08-01-2015, 04:09 PM
Hello all,
For the rest of the summer I am intent on doing as much over night cruising as I can. As a result, I have a need for facilities aboard my admittedly small cruiser. Up to now I have used a commercial bucket that has done an admirable job, to extent that it has found a new job aboard my Com-Pac. Its' shortcomings were that it didn't fit anywhere handy on my weekender, and it was tough to wrestle through the companion way. I needed to design something that would be specific to the space available on a Weekender. I also needed a disposal system that would be odor free and convenient as well as spill proof.Â
I settled on a hybrid of two types that will be more convenient as well as space efficient. Basically it is a plywood box that fits between the seat fronts at the rear of a Weekender's cockpit. It is shaped to conform to the angle of the sole as well as the angle of the seat fronts as they spread toward the front and is as high as the cockpit seats. I found that the top of the box only needed to be 16 inches long with a 12 inch by 6 inch hole cut into it. Into the box is inserted a tough plastic garbage bag with the top of the bag extending out of the hole. A commercial wag bag could work as well. On top of the bag is laid a 1/4 inch plywood toilet seat cut to the same dimensions as the top of the box. Into the bag I put a couple inches of saw dust and the head is ready for use. Once the deposit is made and the paper work complete, I tie the bag shut with a twist tie until it is needed again. All of the accoutrements are placed on top of the sealed bag and the lid closed with the seat on top. When at anchor there is no reason to stow the box as it sits below the tiller in space that I would not use anyway. When underway, the box fits snuggly into the space to starboard of the companionway so that it isn't under foot when I want to stand in the cabin to adjust the rigging. I feel a bit bad about the next part, but I have been assured that it is okay. When the bag is full or the trip is over, simply drop the sealed bag into the trash and voila.Â
Of course if you use the box in the cockpit of your weekender, a privacy screen must be employed unless you are in the vastness of the wilderness alone. I use my boom tent as a loose cover for this purpose. But probably not in a marina or a crowded anchorage.Â
Anyway, it took me a while to dream this one up, but it sure seems to fill the bill.Â
Al
For the rest of the summer I am intent on doing as much over night cruising as I can. As a result, I have a need for facilities aboard my admittedly small cruiser. Up to now I have used a commercial bucket that has done an admirable job, to extent that it has found a new job aboard my Com-Pac. Its' shortcomings were that it didn't fit anywhere handy on my weekender, and it was tough to wrestle through the companion way. I needed to design something that would be specific to the space available on a Weekender. I also needed a disposal system that would be odor free and convenient as well as spill proof.Â
I settled on a hybrid of two types that will be more convenient as well as space efficient. Basically it is a plywood box that fits between the seat fronts at the rear of a Weekender's cockpit. It is shaped to conform to the angle of the sole as well as the angle of the seat fronts as they spread toward the front and is as high as the cockpit seats. I found that the top of the box only needed to be 16 inches long with a 12 inch by 6 inch hole cut into it. Into the box is inserted a tough plastic garbage bag with the top of the bag extending out of the hole. A commercial wag bag could work as well. On top of the bag is laid a 1/4 inch plywood toilet seat cut to the same dimensions as the top of the box. Into the bag I put a couple inches of saw dust and the head is ready for use. Once the deposit is made and the paper work complete, I tie the bag shut with a twist tie until it is needed again. All of the accoutrements are placed on top of the sealed bag and the lid closed with the seat on top. When at anchor there is no reason to stow the box as it sits below the tiller in space that I would not use anyway. When underway, the box fits snuggly into the space to starboard of the companionway so that it isn't under foot when I want to stand in the cabin to adjust the rigging. I feel a bit bad about the next part, but I have been assured that it is okay. When the bag is full or the trip is over, simply drop the sealed bag into the trash and voila.Â
Of course if you use the box in the cockpit of your weekender, a privacy screen must be employed unless you are in the vastness of the wilderness alone. I use my boom tent as a loose cover for this purpose. But probably not in a marina or a crowded anchorage.Â
Anyway, it took me a while to dream this one up, but it sure seems to fill the bill.Â
Al