R21 Pre Purchase Question: Holding Tank Pumpout

S

Steamboat_Willie

New member
I'm considering the purchase of an R21 and have a question about the optional holding tank. When we used to own our sailboat and asked people about pumping out the holding tank they looked at us like we were from another planet. 'Pumpout?.... just dump it overboard!' ..... Good environmental conscience won't let me do that ... and it's also illegal.

I see that the R21 can be ordered with or without the 'Marine Head with Holding Tank'. What do most C-Ranger owners who have a holding tank and primarily trailer their boat do when they get home and are faced with the inviting task of emptying the holding tank if it was used while out on the water? It's not like you can just plug in your trusty old Electrolux and go! If you've gone out for a day or an overnight cruise and use the head you obviously have to empty it somewhere. But let's say that stopping at a marina or facility that has a pumpout station is just not an available option (which I might think could be the usual case) what do most trailering owners do? Is there any other practical way OTHER than use of a public pumpout facility to empty a holding tank? The only other option is to just not order it and use a portable marine porta-potty instead. And I would guess that the installation of a discharge sanitizing system like the LectraSan unit is just not practical on a boat like the R21 where space is certainly limited. I've wondered if there is such a thing as a 'home' pumpout system. Never heard of one though. Comments appreciated. Thanks. Ed
 
Hi Ed,
There is an easy way to dump the holding any place you dump a camper or in a cleanout at home, works well. If you have a masserator with over board dump. Get a rubber donut used to seal the 3 inch rv dump hose. Hold the donut tight over the hole on the side of the boat. Have someone flip the switch in the boat. In no time it is empty and you won't spill a drop. My last dump I bought a tank on wheels that holds about thirty gals. Now I can dump when the boat is in the garage. I use it on the camper as well.

Good luck
captd :wink
 
captd":fvw35mia said:
Hi Ed,
There is an easy way to dump the holding any place you dump a camper or in a cleanout at home, works well. If you have a masserator with over board dump. Get a rubber donut used to seal the 3 inch rv dump hose. Hold the donut tight over the hole on the side of the boat. Have someone flip the switch in the boat. In no time it is empty and you won't spill a drop. My last dump I bought a tank on wheels that holds about thirty gals. Now I can dump when the boat is in the garage. I use it on the camper as well.

Good luck
captd :wink
Click to expand...

HI CaptD,

I have a question about that arrangement, as we've had to deal with that while on the road... what do you do about flushing the sewer hose? With an RV, you dump the black, then dump the gray, and the gray flushes the black. Easy. Can't do that with the boat. Fortunately, we've spent a lot more time on the water than the land while onboard and haven't really had a big problem with finding marina with pumpouts. Also, RVs generally have a separate storage space for a lengthy sewer hose - where are you keeping that? Joan suggested mounting a pvc pipe of the proper diameter with caps onto the trailer frame, but I have visions of that filling with water while launching/retrieving... and then really getting skanky.

We considered the "hold the sewer hose routine", but neither of us wants to be the "holder" and both of us want to be the one who flips the macerator switch. :wink:

While we are quite fond of our installed potty onboard, a case can certainly be made for a porta-potty when a pumpout isn't an easy option.
 
Ah, time for another discussion of the benefits of a porta potty relative to a marine head.... Ed - if this is really a concern for you, get a porta potty instead. You get home, you carry it off, you pour it into the toilet. Take it back outside put a little water in it from the garden hose and dump it in the toilet again. Spray it good with the hose, let it dry. Put a little water and deodorizing solution in and you're done. Takes 2-5 mins and is one less thing to worry about. With the deodorizing solution, and with use of the proper type of TP (the stuff that is designed for this falls apart easily) it's really not all that objectionable to pour into the toilet and this can be done carefully and cleanly - pour slow. The unit costs <$100 so it can be replaced when you feel it's not looking good. Other than the bellows pump to pump fresh water in, there's no moving parts and the pump is pretty darn reliable. It can be stored in the garage or easily have the fresh water removed if you live in or travel to an area where it freezes in the winter.

Before I bought my boat, I thought that a real head was a really important issue for my wife. After we looked at all the options and sized the boat to our needs and tow vehicle, the porta potty was the only viable choice. Neither I nor my wife find it a problem to use - it can be kept as clean as a real toilet. Also, now that I've had the boat for 5 years or so I'm starting to need to fix little odds and ends here and there. I'm happy that the toilet isn't another maintenance item.
 
