How do you empty your head? (port-a-pot that is...)

[kchunk]

I'm thinking about replacing our pottie, and considering a portable/permanent MSD. Sealand has a new one, the 975 Portable toilet MSD. It has a 5-gal. capacity and looks like it'll just barely fit. Mostly, I'm interested in the MSD feature that lets you hook up the deck pump out. I can't stand the thought of lugging a 5 gallon pottie through the cabin, on to the pier, down the dock and across the marina to dump it.

What do you think? How do you folks usually empty your cans?

Here's a link the the 975 MSD at Defender:
http://www.defender.com/product.jsp?path=-1|51|806|903103&id=902441

[edbuchanan]

I replaced the porta-potty in my 23/II just before a three week cruise.  The toilet is a Sealand 964MSD, and has the option to permanently connect it to the boat for overboard flush and/or pumpout.  The toilet functions well, seals well, but its capacity is smaller (3 gallon) than the one you selected.  The hold-down clamps are nice once you get accustomed to them.  The holding tank size is handy for carrying straight up through the sail hatch above, and then often some distance down the dock.

I was forced to pick the smaller capacity due to the space required to operate the toilet, i.e. space to pull the flush door out fully inside the 23's provided compartment.  The 975 has the advantage of being 1/2" smaller in length, so that is not a problem.  Also, there is just enough space to get my hands around the 964MSD to release the hold-down clamps.  The 975 is 1/2" wider, but I can't see from the Defender picture how the hold-down clamps are operated.  You should also check the headroom with the 975's greater height.

Here on the Chesapeake Bay some marinas do not have the special "pump out wand" required to pump out a porta-potty.  Most boats here are very large, so porta-pottys are rare.  One dockhand suggested I buy my own wand.  Most marinas have allowed me to carefully dump it into a marina toilet.  So far we have never been stuck with a full toilet.

Ernie (Molly 23/II 1984)

[HideAway]

I have the larger one you are talking about.  It works fine.  Since its a little taller I had to cut a notch to operate the handle, but the sitting head room is ok.   I ran my pump out lines forward  thinking that I didn't want a sewer line next to sleeping people's heads.

If I were to do it again I'd run them the shortest possible way, in my case starboard side.  Although I've had no problems pumping and flushing the lines having the access closer to mid ships makes sense.   I have recently broken the bellows pump so a new job has been added to an old list!

I later decided not to use the v berth for sleeping and built a small vanity/sink with a water pump on the starboard side.  The v berth fills up with coolers etc when we are cruising anyway and I don't know about you but its a struggle to get into the v berth to sleep.  If you had to get out in a hurry I'm not sure anyone could.  We were anchored near the Gulfport Fl pier one fourth of July when at 2am we were struck by a 50 foot house boat that broken it's rode.  Fortunatly we were sleeping in the cockpit and heard my brand new rigging twang  when it hit the fore stay as his bow sprit raked our port side. I was able to jump up and push him away so he did not hit the port side standing rigging.  No damage or injuries but I've not slept in a v berth since!

I have an older model, hull #2, that because it does not have the cabinetry yours does it has wonderfully wide settees for sleeping on and I can stand up to put my pants on-- such a deal!