My first education into traveling toilets was in my 44' toy hauler. The restroom is about
phone booth sized, and Clark Kent would be clostsrphobic. In the middle of the grand room, was a plastic
toilet, that broke the first time I sat on it. Bowl started to buckle.
First time I saw a porcelain RV loo, I purchased it. Still little better, because of the silly room it was in, designed for an anorexic 8 year old.
I had a spare house
toilet in my shop, left over from a bathroom remodel job. The next trip, I sat that in a corner of the toy hauler garage, and covered it in plastic.
First time I needed to create some fertilizer on the trip, I excused myself, and locked myself in the garage. I uncovered my toilet, and got a kitchen garbage bag, placing it inside the toilet, and lowered the seat.
Now that was more like it. Largest room on the
trailer, outfitted with everything to make a dump, a great (& comfortable) one.
I tied a
knot in the sack, a simple one, very tight, then slipped the bag inside out, tied a second
knot. Double bagged, with one bag! Perfect. Then I walked the warm bundle to the dumpster and it ended up next to a diaper. How fitting!
That was years ago, and every trip, my wife and guests have their restroom, and I have mine that no-one knows about (till now)
Last fall, I got back into sailing. First sailboat had a used portapotty. Threw it away and just never used anything in the way of a toilet on the mac 25. Now I have a larger sailboat, and again, I threw away the old disgusting plastic portapotty. It was looking past its prime.
My brain started thinking, and I figured, why not use what worked so well for me in my RV?
I found a good used land toilet. Removed the back tank, and removed everything from the tank.
Then I poured plaster paris in the main basin drain in the bottom of the toilet. Let cure. Then took white silicone, and made a waterproof covering over the plaster and on to the porcelain just enough to make the bowl
water tight. Did the same thing to the back tank. Back tank is now empty with a flush handle that is for looks only.
Mount the bowl to the floor, mount the back tank to the wall above the bowl. Looks like a traditional toilet in a house.
Mount a kitchen paper towel rack, that in this case holds a roll of garbage bags, close to the toilet. Place a garbage bag in the toilet, and if you wish, you can also protect the toilet seat with the bag. Try different ways till you get a fit/function you like. A pet pee pad or diaper, can be placed in the garbage bag for absorbentsy.
Once used, the bag can be double knotted and placed in the back tank, inside another garbage bag, waiting to be properly disposed of.
Each flush costs less than a quarter if you use absorbent pads.
No
water
No
plumbing
No mess
No pumpout
No smell
No bugs
No toilet seat to clean
No clogged toilet
No hassles
No
holding tank to leak
No worries
Total cost of this with a new toilet, less than $150. Total cost with scrounged used toilet, less than $50 including bags and pee pads.
What looks better, popping your
head in a yacht
head, a portapotty, a complicated
marine head that is sometimes hard to figure out, and most boats have rules of usage, that will get you tossed off the
boat, if you do not follow the rules, or a 100% fresh and clean simple to use wag bag porcelain toilet with simple instructions?
I will also be installing a second unit, under a berth in the aft
cabin, for me. Yep, cannot comfortably fit in the head of my sailboat, any better than I can fit in the RV. Sucks being a giant sometimes.
I see threads in
boat forums, debating the best head to use, and frankly, I looked at lots of ideas, and all of them stunk (pardon the pun) for one or more reasons. Cost, install headaches, pumpout hastles, odors.
The best solution for me, was kiss. Keep it simple simple.
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