[JimD]

Time to get one. Anyone got opinions or advice? I'm talking about something I can stash in a corner of our 15 footer. Something that can hold a poop or two when we're out for an afternoon or overnight cruise. Brand names would be helpful so I can look up the dimensions to make sure it'll fit.

[paladin]

The Sealand is a self contained toilet assembly...21 1/2 inch high x 14 x 19 1/2,,,at about $360 U.S.
after that you get really cheeeep porta potties....

[kc8pql]

Thetford. http://www.thetford.com/HOME/PRODUCTS/PortableToilets/tabid/83/Default.aspx

[JimD]

I shoulda added I need to stash it under a cockpit seat with only about 14" high clearance. Are there any really low profile ones apart from the $100 cheapos? And do the cheapos like the Thetfords slosh water all over the place?

[BETTY-B]

The bakery department at Safeway will give you a free three gallon bucket. With a lid! Either get two cheek planks or get another lid you can cut a hole in...

DAN

[JimD]

The bakery department at Safeway will give you a free three gallon bucket. With a lid! Either get two cheek planks or get another lid you can cut a hole in...

DAN

Voices from the peanut gallery have been heard.

[dennisbur]

You can also buy real toilet lids for said 3 gal bucket. Many National Parks havea real "Everything that goes in comes out" rule. Check Cabela's I think they have one or two ideas.

[Dave Wright]

I use a length of split foam pipe insulation on my 3 gallon bucket. Very comfy, very light, easy to store, easy to replace, and you can leave a gap up forward for clearance.

If you don't trust double, heavy wall garbage bags there are a variety of disposable bags, some with gels, some biodegradable; check out Cabellas for example. No reason to pay big bucks to take a dump.

[BETTY-B]

Voices from the peanut gallery have been heard.


Hey man, I did two months up your way on an 83' schooner with out a working head! We didnt even have a bucket for the first three weeks either! :D

DAN

[JimD]

Hey man, I did two months up your way on an 83' schooner with out a working head! We didnt even have a bucket for the first three weeks either! :D

DAN

Dan, we'll be putting around the Gulf Islands. Ya know - Salt Spring to Thetis. Thetis to Galiano. Maybe get really ambitious and check out the San Juans. That sort of thing. My wife and I are not going to hang our asses over the bow and crap in Stuart Channel or Boundary Pass. We already have a camping potti but they are unsanitary on boats as they slosh their contents around too much. I'm trying to eliminate the slosh factor as cheaply as possible. Again, thanks for sharing.

[kc8pql]

And do the cheapos like the Thetfords slosh water all over the place?
No. They have a valve on the holding tank that opens only when you flush. The MSD models even have a dockside pumpout hookup so you can empty it like the big boys.

[BETTY-B]

Dan, we'll be putting around the Gulf Islands. Ya know - Salt Spring to Thetis. Thetis to Galiano. Maybe get really ambitious and check out the San Juans. That sort of thing. My wife and I are not going to hang our asses over the bow and crap in Stuart Channel or Boundary Pass. We already have a camping potti but they are unsanitary on boats as they slosh their contents around too much. I'm trying to eliminate the slosh factor as cheaply as possible. Again, thanks for sharing.

I'm sorry to have wasted your time...

DAN

[JimD]

I'm sorry to have wasted your time...

DAN

Waste is what this thread is all about, Dan :D

[JimD]

No. They have a valve on the holding tank that opens only when you flush. The MSD models even have a dockside pumpout hookup so you can empty it like the big boys.

Thanks for that, kc. Next trip into the big city I'll have a look at them.

[Don Kurylko]

Google Pooh Powder or Wag Bags – it’s the only way to go! :D

[Dave Wright]

.....I'm trying to eliminate the slosh factor as cheaply as possible. Again, thanks for sharing.

It's wrong of me to belabor this subject; everyone does what they must, and uses what they find most suitable.

Everytime I visit the Port Townsend show I take another look at the "Airhead" toilet (http://www.airheadtoilet.com/) and I'm left in wonderment that some folks will spend over a thousand bucks (including tax) for some equipment and a program for the storage and management of crap, along with instructions for the separation of urine.

The few times I've emptied a porta porti haven't left me particularly happy either. So I was pleased to see another poster mention the free three gallon bucket and lid as a viable alternative to what should involve little thought and expense and minimal impact to the environment.

I've used the free bucket and plastic bags for a long time now; they seal readily, don't slosh, and can be disposed of in the garbage much as dog waste is handled. Putting the bags in a dumpster bothers me a little and I've often wondered if an ounce of chlorox added to the mix might be better or worse for the environment of the landfill eventually?.

