Leonard wrote:

I know this is a stupid question, but I will ask it anyway. Can anyone
tell me what is being done in the so called "NO DISHCHARGE ZONES" with
gray water? If nothing can be legally discharged, how big of a holding
tank does a 57' boat with a draft of 7' need to be?

Gray water can legally go directly overboard in all US waters except for
a few landlocked inland lakes...the only coastal waters in which gray
water--and bilge water too--cannot go overboard are some very small
parts of the FL Keys National Marine Sanctuary, where you can't anchor
either.

I've heard that most of the gulf coast marina's pump out stations can
handle boats with less than a 5-6' draft. Are there pump out boats that
come to you? Do you have to go out of the 3 mile limit to dump your
tank?

Below Tampa Bay, the "3 mile limit" in the Gulf has been extended to 9
miles.

However, the Keys and Destin Harbor are the only "no discharge" waters
in the whole Gulf...the discharge of treated waste from the CG certified
Type I or II MSD is legal everywhere else. So if you want to avoid the
pumpout/dump hassle altogether, you may want to consider adding an
Electro Scan (new name for the newest version of the Lectra/San,
introduced last fall) or PuraSan to your system. I wouldn't recommend
eliminating a tank altogether, but you can certainly go with a LOT
smaller tank that you'll only have to use if/when you visit the Keys or
Destin Harbor.

--
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://shop.sailboatowners.com/books...ku=90&cat=1304