The best solutions for choice of head on BC 23?

[MarkDarley]

I am trying to keep my on-order BC23 as simple as possible and mostly failing.....

I want to outfit the boat so that we can cruise for a week or so between ports in greater comfort than my Bayraider 20 "Pippin".

Urgent issue!:
The standard head is a chemical Porta Potty.  Does this smell?  It would be hard to imagine it does not.

Plumbed through-hull traditional seems heavy and I really don't want the through-hull and potential complications.

Composting head?  Matt tells me that they are too large for the space which accepts the PortaPotty because its height is 200mm.

I see Graham uses BioBags on his Bayraider.  Where and when do you get rid of them if at sea for a week or so?
Maybe Biobags within the PortaPotty?

BC23 owners who cruise: Please give feedback on what you have and how it is serving you.
Thanks
Mark

[Graham W]

I see Graham uses BioBags on his Bayraider.  Where and when do you get rid of them if at sea for a week or so?

It depends.  The first rule, to be followed wherever possible, is SoS (S**t on Shore), at pubs, clubs and marinas.  If that's not possible, I accumulate biodegradable bags in a stout plastic bag or sealable bucket (or both) until they can be suitably disposed of ashore.  However, because they are thin and biodegradable, the biobags don't keep long and begin to smell after a couple of days.  In which case and only in open sea areas (ie not the Medway Estuary) I play, er, Pooh Sticks.

[Rob Johnstone]

Graham's advice is very wise. Vagabond had a porta potti - it was unused at the end of the trip round Britain - I found that "bucket and chuck it" was the best approach but there was only me on the boat and we were )the boat and I) offshore most of the time.

[AndyB]

Have a look at these compost loos.
https://www.kildwick.com/Kildwick-DIY-Kit-camping-toilet-PiccoLoo
They have different heights.

Andy.

[AndyB]

 just thought I would expand my experiences if you don't mind. I used to have a Liberty 23 with a large head and used a Thetford 165 which was around 400 mm seat height. The Jabsco manual is 330 mm which is what I have in the Baycruiser 26.

In the 20-30 years I had the Liberty I emptied the toilet once a year and it smelt once. That was  due to a problem I had. I emptied down the toilet at home.  Most of the time I used a bucket for peeing and waited for shore for the rest. I primarily stayed in marinas whilst away with the odd mooring and anchor.

I would not get a Jabsco type as urine mixes with salt water and solidifies.  If you use it a lot then after 4 years you almost have to replace the pipes and clean the holding tank. Excessive pumping as per a previous post works really well but in the end..... The smell comes from the inlet surprisingly and there is a system on the market which completely removes the smell - https://www.seasmartmarine.co.uk/index.html
I have a friend who swears by it. I investigated a fresh water feed for the toilet which resolves all the issues but there is a chance of contamination so stopped that approach unless I installed another fresh water tank - no room for that.

When I replace I will go for the Kildwick DIY Kit camping toilet MicroLoo composting toilet. It is the same height as the Jabsco. By keeping the urine and poo separate you stop the creation of sewage. You can chuck the urine over the side when it fills and the poo goes in the bin when you get home as it is not treated as sewage or of course put it on your garden as compost. It is good for a week  and just carry spare bags if you go further. Women have to learn how to use it apparently and you have to sit down as it relies on separation as all compost toilets do.

The easiest route would be the chemical loo  (apart from the emptying) and the most ecological the composting loo and the marine loo - I would forget it.

Hope this helps.

[MarkDarley]

Rob's comment rings true, and I doubt we will use a head much. I am leaning toward Andy's composting loo.

On the topic of "not much used" heads; As a young man, I had the good fortune to sail with Alain Colas on Club Méditerranée from Fatu Hiva to Papeete (and it was a beast!).  He made is very clear that all the ship's heads were out of bounds, and they had all been thoroughly disinfected. The porcelain bowls were now dedicated to the storage of twice baked baguette!  Ah, The French!!

[Graham W]

I just saw this neat heads solution from Duckworks in the US https://duckworks.com/small-boat-head-system/.  I've had items shipped to me in the UK from them but this may be too large and expensive.

[Philip L]

I understand that the Thetford porta potti 335 just fits under the V berth bunk infill of the BC23. It's overall height is quoted as 313mm whereas the Kildwick Microloo height is 337. The Kildwick piccoloo might fit with a height of 317 but from reading the detail, the urine container doesn't have a splash back valve option like the bigger ones to stop urine coming back out of the receptacle which we would most definitely need. Plus it costs 478 Euro. Can't believe I spent so long on the internet looking a toilet options!
Mark I saw your boat looking great when I went down to SY recently. Mine should be ready in July

[MarkDarley]

I have gone with the Kildwick Microloo with sealable containers for my BC23. The yard Is of the opinion that they can fit it.  We will probably have to adjust the thickness of the filler cushion.
I will next see the boat on delivery July 17th and will let you know how it has worked out.  Can't wait!
Mark

[Nicky R]

The Thetford 335 does fit. We bought one last year for camping and now use it on our 23. I don't know if the slightly taller ones would fit. If we were buying one specifically for the 23, we would have tried the 345, as we think that might also fit and the increased capacity would be useful.