For the two poos that you mentioned, I wonder if just filling the bucket one third full with sawdust might not be workable too. You could probably flush that with no damage to a plumbing system.

I see a fellow over on Duckworks has gone a little further with the sawdust and buckets than I'd want to:

http://www.duckworksmagazine.com/05/articles/toilet/index.cfm

Best wishes to you, let us all know what device you finally settle on.

[Bob Cleek]

Dave's idea about the split foam tubing is about the most brilliant solution I've seen in here in a long time! And... you can use the bucket for all sorts of other bucket-type purposes like bringing your clams home.

Hey, for a fifteen foot boat, tell 'em if'n it's numbah two, they shoulda taken a dump before you left the dock. You spend more time in your car on a long drive than you will in a fifteen foot boat. Your car doesn't have a toilet, does it? Numbah one goes right over the side. A crapper in a fifteen foot boat is pretty much over the top. Bucket and chuck it!

[JimD]

A plastic bag inside the camping potti I already have might just work. When nature calls, put a bag in the potti, pour in a couple or three inches of water, take care of business, tie off the bag and put in a new one for the next occassion. Won't cost me anthing but the price of a green garbage bag. And it will fit perfectly in the space I have alotted for it. If it doesn't work as planned its only a hundred bucks for a Thetford.

[dredbob]

A plastic bag inside the camping potti I already have might just work. When nature calls, put a bag in the potti, pour in a couple or three inches of water, take care of business, tie off the bag and put in a new one for the next occassion....

Forget the water, it'll just make things messy. Use the Pooh Powder and/or kitty litter. Have another lidded bucket with doubled garbage bag for the storage of the filled bags.

Back at the dock, chuck the bag of bags into the nearest dumpster. The Pooh Powder makes the results break down faster and is legal for landfill disposal.

[JimD]

Forget the water, it'll just make things messy. Use the Pooh Powder and/or kitty litter. Have another lidded bucket with doubled garbage bag for the storage of the filled bags...

That's a good idea, too.

[Yeadon]

Thread drift alert ... I was reading sensible designs last night ... ol' L. Francis says you gotta have a bit of water in that bucket. Makes emptying over the side that much easier.

One of the better "numero uno buckets" I've seen lately is a plastic one gallon milk carton with the top couple inches cut off. You have a handle and everything.

[JimD]

... ol' L. Francis says you gotta have a bit of water in that bucket. Makes emptying over the side that much easier...

No emptying over the side for us. Suppose I drop a floater? That's just rude.

[Yeadon]

Yup, quite uncouth.

[Michael Beckman]

Biodegradable sack of some sort, rocks.

or:
http://img267.imageshack.us/img267/2669/3551bh9.jpg

[Yeadon]

I used to have a little pickup truck of the same name. Funny you'd mention it.

[Michael Beckman]

I hope you didn't use it for the same purpose.

[BETTY-B]

I want a Little Jack t-shirt:

http://static0.shopify.com/s/files/1/0013/3152/products/shit_box_girls_2_large.jpg

[Yeadon]

I once yacked on the passenger side door, but that's a different thread.

Dan, are you channeling Memphis Mike this evening?

[BETTY-B]

Dan, are you channeling Memphis Mike this evening?

That's looking a little Paris-y, isnt it?

Or is it that little poodle friend of hers you always see with her?

[Yeadon]

Introduce her to Beckman. I'm sure she's a lovely girl.

Back to the thread, my apologies to JimD from lovely Vancouver Island.

[Michael Beckman]

I thought the one on the right was a dude.

[JimD]

A cardboard shit box and maybe a smaller one for the poodle? Hmmm. I think they would not do. Suppose they got wet? The shit box would turn to mush. No, I think not. Now a brick shit box on the other hand - that has potential.

[paladin]

Build a Jim Brown center cockpit tri.......the cockpit seats are part of the support wing assembly. On one side cut the appropriate size hole thru the wing, add a seat and then set the cockpit cussion over it.....when ya gotta go, lift the cushion, sit on the seat, the hole is cut straight through the wing to open ocean...no plumbing to worry about.....it's all direct.

[JimD]

Great idea, Chuck. Why didn't I think of that? Here I was just about to cut a hole in the bottom of the monohull but now I see there is a better way. Do you think I can convert the Glen-L Minuet to a tri or do I have to start from scratch on a Jim Brown?

[Yeadon]

You could also pretend to ice fish through that hole.

[Ben Fuller]

There has been lots of research done on this in the kayak and leave no trace community. Herewith an article that provides a summary. http://www.mita.org/files/pdf/mita_human_waste_disposal.pdf Some of the solutions that end up with degradable bags or packs for the waste are pretty good as they won't screw up sanitation systems.

