Composting Toilet - Catalina 28 MKII 1996

[amandak]

Originally Posted by Mike OReilly

I didn't realize there'd been a run on coir. All the new gardeners? I've always bought in bulk, which usually lasts me many years. The last time I bought I sourced from https://www.vgrove.com/index.php, but as you say, they are not taking orders right now. Gotta love the apocalypse.

Cost is an interesting one. It's true Natures & Air will run you about $1200. C-head is cheaper. But a quality marine toilet runs in the $600 range, and if you add all the marine hoses, fitting and holding tank, and the cost of installation, it would easily be more than a composting head. So apples-to-apples they're not a lot different in cost.

I have priced out a Nature's Head locally in Ladysmith, BC and it was quoted at $1310 including delivery to the boatyard. The C-Head is going to cost the same... it's $800USD (everyting included, including hoses) and needs to be shipped from the US so there is shipping and duty all in US dollars. I would much rather install a Nature's Head, but don't have the room .

[amandak]

Originally Posted by Phantom Jim

Nature's Head in Pearson 365

oooooh this is interesting! It's really hanging over the edge of the platform... it might fit on my boat if i do this!!

[amandak]

Originally Posted by jooa

Hi Amanda, I installed a Natures Head on a CS27 and a Catalina 27 and in both cases it was necessary to build and install a new raised floor in the head which creates the larger floor area required for the Natures Head.

Hi there, do you have pictures you'd be willing to share? I'd love to see. Someone just shared photos of a Nature's Head with the front hanging over the platform a bit - I wasn't aware that I could do that!

[amandak]

Originally Posted by B25Matt

Peggy gives good advice and it should be heeded. She does seem to be an anti-composter though and its very likely brought on the zealotry of composters who refuse to admit there may be some down sides that aren't for everyone. As Peggy pointed out in northern climates (like Vancouver) these are desiccating toilets and not composting and the waste needs to be handled accordingly.

That said I have a composting toilet and I'm never going back to a conventional system but there are trade offs. In the end, the biggest issue that I find for people is that it all boils down to what bothers you more; smell or sight. For me I can't deal with the smell, not even the faintest hint of a whiff. You can argue that a brand new holding tank, hose, and toilet installation doesn't smell but sooner or later it will. I can take the full top half of my toilet off, inside the cabin and there's not a single whiff of anything offensive, even when I've just used it. Looking at poop is not an issue for me, smelling it is.

Things I gain are no more offensive smells, I'm off of the four days pump out leash. I'm in Georgian Bay and regularly go three weeks without having to dealing with the solid waste.

Down side is that its way taller than a conventional seat. I put a 6" platform around the base of it and its still not enough. It should be closer to 12". I prefer coconut coir to peat moss (again due to smell) but the coconut coir has been impossible to find this summer in Canada for some reason (Covid??). An other downside is cost. A composting toilet will cost you $1000 CAD and a holding tank solution will cost you around $600.

Be aware that technically according to Transport Canada composting toilets do not meet the requirements for a marine head and should you ever be checked, you could be fined. I've not heard of anyone ever being fined, I disagree with T.C.'s logic on this one but it is the law. Its a risk I take and my feeble argument would be, why would I spend twice the money to illegally dump when I could do it far more conveniently with a half priced conventional system?

Good luck with your search and ultimate purchase.

Thanks for all your thoughts! Composting toilets are legal in BC. The BC Ministry of Health made them legal in 2016. My boat is definitely not an offshore boat so it's unlikely i will ever leave BC waters.

[amandak]

Originally Posted by Stu Jackson

Amanda,


I hear you and understand the issue with winter winds. Only question I have is why do you think those idiots would know what kind of head you have on your boat? Why would you think they'd change their stupid mis-impressions? They certainly can't tell from outside your boat what you have inside your boat, could they? Just curious. I applaud you for your concern about our environment, and their lack of understanding, or sanity.


Good luck in your decision making.


Stu

Hi Stu,

That is a valid question. I am currently legally anchored in federal waters and have had to report someone a few times to the RCMP for harrassing me to move my boat. It's just one person that got a bee in his bonnet about me being here and expressed a concern about sewage.

The RCMP were very good about protecting my rights to anchor where I am, but they did ask me about my plans for sewage. I have access to a local boatyard and will be using their facilities and not my head (other than in an emergency). I would have liked to have been able to tell the RCMP I was composting. AND I would like to be able to compost regardless of who knows what kind of toilet I have on my boat.

It just seems that no matter what you tell people they ALWAYS think you're lying about dumping. I have always wanted a composting toilet as I believe it will give me much more freedom to anchor for longer periods of time wherever I want. I live completely off-grid on my boat and it's incredibly important to me to treat the environment I am in with respect.

Hope that answers your question

Amanda

[amandak]

Originally Posted by Lazerbrains

I would never trade a flush toilet for a dessicating one. Peggie is offering good advice - change your hoses and get a bigger tank, or go the MSD PP route. What the "composting" (they don't really compost) folks don't tell you is the amount of insects they attract, how they have to still constantly handle and dispose of urine (what do you do with that??), how they deal with diarrhea and liquidy stool, nor how they dispose of their feces when the "toilet" becomes full - it is NOT composted and is still considered human waste. I have been aboard boats with "composting" toilets and found them to be disgusting. Yet some people seem to love them - do yourself a favor and try one out before you change your whole system. You may not care for it.

