Head Poll - what type do you have?

[Sandibar]

Came to the thread expecting discussion about phrenology ... I rebuilt our toilet system last year and uninstalled an Y-valve and the option for direct discharge. Now everything from the Jabsco manual bowl goes to a 14-gallon holding tank first, which can be pumped out at sea electrically, or through a deck fitting to a land based pump-out station.
I figured we use the holding tank in Marinas and while anchoring anyway, and being able to pump the tank out at sea by ourselves was a big improvement. Considering last summer's cruise to the Baltics and Poland, where pump-out facilities were few, this option has proven to be best for us where we cruise. In Finland you can find pump-out facilities in most marina's and around the archipelago anyway, so there's no need to have the ability to empty the holding tank yourself.
The downside is that if the electric discharge pump fails, a fix would be messy...

[weavis]

I like compositing toilets.
However I dont like having to sit down to pee. The separation compartments bugs me.

If I had a large boat, I would go for standard dump and flush because of the ease. I do think its essential to replace hoses and check the electrical and mechanical parts frequently. They work if looked after very well. Im fanatical about keeping the holding tank clean and sanitised.

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by Sandibar

. . . Considering last summer's cruise to the Baltics and Poland, where pump-out facilities were few, this option has proven to be best for us where we cruise. In Finland you can find pump-out facilities in most marina's and around the archipelago anyway, so there's no need to have the ability to empty the holding tank yourself.
The downside is that if the electric discharge pump fails, a fix would be messy...

Finland has the best pumpout facilities I've ever seen. There are even floating (!) pumpout stations in some anchorages.

I wouldn't say that the Baltics are so far behind, however. There are fewer marinas of course, but in my experience they all have pumpout facilities, at least in Estonia. They got some EU grant to develop marinas and they are all more or less brand new and quite nice.

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

Finland has the best pumpout facilities I've ever seen. There are even floating (!) pumpout stations in some anchorages.

I wouldn't say that the Baltics are so far behind, however. There are fewer marinas of course, but in my experience they all have pumpout facilities, at least in Estonia. They got some EU grant to develop marinas and they are all more or less brand new and quite nice.

I keep hearing that the Med is a place where most boats poop overboard. I’ve never cruised there, but this always seems odd to me. Given the population density, and otherwise advanced environmental laws, I’m always surprised to hear that most boats apparently use direct discharge.

[conachair]

Originally Posted by Mike OReilly

I keep hearing that the Med is a place where most boats poop overboard. I’ve never cruised there, but this always seems odd to me. Given the population density, and otherwise advanced environmental laws, I’m always surprised to hear that most boats apparently use direct discharge.

Lots of big fat mullet around Actually, with the many countries requiring holding tanks I thought the opposite. Though with limited pump out facilities maybe there's a lot goes straight in. On the atlantic side of Gib a lot of the anchorages have rivers running through so IMHO it's good manners to hang on til the ebb, though much nastier stuff probably comes down the rivers.

[Suijin]

Raritan manual head with 20 gal holding tank. Been fine with it. Have considered converting to composting and am still mulling it over. If I did, I would likely leave all the plumbing in place for awhile to see how it went.

[sailorboy1]

Originally Posted by conchaway

For "water", a little john consisting of a 1 gallon clothes detergent bottle with a wide mouth. For "other", the "hold a line and squat over the side" method works well. As an added plus, there are no maintenance concerns or pump out fees.

going to be in Ft Pierce in a few days, what's your boat name so I know to stay away

[sailorboy1]

I have 2 cheap Jabsco heads each with it's own holding tank and no direct overboard. That's what the boat came with and they haven't broken so no reason to replace them.

[Dockhead]

A little off topic, but I wonder where did the terminology come from? Why do we Yanks call the fixture a "head"?

In the UK, the fixture is called a "toilet". The space where it is located is called "the heads" (plural). The origin of this term is clear. But how did it make the leap from the compartment to the fixture, I wonder?

[Dave_S]

Jeeeeeez, won't be long before we're like the gorillas at the zoo, flinging poo at each other.

[taxwizz]

I sail in Lake Ontario where overboard discharge is highly illegal. If you get inspected and you are capable of overboard discharge, the fine will make you Deficate.
On the other hand, some people do pee in the sink, I imagine, thereby saving holding tank space for the "real thing".

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by Dave_S

Jeeeeeez, won't be long before we're like the gorillas at the zoo, flinging poo at each other.

That’s what usually happens in these threads. But if you want to fling the feces, please do it over on the other thread :

Composting Head: Plus or Minus on resale - Page 4 - Cruisers & Sailing Forums

This one really is meant as a way get some data on what systems are actually in use. So far, it’s pretty interesting.

[peghall]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

A little off topic, but I wonder where did the terminology come from? Why do we Yanks call the fixture a "head"?

In the UK, the fixture is called a "toilet". The space where it is located is called "the heads" (plural). The origin of this term is clear. But how did it make the leap from the compartment to the fixture, I wonder?

It's the other way around...the "fixture" was first. The original crew "toilet" on sailing ships was a board with a hole in it attached to the bow over the water...iow at the "head" of the ship. That led to referring to actual toilets as "heads." When vessel design evolved to include a private compartment for the toilet, it was called the "head compartment," shortened to just "head" for both the toilet and the space. As the boating industry has tried to broaden its customer base to appeal to a broader segment of the population that's unfamiliar with nautical terminology, it's begun calling the toilet a "toilet."

Another bit of marine plumbing trivia. Sailing ships and even the earliest propeller driven vessels had high freeboard, allowing the aforementioned "heads" and "water closets" to be direct-drop facilities. The ironclad warships MONITOR and MERRIMAC were among the first low freeboard vessel...making direct drop toilets impossible. The MONITOR's designer, Swedish engineer John Ericsson solved the problem by creating the first marine flush toilet--a kind of mini-torpedo tube. After a sailor used the toilet, he had to close a near valve, open a far valve, then actuate a pump to drive the waste out. His design is still the basis for the toilets on submarines today. Ericsson's designs included a lot more than toilets...the MONITOR also had the first rotating gun turret, making it unnecessary to continually turn and re-position the vessel to reload and fire. But nobody thought to tell the crew, so they didn't know how to use it until it was too late in the battle to be able to do more than stalemate the MERRIMAC.

Ericsson was an amazing inventor...worth spending some time reading about.

[Calif.Ted]

I'd always heard that board with the hole in it was located on the "cathead" hence it became "the head".
My favorite scene in "Master and Commander" is when rounding the horn in a horrible storm there's a shot of the bow and the sailor with a metal plate in his skull is sitting on the "head" with his long white hair flying in the wind.
BTW my boat is EITHER type I or III, I don't use it in direct discharge mode because it's just not necessary.

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by Calif.Ted

BTW my boat is EITHER type I or III, I don't use it in direct discharge mode because it's just not necessary.

Good stuff. I set up the poll so you can select as many options that apply to your boat. I know some people have two or more different styles on board. The intention is to capture what CFers are actually using.