As all of you know, bucket and chuck it is pretty much illegal ( as well as being pretty offensive.) Dropping dumps in dumpsters is also illegal.

As far as buckets go the best one by far is the indestructible agricultural rubber bucket. If it can survive hosses it can survive anything you can do to it. Take off the iron handle and make one of rope. It has a nice rolled edge on which one could sit. I think it could be made floatable;I am going to experiment with tucking a mini cell collar around it.

[dredbob]

Dropping dumps in dumpsters is also illegal.

If it has been treated with Pooh Powder and is in a biodegradable bag, then it is legal to dispose of it in dumpsters, or any other landfill destined waste stream, at least according the the manufacturer of the pooh powder and wag bags, who state that it is approved for disposal with normal household waste, classed as type two non hazardous waste.

[Chip-skiff]

The 14-inch height is a problem.

For super-lightweight toilets on whitewater trips, I've been using Life-Latch buckets with gasketed tops for years with no leaks or mishaps. They come in many sizes— I'm not sure there are any quite that short. But here's a link.

http://www.m-m-industries.com (http://www.m-m-industries.com/)

I got a seat from an outfit called Scat Packer that attaches with wee bungie cords (also available from Cabelas and similar catalogues). Also a gasketed lid with a cleanout hose attachment and dump tubing. But most often I use WAG (waste acceleration gelling) bags— ideal for short trips. Leave the bucket on the boat and pack the bag away.

Although the WAG bag sellers claim they're legal for trash disposal, quite a few parks and local jurisdictions prohibit their disposal in dumpsters or cans.

[WX]

http://bambooman.gallery.netspace.net.au/albums/album01/WC_lidHolder.jpg$10 for the bucket and a bit of work in the shed. Use sawdust and recycle the contents via your compost bin. Don't use pastic bags, that just adds to landfill and us wooden boaties are...or should be against that. If you want fragrance use Western Red Cedar sawdust or shavings.

[Lion]

WX,

Nice solution. As for 'plastic' bags if you want bio-degradable you can get a product called BioBag made from starch based polymer. I use for the dog poo and they are great. Available in larger sizes and I reckon would work just fine with a bit of WRC sawdust and shavings.

The Airheads etc.. worry me a bit in a 18/24' boat. Just seems a bit to hard, complicated and expensive. Where I go boating is a Marine National park so dumping over the side is totally out and generally so throughout this state.

Lion

[PeterSibley]

$10 for the bucket and a bit of work in the shed. Use sawdust and recycle the contents via your compost bin. Don't use pastic bags, that just adds to landfill and us wooden boaties are...or should be against that. If you want fragrance use Western Red Cedar sawdust or shavings.

Or bury it in the ground , the stuff makes brilliant fertiliser for a fruit tree .4 x 4 gallon buckets per planting site and it will thrive .I dig a hole 30'x 30" and 12" deep and tip it in ,mix with a 3" layer of soil and cover with the rest .If you use pine saw dust or planer shavings you won't be able to find it in three months , it will completely disappear .
Much too good to flush !:D

Edited to add ...........nappy buckets are cheap source of well made lidded buckets for this job .

[Jay Greer]

http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47b8d832b3127ccec40f77b7747e00000020O00QYsmrNy5bsQ e3nwg/cC/f%3D0/ps%3D50/r%3D0/rx%3D550/ry%3D400/
Build Herreshoff Bucket. Add Wag Bag.
Jay

[JimD]

http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47b8d832b3127ccec40f77b7747e00000020O00QYsmrNy5bsQ e3nwg/cC/f%3D0/ps%3D50/r%3D0/rx%3D550/ry%3D400/
Build Herreshoff Bucket. Add Wag Bag.
Jay

That's a pretty good idea, actually. Or build something similarly well crafted out of wood. Once one commits to the idea of crapping into a plastic bag the only question that remains is what to put the bag in? Since we're all woodworkers here, more or less, why not set the bag in a nice piece of furniture instead of an ugly plasic bucket? Especially when its going in a small boat and cannot be easily hidden away.

[WX]

If you use sawdust in your bucket there is virtually no smell. I actually plan to carry a couple of buckets on extended trips and bring the full ones home for the garden. Get over the dump the dump mentality and your garden and the environment will love you for it.
it is not waste...it is a valuable resource.