It all boils down to how you use your boat. If you are out for the day or a week end. The portapoty works fine. If you live on the boat for a few weeks at a time. A place to dump either one becomes a problem. But 30 gals holding is better than 5. Bahamas is a good example. If you dump at sea it is better to macerate and even treat the waste. Lots of marinas have signs in their wash rooms " no portapoty dumping." Rinsing there becomes a problem. With the Hunky Dory , the first time I used the portapoty, The battery holder went into the drink. Never worked after that.

We have had zero problems dumping at rest areas or camp grounds or at home using the donut. Have never leaked a drop. Always had a hose to rinse things off. Put the hose in plastic bag after use. I put the hose back in the tube on the camper. It is made for that purpose.
His question is about the Ranger 21. Mine is the 25 . If they set up the holding tank the same, I would definitely put in a marine toilet.
captd
 
Sounds like the porta potty is probably the most sensible route, at least for us, after reading the comments. And I will most certainly remember to pour S-L-O-W when emptying the unit. I'm sure the holding tank configuration works well. When we owned our 32' sailboat it was always a royal pain attending to the pumpout chore. Thanks for the insight.
 
captd":3ipqnp5w said:
It all boils down to how you use your boat. If you are out for the day or a week end. The portapoty works fine. If you live on the boat for a few weeks at a time. A place to dump either one becomes a problem. But 30 gals holding is better than 5. ...
We have had zero problems dumping at rest areas or camp grounds or at home using the donut. Have never leaked a drop. Always had a hose to rinse things off. Put the hose in plastic bag after use. I put the hose back in the tube on the camper. It is made for that purpose.
...
captd
Click to expand...

Aha, I get it. Your are towing with the camper on the truck, right? Thus, storage for the sewer hose is contained there. Alas, when we are towing, it is with a pickup with a tonneau (solid) cover over the bed (no camper) and the boat is the camper.
 
Jim,

When we're towing and camping it's with the identical setup you have. It works great.

If you follow the advice CapnD gives, there's no spillage and EVERY dump we've found has a hose. I'm the holdee and I have no complaints. Of course I grew up on a ranch and raised 4 kids, so long ago I came to the conclusion that a little bit of that stuff isn't going to hurt. I had a momentary revision of that opinion when a macerator quit with a full tank. I keep the (flushed) hose in a plastic sack in the truck.

Having used them, I long ago came to the conclusion the porta potty is not for me. Of course the kids were little.

Boris
 
Because it takes up so much room for the tank and you will loose
storage space.
Because it costs a bunch
Because dumping a porta potty is pretty easy it is a better way to
go in the R21. Just don't forget to winterize it.
Yes I thought about it and looked at a R21 with the holding tank
and was glad that Les at EQ Marine had done the right thing and
steered the first owner of my R21 toward a porta potty. Try to
imagine how much space it will use up.
Cant help with dumping one but would think the pumpout stations
have good pumps.

You all have a Merry Christmas, Bob Heselberg Eatonville Wa
 
Hi folks,

I would recommend a PortiPotti. It is the best invention since sliced bread. Very few moving parts, and easy to dump in a bathroom. Try not dumping overboard. There is no smell when using the holding tank chemicals.

Fred
 
For a R 21 or the CD 22, I really think that the porti potty is a wise choice. You can build a home pump out system--as well as the doughnut or othe holes into the discharge port. You can either use a Whale Gusher hand pump or a Sea Land electric diaphragm pump. These are relitatively similar to what a pump out station uses, and can be discharged directly into a sewer or the portable tanks. (which then have to be dumped into a sewer).

There are plenty of areas where there is a real lack of pump out stations, or they are broken. We often take a run out 3 miles and dump at sea. The real problem with dumping is in water where there is minimal circulation. This also holds true for the electrosan type I treatment units, although they are "legal" in many areas.
 
We have an electric head in a 30 foot Carver. We have a porta potti in the 22 footer. Naturally, the admiral prefers the privacy and convenience of the electric head. However, I prefer the porta potty, even though I'm the one who dumps it. Reason....I never have to worry about finding a pump out station in time or docking up to one in adverse conditions. The porta potty gives us flexibility, which is critical with winter boating.

-Greg
 
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