Belowdecks & Amenities

Elizabeth Barrett Browning would have a fine time counting the variety of ways to treat waste aboard a sailboat. Let us count the ways. Apart from the “standard” electric toilets that we tested here (either raw-water or freshwater plumbed), there are portable toilets, composting toilets like the Air Head, hold-and-treat systems like Raritan’s Lectra San, and vacuum-based systems like Sea-Land’s VacuFlush. In addition, there are multiple ways to plumb a holding tank into the system.

Most of the macerators that PS looked at for this test used a variation of the centrifugal pump/macerator design introduced by Tecma in the 1990s.

All of these units came with what we call “smart” switches, which control the flow and timing of various filling and flushing functions. Most allowed for about a half-gallon of water for a full flush and a 5-second delay between rinse and flush. On some units, the user could adjust the timing and volume of water required for flushing.

Subtle difference in which valves and pipes are used to fill and flush the bowl can add up to less odor, reduced water use, and less energy use over the long run.

In the October 2010 boat review of the Catalina 375, there was a statement regarding the location of a galley: "While some argue that the traditional port-side galley is more desirable when crossing oceans, the point is moot for a family coastal cruiser." Is this just a whimsical nautical tradition, or is there some logic underlying it? Why is the port preferable? I would agree that [a port galley would be favored] if most of our sailing is on a starboard tack, but the number of port and starboard tacks should be about the same.

Galleys on American production sailboats have come a long way in the last 20 years. We particularly remember one 40' cruiser-racer by one of the country’s most famous designers, whose galley consisted of a two burner countertop alcohol stove, a miniature sink, a few lockers, and an icebox: if you put 100 pounds of ice in it, it managed to keep small quantities of food at slightly below outside temperature for a few days at a time. Today, thank God, you’d probably find a better galley on any 30-footer.

Of course, everything on a boat is a compromise, and so it is with propane. It has two nasty traits that must be dealt with: Propane is heavier than air, which allows the gas to collect in the bilge in the event of a leak; and propane is explosive when it collects in such places.

The proportions of the human body are the basis of all design. Cockpit seating, as with any seat or chair design, is one of the most complicated problems facing the designer. Niels Diffrient, an industrial designer and one of the world’s leading authorities on aircraft seating, says that, “Chair design is the acid test for designers”.

Amid the excitement and anticipation of taking delivery of a new boat, one tends to discount the importance of certain items. In my case, when I switched on the “shower sump” breaker of my pride and joy and heard no pump running, I initially wasn’t too concerned.

While permeation of waste gases through flexible sanitation hose is a major source of odors in the head, it is not the only one. This article looks at the possible sources one by one.