[The Bigfella]

Are those boards used for DIY vasectomies?

http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47b8d832b3127ccec40f77b7747e00000020O00QYsmrNy5bsQ e3nwg/cC/f%3D0/ps%3D50/r%3D0/rx%3D550/ry%3D400/

[J. Dillon]

That bucket looks too good to poop in. :eek:

In this book http://content-7.powells.com/cgi-bin/imageDB.cgi?isbn=9781161453287 the author goes at length telling of the "Honey barges "that would take the waste of big cities up river to the farmers. They were way ahead of us in recycling.:D

In fact the lived and raised families on such craft. I don't know how they lived with the smell but I imagine they had a way.:confused:

JD

[JimD]

...In fact the lived and raised families on such craft. I don't know how they lived with the smell but I imagine they had a way.:confused:

JD

The cities probably smelled just as bad. I'd imagine it was a hard life to get out of once you were born into it. Wonder if the sails on such craft used telltales. Don't think there'd be much trouble telling which way the wind was blowing.

[J. Dillon]

NYC smelled pretty bad during those hot summer days just before the introduction of the auto. The many horse drawn transportation stunk up the city pretty bad.:eek::(

JD

[Paul Girouard]

I think they just got / get used to it. Farmers really don't smell thier cows like city folks do. Pretty rough life doing that stuff back then, it was just part of "life".

I see the basic bucket has been suggested, so I have nothing to add :D

[JimD]

I see the basic bucket has been suggested, so I have nothing to add :D

Not even a drop?

[Paul Girouard]

Not even a drop?



Nope nuttin, how about you , can you hold it so it doesn't flow down sound, please:D

Lil joke about the open sewer Victoria , B.C. owns and operates and calls a sewer treatment plant. For the non- sound folks.

[The Bigfella]

Here's the low cost basic marine head on the replica of the HMS Endeavour

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff112/igatenby/boat19.jpg

There's a bucket there with a bit of rope in it to rattle the dags off too.

[Jay Greer]

Are those boards used for DIY vasectomies?

http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47b8d832b3127ccec40f77b7747e00000020O00QYsmrNy5bsQ e3nwg/cC/f%3D0/ps%3D50/r%3D0/rx%3D550/ry%3D400/
Actually I built the bucket and seat exactly to L. Francis's design specs.
The cleats on the bottom of the seating boards allow for a wide range of anatomy adjustments.
Jay

[The Bigfella]

Ahhh - cleats! I feel far more comfortable knowing it is equipped with safety devices.

It looks fabulous btw.

You can't beat a wooden seat in the bog. I fitted one at home - against her objections at the time. Never been a complaint since.

[Jay Greer]

http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47b8cf09b3127ccec5ec9ca9502800000040O00QYsmrNy5bsQ e3nwg/cC/f%3D0/ps%3D50/r%3D0/rx%3D550/ry%3D400/

[JimD]

My bucket's gonna have a lid.

[The Bigfella]

My bucket's got a porcelain bowl and a hole in the bottom. I think I've fixed its electric motor..... I hope....

Gary (WX) has vivid memories of the bucket on Grantala - vivid because of what he saw when he woke up and his eyes were drawn to the skylight....

[Chip-skiff]

Nothing like a bit of tarred rope to get the dags off (no wonder you Aussies are so bloody irritable).

Here's a link to dimensions for the Life-Latch pails.

http://www.m-m-industries.com/product_info/technical_specs.htm

For your <14-inch application, the 2.5 or 3.5 gal. models look like the ticket: cheap and the lids don't leak. A plastic seat and attachments (bungy cords) can be had without much trouble.

Or you can chew one out of a cedar stump with your teeth: spirit of tradition and all that.

[Thermo]

I think it's cabelas has this thing.

http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/content/Item/51/48/68/i514868vr04.jpg

[Chip-skiff]

Right— the seat is fine, but that sort of bucket (with a whack-on, pry-off lid) is worthless.

So get the seat and then use it on a bucket with a thread-on gasketed lid.

Rocket Science, so to speak—

[sv Lorelei]

Sealand used to make a 1-1/2 gallon tank that kept the profile pretty low. But limited capacity...a weekend for a couple of people with normal constitutions. The problem by day three was less about the capacity than the smell once the gate was opened to the chamber of doom. Up-side was it easy to empty via any marina's pump out.

[jagsmu]

hello fellow dunan-nite.... or shall I say cow-dun, depending on where in Duncan you live... If you are sailing out of Maple bay, it really doesn't matter which way you go, you will probably end up near a marine park or a marina, they all have potties, if you are sailing out of Cowichan Bay same thing. You can pee overboard and can always go to a gov. dock to use the washrooms.

[JimD]

hello fellow dunan-nite.... or shall I say cow-dun, depending on where in Duncan you live... If you are sailing out of Maple bay, it really doesn't matter which way you go, you will probably end up near a marine park or a marina, they all have potties, if you are sailing out of Cowichan Bay same thing. You can pee overboard and can always go to a gov. dock to use the washrooms.

Greetings. I know there's lots of marinas around with washroom facilities but that's not the point. I don't intend to head for shore just because I gotta take a dump.