The Best Marine Toilet

[islandplanet]

Originally Posted by loualvarez

The best marine toilet is the Lavac Popular

Having owned both the Lavac Popular and Lavac Zenith (no longer available), I'd respectfully disagree. When Blakes was bought out by Raritan or whoever bought them, they cheapened the brand and things went downhill. I've had Lavac in 3 or 4 of my boats, done the installs, lived aboard, and cruised with them. My enthusiasm for them has waned and I can no longer recommend Lavac.

[Roy M]

I do.

[Stonefloat]

Looking for a reasonable system to replace our "old" raritan electrasan came up short the first time using a groco and macerator to below waterline holding tank and whale gusher pump.After deciding that kiss was best we really wanted a babyblake but the kitty couldn't support that so we found an older W/C skipper that we plumbed straight to an above waterline holding tank with a discharge thruhull valve and deck fitting.After 4 years constant use must say this system is simple (you can open deck fitting and thruhull and flush-out if needed) and skipper head has never plugged up, at least admiral hasn't admitted yet............ lol

[Rexy624]

I have a couple of Skipper heads I want to sell, how do you know if they are regular Skipper or Skipper II?

Thanks

[Stonefloat]

Originally Posted by Rexy624

I have a couple of Skipper heads I want to sell, how do you know if they are regular Skipper or Skipper II?

Thanks

Not exactly sure the difference, I know that their was two different bowl sizes available, that said these are solid units that will sell and you can still locate repair kits. You can do a search and try and match images on the web to your units...hope this helps.......

[Microship]

My endlessly annoying Lavacs have inspired an upgrade to a Marine Elegance for the aft cabin, which I'm about to order. I may keep the forward one as a backup, but would be much happier to remove it... part of me frets about going all-electric with such an essential function, so I'm conflicted.

Not looking forward to the surgery, in any case!

-Steve

[Rexy624]

Originally Posted by Stonefloat

Not exactly sure the difference, I know that their was two different bowl sizes available, that said these are solid units that will sell and you can still locate repair kits. You can do a search and try and match images on the web to your units...hope this helps.......

They are Skipper II heads so anyone interested ping me!

[islandplanet]

Originally Posted by Microship

My endlessly annoying Lavacs have inspired an upgrade to a Marine Elegance for the aft cabin, which I'm about to order. I may keep the forward one as a backup, but would be much happier to remove it... part of me frets about going all-electric with such an essential function, so I'm conflicted.

Not looking forward to the surgery, in any case!

-Steve

Steve,

My experience working on Lavac toilets is that when they are "endlessly annoying", it is usually the result of improper installation or you have toilets that were made after Blakes sold the company and the new owners were working out bugs.

[Microship]

Well, not to get too graphic, but if they are dealing with fairly "non-compliant" material with a density less than that of seawater, then they internally "explode" and make a mess of seat and lid. This has always been the case, and I find the old "flush a tennis shoe" lore to be very misleading.

More subjectively, I don't like them because I'm a big guy... but that's not their fault.

A more recent issue on the aft one may be a symptom of something else... the pump (Henderson) often "catches" and feels like it's pulling a very vacuum against a very close obstruction. I don't blame the Lavac for that; it has changed over time and is clearly a maintenance issue.

As to flush levels and all that, the air bleed widget appears to be fine-tuned. They came with the boat and I've had them for 5 years without any disassembly, so that's saying something.... especially living aboard for the last year and a half.

Cheers,
Steve

[nautical62]

I had a simple porti-potti in one boat.
I had an RV toilet in one boat
I had a compositing head in one boat
I had a traditional marine head in one boat.

I can't say any one was universally the best. Each has their pluses and minuses. How those pluses and minuses balance out will depend on boat, the cruising area, the length of the cruise, the number of users and personal preferences.

For cruising in the islands where it's convenient and legal to dump every day, I prefer a traditional marine head with a gravity fed holding tank. Simply open the through hull and it drains out. Simply close the through hull to keep everything in the tank when at anchor.

For a small, inexpensive day sailor, where the head will only be used for an emergency, I prefer a small, inexpensive, simple porti-potti.

I felt the RV-type was the one that provided more of the worst of both worlds, more than the best of both worlds.

For a while, I owned a small trimaran that I used for relatively short cruises, sometimes on lakes where overboard discharge was not an option, but could not afford the space or weight of a large holding tank. A composting head was a good solution there.


Again, I think there is no universal best. Different heads are better suited for different situations.

[boatsail]

bucket - Google Search

[belizesailor]

Lots of pluses to a bucket...but I would be cruising alone.

My limited experience Lavac has been good...even in heavy charter use.

[Microship]

More on the Lavac, addressing the density issue... salinity-titration with fresh water from the nearby sink is usually helpful. But still... one more step that has to be remembered and explained!

-Steve

[Tim R.]

I have always been a big fan of Raritan. The PHII that I installed in our previous boat gave us years of trouble-free service.

Our current boat came with a Jabsco electric head(fresh water) that has been working flawlessly since August 2010 when we bought the boat.

Our second head is a salt water Lavac. It only gets used when we have company, are sailing in rough weather(it is at the base of companionway) or if the Jabsco fails. I do carry a spare Jabsco pump/macerator. The Lavac is also good for conserving fresh water.

I just wish the Lavac offered a home sized bowl. Not that we are big people but in rough weather, that extra bit of size makes things a little more comfortable.

[HopCar]

Steve, If you're still thinking about a Raritan Marine Elegance toilet, I'd love the chance to quote on it. You can send me a PM or contact me through my website.