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Old 18-01-2023, 10:53   #46
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Re: General question about heads on a sailboat

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My personal favorite is a unit no longer made. It was an antique Wilcox-Crittenden bronze and teak marine head, teak seat, with numerous flaps, levers and and flushing arm that was at least two feet long. It was truly a throne fit for a king. It performed flawlessly for many years, until parts for it were no longer to be found. No replacement marine head I've ever owned worked as flawlessly as that unit.
The Lavac is now the most reliable, I had one for 10 years, not a single problem, ever. No moving parts, a separate pump, and only the lid gasket to maintain every 5 years or so.
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Old 18-01-2023, 11:17   #47
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Re: General question about heads on a sailboat

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My personal favorite is a unit no longer made. It was an antique Wilcox-Crittenden bronze and teak marine head, teak seat, with numerous flaps, levers and and flushing arm that was at least two feet long. It was truly a throne fit for a king. It performed flawlessly for many years, until parts for it were no longer to be found. No replacement marine head I've ever owned worked as flawlessly as that unit.
Yes, that would be the "Skipper", and they really were the best marine toilet ever built.
Mine has seen constant use for going on 30 years, and thankfully I've still got enough parts on hand to keep it going for a few more. (I hope).
Today the closest unit would be the Groco K, it's of lesser displacement per stroke and somewhat more "fussy", so to speak, but a valid device.
I've often said that if I won the lottery I'd set-up a shop that could make all the replacement parts for the Skipper.
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Old 18-01-2023, 12:06   #48
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Re: General question about heads on a sailboat

One of the best things I have done for myself is replacing all of the sanitation hose with PVC pipe, no smell, and it is smoother, which means calsification cannot stick to it as easily.

Once every couple of months I dump a gallon of CLR into the toilet, and pump some up into the pipe to break up anything that has calcified in there. Been a world of difference from when it had hose, especially the no smell part!
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Old 18-01-2023, 12:12   #49
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Re: General question about heads on a sailboat

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Yes, that would be the "Skipper", and they really were the best marine toilet ever built.
Mine has seen constant use for going on 30 years, and thankfully I've still got enough parts on hand to keep it going for a few more. (I hope).
Today the closest unit would be the Groco K, it's of lesser displacement per stroke and somewhat more "fussy", so to speak, but a valid device.
I've often said that if I won the lottery I'd set-up a shop that could make all the replacement parts for the Skipper.

I had one of these. Great heads, worked perfectly. Never had a problem with it.

But I gave it away when I switched to a Nature's Head. Composting (or more properly, desiccation) is simply a better solution for cruisers like me.
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Old 18-01-2023, 12:20   #50
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Re: General question about heads on a sailboat

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Yes, that would be the "Skipper", and they really were the best marine toilet ever built.
Mine has seen constant use for going on 30 years, and thankfully I've still got enough parts on hand to keep it going for a few more. (I hope).
Today the closest unit would be the Groco K, it's of lesser displacement per stroke and somewhat more "fussy", so to speak, but a valid device.
I've often said that if I won the lottery I'd set-up a shop that could make all the replacement parts for the Skipper.

The skipper on my boat is from the 1960's, Marine sanitation supply in Seattle has quite a bit available for them. I was fortunate and at the Port Townsend swap meet snagged a 2nd one minus the bowl for $35.00!



The only problem I have had with mine is I need to pull the handle off the shaft and replace the packing as it is wanting to leak everywhere right now. Fortunately I built my head so the leak goes directly to the shower sump rather than all over the floor.
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Old 20-01-2023, 06:30   #51
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Re: General question about heads on a sailboat

Remember that very old and often used addage.....


"Two heads are better than one."


An old friend once pointed out that you can have a lot of fun on a boat with an engine that does not run but a boat with no toilet is not fun for long.


