Pacemaker Boat Owners Association

I would not recommend a composting toilet for a boat, regardless of what the manufacturer may say. We have one at our vacation home which is on an island that has no electric/water. It's much better than the traditional outhouse is all one can say for it. In a confined space like a boat cabin, forget it. The thing is huge, there is still an unpleasant smell, and what they tell you about how many people it will handle and how fast the waste breaks down or that all the liquids just evaporate out the chimney is all lies and wishful thinking.

You don't say whether you are in fresh water or salt. If in salt you will be much happier with fresh water flush than raw, if you get a head that's designed to work with a pressurized water system.

But you'll need to find a spot for a holding tank and a way to route a hose to a pumpout fitting. On my 32 that was not difficult - I had unused space under the cabin floor on the centerline.

Basicaly you don't have a choice on shore regarding overboard discharge, you can't. If you have a Y valve it must be in the position to feed your holding tank and locked or the handle removed. On Sugar Shack I have a 55 gal holding tank and use salt water for flushing. When I had my 32 Pacemaker I installed a 20 gallon and wished I had room for more. I pump out every week or 2 depending on use and am happy with the results. What ever you do do not install an aluminum holding tank as it will eventually rot out. Sugar Shack originaly had an 80 gallon tank, aluminum, when I got her. She had spent all but a couple of years in fresh water. When I went to energize the system I had the delightful discovery the bottom of the tank was swiss cheese. That was so much fun, cleaning the bilge, cutting the old tank in 2 to get it out of the aft cabin.

Ken,
I too am going to install a holding tan and pump out fitting on the deck. Does 55 gallons seem to be about the right size? I have lots of room but don't want to go too big given that it would cost more.

I put a Jabsco raw water flush toilet in my boat, if I had to do it again, I would put a fresh water flush toilet in. The toilet works great, a little noisy, the biggest complaint from my wife is the toilet stinks, the water at the marina doesn't move a lot even though it is tidal and will get a little stagnant, while not a the boat for a week, the first flush is bad from sitting in the macerator pump (kind of furments). Normally, I put a chemical in the toilet when we leave, flush for a long time when we first get to the boat, then go to dinner for an hour or so while the smell dissapates, we will also pour a big cup of fresh water in the toilet after every flush. We thought it was the tank and had it pumped weekly.

I think this winter, when I pull her out of the water, I am going to put another fresh tank in, connected to the macerator pump and cap off the seacock.

While my original tank was 80 gals I did have dimensional concerns and the Todd 55 gal was the best fit. Todd makes a 55 gal and Moller a 77 gal, both made of poly. Depending on where you go pricing will be approx $230 - 250. I stayed with the large capacity because we depend on a pump out boat and can't always catch it when needed. Brackish water is not an issue for us and we get no smell from the head. I have a manual head forward and a macerator head aft. Personaly I don't like the noise of the macerator, especially at night when others are asleep. Another reason I use a lot of water is my holding tank is aft and it is a long run for the forward head. When we have guests and they are using the forward head I periodicly give it a long flush to be sure the line is clear. There is nothing fun about a plug somewhere in 25 - 30' of hose. Especially when it is someone elses plug as it was when I got the boat.

Thanks guys for all the great discussions. My son thought I was a little nuts about even thinking of using a compost type.The ad sounded good though (Natures Head $$$). The boat was used in salt water and will be again. I like the fresh water flush type and have seen recently a dual type that can use both fresh and salt depending on the line up. I am sure that there is a shutoff or check valve to the fresh water side if using salt water so you don't contaminate your fresh water system. Any thoughts on a dual system? I will be using a fresh water design, so what brands should I look at, and what is a good price range? I should also mention that the head and shower share the same space, and shower drains to the bilge, I am going to have to install a shower drain tank as well. Oh well, the joys of an old boat.

Hmm. Well that one, the Nature's Head, does appear to take up much less space, and the separation of liquids into a separate tank is a good idea. But then, given that on a boat, say on a hot day and with guests, you're more likely to be enjoying beverages and therefore generate a lot of liquids. So you are going to be dumping that liquid tank a lot - basically it's going to end up being like a porta-potti. And I remain skeptical about their claims about the solid waste volume and lack of smell. Our Sun-Mar is huge, yet our family of four in two weeks can half fill the drum with solids. This is far more than what the Nature's Head can hold. And, the NH appears to have much less ventilation capacity - so the chances of getting anaerobic bacteria going in there seems much higher. If that happens, watch out.

The bottom line is, do you really want to be opening up a head, removing components, and finding ways to dispose of the unpleasant contents? Vs pulling into a pumpout station, putting a vacuum hose against a fitting, and standing there relatively clean while it does its thing. Quick hose off of the side of the boat, wash hands, off you go.

But one consideration is whether there are adequate pumpouts in your area and whether they are usually in working order. You might want to check that out first. Where I boat it's not a problem.

In terms of fresh water models, I have the Raritan Marine Elegance in my boat. It's very quiet, never clogs, looks nice, was easy to install. It has the solenoid and vacuum breaker you need to protect your water system from contamination. It was pricy but I believe they've come down recently. Not sure if they have a dual flush model.