Privilege 39 holding tanks

[scotte]

Privilege 39 owners - I'm curious what size your holding tanks are and how they are configured and located.

One of the first projects on our new (to us) Privilege 39 is to improve the holding tank situation, which currently consists of about 8 gallons on one head and none on the other.

I've seen some boats listed with around 30 gallons of holding tank, but I can't figure out where that's possible, at least not with the tanks I've found from Ronco and Raritan.

Thanks!

[delmarrey]

Some tanks can be custom built to fit snugly into a bilge area. I plan on having one custom made to fit in the very V of the forward sail locker to get it out of the solon and add more fresh water storage or maybe even a water maker.

[maxingout]

I'm not sure how big our holding tank is on our Privilege 39, Exit Only, but it's located in the bilge in the starboard hull just forward of the deepest part of the bilge. We have only one holding tank for the starboard head.

We converted the port head into a pantry with massive food storage. I used PVC pipe to create removable shelves inside the port head, and then I put plywood sheets on the PVC frame. We carried nearly all the food for our voyage in this pantry. The PVC frame lasted more than thirteen years and never broke under the weight of all our stores.

If we want to convert the pantry back to a head, we simply disassemble the pvc tubing and take out the 1/8 inch plywood shelves.

[scotte]

Thanks for the replies.

As far as custom tanks go, any recommendations there?

Dave, one of my friends did something similar with the aft head on his Catalina 42, although completely with wood. It's a great idea, though for our immediate future we are bay bound, so for us holding tanks take priority over food storage :-)

With the bilge areas subdivided with ribs as they are, it looks to be quite a puzzle.

[delmarrey]

Here are a few:

Marine Fuel Tanks, Marine Holding Tanks and Marine Water Storage Tanks by Custom Marine Tanks LLC

Custom built water, waste and fuel tanks for the marine environment

Custom Manufactured Marine Water Tanks Waste Tanks - BARR Plastics

Boat Tanks for Water and Waste

and in alum.

Marine Tanks- Fuel Tanks and Water Tanks

[Southern Star]

Our Solaris Sunstream 40 cat came installed with Nauta flexible holding tanks and they survived an Atlantic crossing, 4 years in the Caribbean and a return trip to the Great Lakes until they developed any leaks. They are (relatively) inexpensive, can be installed in areas accessible through an access hatch that is smaller than the tank, and are easy to patch should such be required (same as patching a pvc inflatable). Make sure to use good qualtiy hose - odorsafe seems best to eliminate stench and to handle salt water buildup etc., and of course, use double hose clamps. If there are ribs with sharp edges in the area you are considering they should be padded with closed cell foam. Finally, make sure the tank straps are properly anchored (although admittedly less of a concern than in a monohull). Of benefit in a cat they lighter than aluminum and won't require tearing up the cabin sole/cabinets/berths in order to install.

Brad

[Tropic1]

I've been thinking of changing from two smaller holding tanks to one bigger tank. I'm a cat with a head in each hull and was wondering how far can you pump between the head and the holding tank? I've noticed that at some marinas they charge you for each deck plug they connect to (one for each holding tank on each side of the boat) as a separate pump charge.

[divingmikeboats]

I used Nauta flexible holding tanks ala:Southern Star on a Lagoon 55 for 5 years with few problems. The were designed to be diesel tanks and passed very little odor though used continuously. After several close calls with overfilling we rigged a buzzer on a reed switch that would let us know when the "watermelon" was getting close to bursting. On our current boat we use big SeaLand tanks that have the odor filter and pump mounted on top which are the way to go if there is room.

[scotte]

Hmmm... I was going to avoid the bladder type tanks, I've heard odor control is a problem with them. But maybe I'll give one of the Nauta tanks a try, if I can find a space for one of them. The 14.5 Gallon one just might fit. How large are they (when full) in the expandable direction (incl fittings) though? They only give dimensions for the static dimensions.

[scotte]

Originally Posted by Tropic1

I'm a cat with a head in each hull and was wondering how far can you pump between the head and the holding tank?

I think the big problem with long runs is it takes more water to flush everything through, and that just fills the tanks quicker.

[philip van praag]

we have installed a vetus 60L gravity tank in the forward port hold, on the back of the heads bulkhead. very simple job as the head runs through the tank at all times only have to close sea cock when we want to use it. also have deck fitting for flushing or pump out, vetus tank comes with all internal pipework and fittings also is transparant so can moniter the level.
so you could put one in each hold. we were surprised how little room it took up.
we also have an extra 80L fuel tank in these holds and pumped transfer system to steren tanks for long distance runs. so on long runs we dont need to use holding tanks and we use forward fuel tanks first so the boat stays well balanced,as mutch as a liveabord can!!