David Ditch wrote:
Hi all,
I am looking at various 23' cuddies.
I have a family of 5 including 3 kids ages 5,3,and 1
I have the option of a pump out or no pump out head.
What is invoved in pumping out? Where?
If not pumped out, what is involved in dumping the wast in the little tank?
I live in the Baltimore/Annapolis are of the Chesapeake.

That's a LOT of people on a 23' boat! I don't think you have any choice
but to go with a self-contained unit because a toilet and separate
remote holding tank will eat up too much space that's needed for
storage. The only question is, what size portapotty.

Portapotties come in two sizes--2-3 gallon models, and 5-6 gallon
models--and are also available as portable (take the tank off the boat
and and empty it down a toilet--which many marinas won't allow because
of the potential for a mess in their bathrooms) or permanently installed
fitted for pumpout. Unless you're gorilla, only the smaller size is
practical to carry off the boat...'cuz waste weighs 8.333
lbs/gal...making the weight of a full 5-6 gallon tank about 50 pounds.
But I don't think the smaller size will be adequate for your family's
needs. That makes a permanently installed 5-6 gal model the only
practical choice. However, since the larger models are taller than the
small ones, a 5-6 gal model may not fit in the only available location
for it in a 23' cuddy.

But I dunno how you can comfortably--and safely--carry 5 people and all
the stuff needed for children that small in a 23' cuddy either. Have you
really thought about all you'll need and where you'll put it on the
boats you're looking at? Every boat I've ever considered, the first
thing I do is mentally try to put away everything I know I'll need and
want aboard...I suggest you do the same.

Peggie
----------
Peggie Hall
Specializing in marine sanitation since 1987
Author "Get Rid of Boat Odors - A Guide To Marine Sanitation Systems and
Other Sources of Aggravation and Odor"
http://www.seaworthy.com/html/get_ri...oat_odors.html