[Public-List] Sail manufacturer and composting toilets

[Rod Symmes]

Kris;     Is Airhead the unit that now has a Canadian dealer or is that Nature's Head ?

Cheers,   Rod

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> Date: Sun, 18 May 2014 14:17:53 -0400
> From: kris at melon.org
> To: sifuback at yahoo.com; public-list at lists.alberg30.org
> Subject: Re: [Public-List] Sail manufacturer and composting toilets
> 
> Hi Dwayne,
> 
> I've got an Airhead on Candy Cane (#583, so a liner boat), which I use
> living aboard.
> 
> On the good side, it works well, and the output from the solids tank is
> decidedly non-disgusting to have to deal with (which I do by just
> putting on some dishwashing gloves, and shoveling the contents into a
> compostable kitchen waste bag with a gardening trowel. I have to do this
> about 2-4x each year (closer to 2 in years where I've worked at an
> office, closer to 4 in years where I've worked from home), which I see
> as a considerable improvement over having to pump out the holding tank
> for the flush toilet.
> 
> On the other hand, I find that I need to empty the liquids tank closer
> to weekly (even when I pee off the side of the boat a fair bit), and
> that it can leak/spill if overfilled. I find that I tend to empty mine
> the night before, or on the day of, any race I might participate in, to
> avoid leaks all over my crew's baggage when we heel over too much.
> 
> In terms of space, and usability, it's a bit of a tight fit facing
> forward in the head (I asked Richard and Margaret from Into The Blue
> about their setup and experience before switching over, and they
> suggested a fore/aft orientation so that it would continue to work
> properly at all angles of heel), and the routing of the vent hose is a
> bit unlovely, but I find these are relatively minor problems. Also, when
> the solids tank is full, I typically impose a week-long solids
> moratorium, so the most recently added solids have time to compost a bit
> more before removal (and this moratorium often extends a bit as I
> procrastinate on actually emptying the tank), though this probably won't
> come up when you're weekending.
> 
> If you don't have a garden to use the compost in, most municipal compost
> systems accept human waste (e.g. diapers), so it's not that hard to get
> rid of solids when the time comes. For liquids, I find that the tank has
> enough capacity that pouring it into a shore-based toilet, it causes a
> degree of flushing to occur, and the toilet in question often needs to
> be flushed twice more before the water looks clear again. There's also
> often a bit that drips away while emptying the liquids tank, but that
> wipes up easily with a little TP. The old urine kinds stinks too, so
> simply pouring it off the back of the boat is something that can only be
> done when there's no one around to recognize the smell and get offended
> (and only in marine environments that aren't sensitive to having that
> much urine added to them all at once).
> 
> Another nice point of the composting head is that it allows the use of
> normal toilet paper, and I no longer have to worry that I'll clog the
> plumbing if I use more than 5 squares at a time. In fact, with a few
> exceptions, I can even feel reasonably safe letting visitors use it
> (though if the cranking handle is in the wrong position, some of them
> can get squeamish about making sure their TP properly goes into the
> solids tank, and drop it in such a way that I have to fish it out with a
> bent bicycle spoke (that I keep around specifically for this purpose)
> before it migrates over to block the liquids tank.
> 
> Anyhow, I wouldn't go back to a flush toilet on the boat (even if the
> pickups on my holding tank hadn't corroded into uselessness--I must give
> proper thanks to whoever made a holding tank with aluminum pickups).
> 
> Hope this helps,
> Kris
> 
> On Mon, May 12, 2014 at 06:35:16PM -0700, Dwayne Back wrote:
> > Just thought I would seek feedback as to sources for my current issues.  I am need of a new main sail and looking for recommendation of manufacturer.  I was looking at Peak Sails but then researched online and found all kinds of bad reviews.  I am a cruiser who enjoys good performance, so while I do not need racing sails would prefer ones that perform adequately, but price is obviously a consideration.  Second issue is an appropriate solution for the head, i currently have none.  Mostly a weekender and looking at the composting heads as a solution but would like feedback as to other individuals experiences.
> > 
> > Thank you,
> > Dwayne
> > Orion 94
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> -- 
> Kris Coward					http://unripe.melon.org/
> GPG Fingerprint: 2BF3 957D 310A FEEC 4733  830E 21A4 05C7 1FEB 12B3
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