BoatBanter.com - How to Dump Wastes That Are in a Bucket (a Potty)?

JoeSpareBedroom wrote:
wrote in message
oups.com...
Stanley Barthfarkle wrote:
How do we get rid of wastes that we leave in a potty? My boat is so
small that I cannot easily fit a porta potti into the existing
structure of the boat. I am thinking of using a 3-gal bucket and
lining it with layers of plastic bags, and use it as a potty. But I am
wondering what I am going to do with all these bags of human wastes:

o Do I need to open each bag when I get back home and
dump the content into my toilet? :(

o Should I simply dump all the bags of human wastes
into my trash can and let the sanitation worker to
remove it along with other household trashes?

Come back and tell us all about what happens when the bucket tips over
and
fills the boat with fun stuff.

No, this is not supposed to happen. The idea is that people should tie
a knot to "kind of" seal the plastic bag after finishing their
"business". Of course, there is nothing to prevent people from not
sealing the bag though. Therefore, I plan to build kind of a box to
surround the bucket and seat the bucket inside the box.

Jay Chan

By the time you build this contraption, it will be as big as, or bigger than
a ready-made portable toilet made specifically for boats. Didn't someone
point that out to you yesterday in another message? Have you even taken the
time to browse these things at a site like www.westmarine.com?

This has to do with the configuration of my boat. A porta potti that
is being sold in West Marine or BoaterWorld tends to be at least 14"
wide. Although my boat is 18-ft long, there is hardly any place that
can fit a 14" wide device, and the spaces that can fit the porta potti
are not a good place for doing "business":

Example 1: I could have placed it in the casting platform at the
bow; but that area is not a very comfortable place for doing "business"
with or without any wave action (just too exposed). Moreover, the
person who needs to do "business" will have to fight for the space with
people who need to use that prime area for fishing.

Example 2: I could have placed it at the rear corner of the boat
near the outboard and away from any foot traffic. But that area has a
very low gunwhale and is kind of sloping toward the sea (to assist in
self-bailing) and is not a stable platform for doing "business". I am
afraid that someone may fall into the sea while doing "business". And
this pretty much prevent anyone from doing "business" while the boat is
underway.

Example 3: I could have placed it right behind the captain seat.
But I have planned to put a large cooler (to serve as a livewell)
behind the captain seat. Moreover, that area is also kind of sloping
toward the sea.

This means the potty must be very small that can fit into the available
space near the center of the boat and away from foot traffic and away
from the edge of the boat. And I have found such a place which is
under the front bench that is right in front of the center console.
The space under the seat of the front bench is hallow and is an
alternate way of getting access to the inside of the console. That
space is deep but not wide (only 10.5" wide from front to back); and
this is the reason why I need to choose a small 3-gal bucket that can
fit under the seat. I imagine that when someone needs to do
"business", he will remove the seat to reveal the bucket under the
seat, line the bucket with a plastic bag, place a toilet seat over the
bucket, hang a custain from the T-top to cover the area to get some
privacy, and do the "business"... In other words, there is enough
space under the front seat for me to add a box to house the bucket.

This has everything to do with the configuration of my boat. I can
imagine that if the boat had a high gunwhale, I would likely put a
porta potti in the corner of the stern area and would not bother with
using a bucket as a potty.

Jay Chan