I lived off-grid for a month last winter on land and i used the old bucket and sawdust as a toilet. I was a bit skeptical at first, but I was stunned at how it didn't smell at all. I emptied it once a week and it never smelled!! Convinced me to get a composting toilet on my boat!

[amandak]

Originally Posted by Copacabana

I've been using a Nature's Head for about 7 years and have had none of these problems. Do you have any experience with a composting toilet on your boat?

To the OP- are you sure the Nature's Head doesn't fit? Mine replaced a standard marine toilet and had the same footprint (though taller).

After reading some responses and seeing some posted photos I think it might fit now. I didn't realize you could have it hang over the platform slightly. If I can do this I am sure it will fit. Where my toilet sits now the wall behind it is slanted - at quite an angle, so I assumed it wouldn't fit!

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by amandak

I have priced out a Nature's Head locally in Ladysmith, BC and it was quoted at $1310 including delivery to the boatyard. The C-Head is going to cost the same... it's $800USD (everyting included, including hoses) and needs to be shipped from the US so there is shipping and duty all in US dollars. I would much rather install a Nature's Head, but don't have the room .

I'm a bit out of date with my pricing. I think I paid $750 for my Nature's. Guess business is good .

Originally Posted by amandak

oooooh this is interesting! It's really hanging over the edge of the platform... it might fit on my boat if i do this!!

Mine also hangs over the existing platform, and I'm in a 37-foot boat. It's a small 37-footer, but still... The nice thing about Nature's Head is that the urine container is self-supporting, so there's no problem with it overhanging like this.

[David B]

Originally Posted by blu3534

Funny thing to put it like this. Ok, they are super cool ...because choosing a composting toilet is a cold pragmatic trade off.

Pressing a button and flushshsh of course has its lure. But who, on smaller vessels, can afford to waste valuable space with a (large) holding tank and complicated plumbing? Stinking or not, this space is gone.

In some contributions it would be beneficial to know if "composting statements" are purely theoretical and/or if there is practical experience with NatureHead, AirHead, C-Head or other such systems involved.

Actually, the plumbing is very simple. Both our heads are electric flush into holding tanks, and unless we were planning on storing a few cartons of shampoo, and a few extra packs of toilet paper, the loss of the larger storage cabinet in each head is not noticed - plenty of space in the smaller cabinet next to each basin.

As for the plumbing:
one hose from a seacock to a pump, to the toilet pan
one hose from the toilet pan (built in macerator pump) to the tank
one hose from the tank to a seacock
and of course there is a deck suction coupling at the top of the tank.

Press-button flushing much like at home - we and our guests love it.

[Chotu]

Cost:

I think my desiccating head cost me $45. Really.

I bought plywood and fashioned a box with a hole in the top. I found the right office size trash bin at Walmart to house the 2 layers of tall kitchen garbage bags used to hold the solids in the trash bin. I used oversized bags so I could pull a big excess, twist it and tie it off air tight for disposal.

I cut and attached a funnel to the front of the trash bin so you could easily pee into it. The funnel emptied directly into a standard gallon water jug I had sitting around.

Because I wasn’t sure if it would stink or not (finally no smell now that the old marine head is gone), I put a computer fan and dryer vent hose to the outside. It’s a nice touch but I don’t think it was necessary.

Done.

The only other cost was the hay bale size bag of peat moss for $8 that lasted all summer long for 2 people full time.

It doesn’t need to be expensive.

[Copacabana]

Originally Posted by amandak

oooooh this is interesting! It's really hanging over the edge of the platform... it might fit on my boat if i do this!!

This is not a problem Amandak. Mine also hangs over the edge of the platform. When I installed it, I had intended to make a little support ledge for the part that is unsupported, but I still haven't gotten around to it after about 6 years...

[bletso]

I installed my NH sidewise to avoid the hanging legs, but then my step up made it a challenge to get on. I could have made a small step, but it works great. You can see the why I chose sideways.

[Phantom Jim]

Amanda

Before investing any significant monies, it may be prudent to evaluate whether your boat interior will accommodate the toilet you select. Such as: height above the seat (headroom), leg room and whether your feet will not touch the sole when sitting on the toilet. Emptying of the solids tank.

There is more criterion to selecting to a toilet than actually using it.

The photo is an emergency sawdust toilet sitting in the standard marine toilet. It is tall, but it sure beats having no toilet.

[amandak]

Originally Posted by Phantom Jim

Amanda

Before investing any significant monies, it may be prudent to evaluate whether your boat interior will accommodate the toilet you select. Such as: height above the seat (headroom), leg room and whether your feet will not touch the sole when sitting on the toilet. Emptying of the solids tank.

There is more criterion to selecting to a toilet than actually using it.

The photo is an emergency sawdust toilet sitting in the standard marine toilet. It is tall, but it sure beats having no toilet.

That's great!

I have a guy that has installed Nature's Head a few times and is going to come and measure... definitely will not purchase a toilet without being 100% sure if it's going to fit! My plan is to install in Feb/Mar 2021.

thanks!

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by amandak

That's great!

I have a guy that has installed Nature's Head a few times and is going to come and measure... definitely will not purchase a toilet without being 100% sure if it's going to fit! My plan is to install in Feb/Mar 2021.

Sure hope it works out. NH is a great head. The hardest part of any installation (aside from making sure it fits), is removing all the old plumbing and crap from the existing standard marine head. Installation is a breeze.

Consider though, and as Chotu points out, you can custom-make your own for a lot less. There's nothing technically difficult about these heads. All you need is a couple of holding tanks, a diverter, a way to agitate and a vent (and even a vent isn't essential).