Head Question: Mainship 36 DC

[Tony B]

I have a Mainship 36 DC. I have a foreward head and a head in the master stateroom. The labels are gone so I dont know what kind they are or even if they are the originals.
1)Does anyone else have this same style head?
2)The seals dont seal. That is to say when I step on the pedal and the bowl fkushes, there is some new water that somewhat fills the bowl. This water will drain away in about 5 minutes. I guess the seal is shot. Can it be replaced?
3)Both heads have their own deck discharge plates and both heads also have their own macerator pumps with their own discharge line. My question is.....does anyone here have these heads dump into a single larger waste/holding tank, what size is it and where did you locate it?

Thanks in advance

[The Blue Heron]

Yikes.. and ut oh... sounds like you're about to deal with what I just dealt with. I recommend you search for Heads int he search function. There is a lot of info on google/ google Peggy Hall Marine heads. she is an expert. but she doesnt post anymore. I got enough info in the discussions to figure out what I needed to do.

good luck.. (I dont think you have Jabsco's)

[Sailmonkey]

Tony,

Those are sealand heads, essentially an adaptation of an RV toilet. I'm not a fan of them as they limit your install options, but they're still made so if you want parts you should be able to find them

[Tony B]

Originally Posted by Sailmonkey

Tony,

Those are sealand heads, essentially an adaptation of an RV toilet......

Thanks. I thought they were the same as in my old RV head

[Tony B]

Originally Posted by The Blue Heron

Yikes.. and ut oh... sounds like you're about to deal with what I just dealt with.....good luck..

My problem is not so much in repairing the heads. If I have to replace them, thats no big thing. What I am more concerned about is where to place a new waste tank. Initial thoughts are that the most logical place would be inside the engine compartment between the two engines. This would put the tanks low in the hull, in the center of the boat and in between the two heads. Perfect in all respects except for the heat from the engines. This would give the expression 'hot $hit' a whole new meaning.

[The Blue Heron]

Tony, One thought on that.. you may need access to the bilge below that tank (if your engine room is like mine) and access to genset.. I wouldnt want to crawl over a crap can to reach those.. Is there not a space in the decking under the Galley? Perhaps you could put a tank under the forward V?

[Tony B]

Originally Posted by The Blue Heron

...... Is there not a space in the decking under the Galley? Perhaps you could put a tank under the forward V?

I have a priority list that must be completed by the end of Feb. This is rather low on the priority list for now but is a priority none the less and must be done. The good part is that I actually have time to think and plan with the help of you guys. I have not checked under the galley or the V-bert yet. I was toying with the idea of getting one of those tankless waterheaters and I now think it is essential that I do. This will free up some space under the galley for either a small tank or an Ecectroscan unit. Between the two, I'm sure one will fit under the galley and the other will fit under the V-Berth. Between a holding tank and the ecectroscan, I should be legal in all waters.
Thanks for the hints.

[peghall]

This is the toilet you have: SeaLand 711-M28 Or its predecessor, the 911-M28. I happen to like this system. It's a self-contained system--essentially a highly glorified "MSD" portapotty--that uses onboard pressurized fresh water, and--unlike the VacuFlush--actually does only need about a pint/flush, has no moving parts and no plumbinging except a vent line and and pumpout line. You can download and print the owners manual from the link I gave you.

As for repair parts, you most likely need a "shaft seal and cartridge kit." Call SeaLand for the owners manual and additional information: 800-321-9886

[Tony B]

Thanks to all especially to Peggy whom I thought retired. Glad you still pop up once in a while. Everytime I drive up see my daughters in Little Rock I think "I need to get an autographed copy of Peggy's Book".
My youngest daughter is now thinking of buying a houseboat and living aboard. Guess who is going to be chief contributor to her insanity? So, if sge does go through with it, I will need 2 copies.

[peghall]

I have retired, but can't resist dropping in for a fix occasionally. Serafina asked if it would require a 12 step program to break this habit...I'm not sure 12 steps would be enough!

Next time you head for LR, give me a shout...I'd love to meet you! And I'll be glad to help your daughter winnow out the winners from the losers among the houseboats for sale....the only surveyors in AR only do commercial vessel and cargo work...there are none who do recreational vessels, or even know the first thing about ABYC standards and/or the CG regs that pertain to recreational vessels.

Send me a PM and I'll reply with offline contact info.