A marine toilet is one of the most cantankerous and unpredictable mechanical devices. Remember that your window to repair a malfunctioning one can be as small as three hours. Your penalty for failure is excruciating if you are out on a cruise with a bunch of people.
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Old 20-01-2023, 06:46   #52
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Re: General question about heads on a sailboat

Who is gonna sail the boat while you are f8x8ng the broken head. Yeah they can break at the worst ossible time. Right as you are trying to flush a seamonster.

Get a boat with 2 heads.
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Old 20-01-2023, 06:47   #53
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Re: General question about heads on a sailboat

If failure is a concern, it's always an option to carry a spare base assembly for the head. Then if something goes wrong, you can swap the whole thing and rebuild / repair the removed one at your convenience.
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Old 20-01-2023, 06:57   #54
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Re: General question about heads on a sailboat

Agree with the above. On the backup question, a bucket works just fine, but if your wife is squeamish (or you ever intend to have guests) the Thetford PortaPotti 565e is good enough to replace a marine head altogether. They're less than $200 and compact enough to fit in a locker somewhere. After 15 years of wrestling with (and paying through the -- well, nose -- to repair/replace) Raritans and VaccuFlush systems on four different boats, when I bought a 63'MY two years ago, I ditched the VaccuFlush and put in three Thetfords. I know I'm going to get flamed for this big time, but, you know what, they just work. Yes, there is the weekly dumping ritual, but compared to tearing apart a macerator chamber to dislodge a baby wipe a guest put down there, 10 minutes once a week beats the **** (you fill in the blank) out of two full days dismantling/rebuilding a macerator. Thetford makes some less expensive and smaller models too if you're constrained by space.
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Old 20-01-2023, 06:59   #55
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Re: General question about heads on a sailboat

It isn't the head itself it is the pipes. No person, after three martinis, can overcome the reflex action acquired over a lifetime of throwing the toilet paper in and hitting flush.
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Old 20-01-2023, 07:03   #56
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Re: General question about heads on a sailboat

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It isn't the head itself it is the pipes. No person, after three martinis, can overcome the reflex action acquired over a lifetime of throwing the toilet paper in and hitting flush.

Any decent head and plumbing setup should handle a reasonable amount of toilet paper without issue. If a head can't handle toilet paper, it's a piece of junk and I wouldn't want it on my boat.
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Old 20-01-2023, 07:16   #57
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Re: General question about heads on a sailboat

What size boat are you looking at? If it is less than 40'+ you will need the room a second head would take up for other things.

Are you going to live on the hook after sailing somewhere, or just stay around your home base? Most marinas in the US have bathhouses that can be used if required.

I've never looked at a boat with two heads, but if they share the same blackwater tank then the only redundancy is the head itself.

I second the idea of carrying a porta-potty for the worst-case scenario.
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Old 20-01-2023, 07:40   #58
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Re: General question about heads on a sailboat

It depends how you anticipate using the boat. The number of people on board is the greatest factor.

Personally, I would consider one head a bonus. However, avoid a wet head if this is feasable.
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Old 20-01-2023, 07:46   #59
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Re: General question about heads on a sailboat

You may want to consider a Composting Head. A crank handle is the only moving part. All you do is soak the composting material (available on Amazon) in a little water for about 24 hours. Throw the old into a bag and take it ashore. Put the new in the container. You’re done.
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Old 20-01-2023, 08:49   #60
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Re: General question about heads on a sailboat

I have a single head on my C350 (seperate from the shower). It's the second electric head the boat has had in my ownership. Lessons learned....if you perceive any inkling in a change in performance/operation, flush the thing through with some added detergent or similar so when you take it apart its clean smelling. Because a few hours of the repair job "under duress" is not nice. The original head was a Newport model that worked well but they discontinued it so I could not get an impeller...lesson learned - the replacement was a Raritan Sea Era which has many many sold, and many spares available hopefully for many years to come.
Re the backup device in case of total failure, now that single use plastic bags are on the way out in retail, I unavoidably over time acquire some heavier multi use bags that I keep on the boat and would suffice in a pinch.
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