Toilet selection

Hi Everyone,

My Cavalier 26 had the heads taken out by the previous owner and replace with a porta-potty. I'd like to reinstall a manual or electric toilet and have been eyeballing this one (www.whitworths.com.au/tmc-12v-electric-toilet-soft-close-seat, or this larger one (www.whitworths.com.au/tmc-12v-large-bowl-electric-toilet-soft-close-seat).

Has anyone had any experience with either of these TMC models?

Thanks in advance

I have the TMC manual, a good basic dunny, The ladies on my boat aren't as much of a fan of the manual setup. So I think I will use the aftermarket electric TMC kit and change it to electric before summer, and the TMC parts are available everywhere.

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BlackWolf said..

UncleBob said..

BlackWolf said..
Hi Everyone,

My Cavalier 26 had the heads taken out by the previous owner and replace with a porta-potty. I'd like to reinstall a manual or electric toilet and have been eyeballing this one (www.whitworths.com.au/tmc-12v-electric-toilet-soft-close-seat, or this larger one (www.whitworths.com.au/tmc-12v-large-bowl-electric-toilet-soft-close-seat).

Has anyone had any experience with either of these TMC models?

Thanks in advance

I have the smaller tmc electric, not a bad product but not the world's best quality. Very serviceable though.

Does the size of the bowl cause a problem when on a bit of a lean? I was also wondering how it works for men when sitting? Is it too small?

Men should always sit using the heads on yachts!

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BlackWolf said..

UncleBob said..

BlackWolf said..
Hi Everyone,

My Cavalier 26 had the heads taken out by the previous owner and replace with a porta-potty. I'd like to reinstall a manual or electric toilet and have been eyeballing this one (www.whitworths.com.au/tmc-12v-electric-toilet-soft-close-seat, or this larger one (www.whitworths.com.au/tmc-12v-large-bowl-electric-toilet-soft-close-seat).

Has anyone had any experience with either of these TMC models?

Thanks in advance

I have the smaller tmc electric, not a bad product but not the world's best quality. Very serviceable though.

Does the size of the bowl cause a problem when on a bit of a lean? I was also wondering how it works for men when sitting? Is it too small?

No problems to date (pun intended) but then I've only owned it for around 10 years.

It's also worth keeping in mind that the time will come when Maritime Services start implementing existing Holding Tank legislation. This requires an electric macerator, so the models you're considering are fine. It might be worth looking at how/where you'd plumb in a holding tank, and at least take that into account in fitting the new loo.

My boat came with a new head yet to be installed. Just wondering, almost no boats I looked at (70-80's vintage) had any sort of holding tank. Most people would just be cruising around Sydney in the harbour or Pittwater rather than going offshore.
I would think I could always time things so the need never arose, but if guests on board...
Do some ppl actually use their heads in the harbour for #2's? I will install my head with a holding tank or chuck it and get a porta potty but just wondering with all the un-tanked loos around.

No one has said anything about composting toilets. Survey for my new boat mentions that there is no holding tank and no anti syphon loop.
My thinking is to remove the existing manual toilet and replace with a composting loo. Even the cost of the expensive ones would not be too different to the cost of getting a holding tank and plumbing put in.

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Skipper58 said..
No one has said anything about composting toilets. Survey for my new boat mentions that there is no holding tank and no anti syphon loop.
My thinking is to remove the existing manual toilet and replace with a composting loo. Even the cost of the expensive ones would not be too different to the cost of getting a holding tank and plumbing put in.

I fitted a Natures Head composting loo in my previous boat (a Cat) and have purchased an Airhead for the new boat, in part because there wasn't an easy holding tank option. I think the main issue with compost toilets in yachts is size (height) as they are 100-125mm higher, plus bigger base size, so won't fit in many smaller yachts. Mind you, a holding tank has its own limitations. Even a 60ltr tank will fill in 4-5 days use by two people. Holding tank position and hose angle is import to avoid clogging, as is having a short wide bore air vent tube so it doesn't go into (smelly) anerobic mode.

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Skipper58 said..

Bushdog said..

Skipper58 said..
No one has said anything about composting toilets. Survey for my new boat mentions that there is no holding tank and no anti syphon loop.
My thinking is to remove the existing manual toilet and replace with a composting loo. Even the cost of the expensive ones would not be too different to the cost of getting a holding tank and plumbing put in.

I fitted a Natures Head composting loo in my previous boat (a Cat) and have purchased an Airhead for the new boat, in part because there wasn't an easy holding tank option. I think the main issue with compost toilets in yachts is size (height) as they are 100-125mm higher, plus bigger base size, so won't fit in many smaller yachts. Mind you, a holding tank has its own limitations. Even a 60ltr tank will fill in 4-5 days use by two people. Holding tank position and hose angle is import to avoid clogging, as is having a short wide bore air vent tube so it doesn't go into (smelly) anerobic mode.

Yes we are looking at the Airhead. Will need to take measurements as soon as we take delivery of the boat (waiting for a mooring application to complete). We may need to cut through some woodwork.

Mine is on the boat, not fitted, at Church Point if you want to have a look at one and fitting options. I'll be on the boat through much of November.

Yes cap them. We have ours capped for about 6 years and haven't had a problem - check them annually. When we bought the boat they weren't capped - just closed shut and the surveyor (and us) picked it up as a mandatory task. Forget where we bought the caps but Sydney somewhere.

Good posts here;

Help How cap off unused seacocks ? - Cruisers & Sailing Forums (cruisersforum.com)

Which references this;

16 Things You Need to Know About Filling In a Thru-Hull - The Boat Galley

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woko said..

Skipper58 said..
No one has said anything about composting toilets. Survey for my new boat mentions that there is no holding tank and no anti syphon loop.
My thinking is to remove the existing manual toilet and replace with a composting loo. Even the cost of the expensive ones would not be too different to the cost of getting a holding tank and plumbing put in.

It's the diy system I was pointing to with the bucket maybe a nice seat and some saw dust or peatmoss and a bottle. Instead of looking for a dump point for the porta yuk, a bin will suffice for a liner bag with its dry content. Given the composted offerings aren't macerated, ditching poo & peatmoss off shore could be an issue

Every 6-12 months when I haven't recently used the boat, I empty the 'compost' into a garbage bag and dump it in the rubbish bin. There's no best system. Even with a 60-100ltr holding tank, how many yachts/power cruisers get a couple of nautical miles offshore every few weeks? A DIY system may be ok for a few nights, but in the absence of fan powered venting and a system to aerate the bucket contents, it'll soon smell ****ty. Coir (coconut fibre) is recommended over peat moss - works better and a less expensive, less finite resource. If using a compost system, it's also recommended to chuck in a handful of local leaf litter to introduce local bacteria to work the system as effectively as possible.