Head Space

A favorite topic amongst boaters and RV owners.  Seems like every blog has one of these posts, so I figured I should ante up.

Yasmine Ann came with the standard 2 electric macerating heads and 15 gallons on holding tank on each side.  Our first year, we replaced both heads with our favorite from Raritan, the Marine Elegance.  It is a full size toilet, like in your home, and uses a programmable control to save water and holding tank space.

The following year, we switched to fresh water rinse and added a in-line deodorizer.  Yes, our toilets flush with blue water.  The main purpose is to lubricate the valves so they last longer, but the deodorizer is a plus. 

This past summer, my project was to make our holding tank capacity larger.  Everyone knows that is a major hurdle on a sailboat.  Most of us, sailors, have water makers and we burn hardly any fuel.  To base your cruising destinations on where you can get a pump out is "shitty" way to plan your cruise (come on I had to do it).

On our catamaran, the tanks are housed in the wall.  On the port side (guest) head, we were able to increase our tank size to 25 gallon from the 15.  On the starboard side (master) head, we were able to increase the tank size to 28 gallon from the 15.  All this with a just a few modifications to the existing enclosures, without encroaching on any other space.

Along with that we replaced the bronze thru-hulls and seacocks with an all new Marelon setup for the overboard discharge and the sink discharge.  All new hoses.  We added a remote controlled wash down that rinses the tank from the top down, while your getting a pump out.  We also added the new SCAD tank monitoring.  This uses foil strips on the outside of the tank to avoid fowling.

After taking my surveying classes, and seeing the effects of corrosion on boats, I went with Marelon thru-hulls and seacocks.  They are ABYC approved and eliminate metal underwater.  I plan to replace more bronze thru-hulls at every haul out.     

All part of making our vessel feel more like a home.  At the same time we are updating old hardware and systems.

The reason why all boaters worry about their black water and how long they can last until the next pump out.