I did a lot and had some good times with my Bristol 24. Very comfortable sturdy boat.

 

Small sailboat with regular marine head - Cruisers & Sailing Forums

 

Montgomery 17 has a head hidden under the V-Berth. A bunch of 17-20 footers have these. Not too practical to use the heads, but if it's just a rule about having a head on board you need to satisfy, they do that just fine.

 

Looking through spec sheets on manufactuer websites, do not always give a clear indication. So I am here looking for advice on the smallest pocket cruiser with marine head.

I have a DOMETIC 975MSD on my Catalina 22. It's a porta-potty with a 5-gallon holding tank and has a 2-gallon tank to hold fresh water for flushing.

DOMETIC 975
PORTABLE TOILET

Amazon: Sealand Dometic 975MSD Portable Toilet 5.0 Gallon - Grey w/Brackets

It has the fittings to be plumbed to a deck pumpout and vent. It's an easy change to switch it back to a porta-potty if you're at a place that doesn't have a pumpout station.

I think Thetford makes a similar product.

So you're looking at $160 for the head, then some plumbing and fitting for the pumpout. Basically for $300 you can add a marine head to any pocket cruiser.

The big question is if the pocket cruiser in question has sufficient space. It works for me in my Catalina 22, but if I were 6' or taller I don't think it would.

 

That's undershooting a little

$150 minimum for head
$125 6 gallon holding tank
$25 holding tank fittings
$40 vent thru hull fittings
$140 average marine hose 50 ft
$50 deck fitting

That's $580 approx with no thru hulls, cheap head, average hose, small holding tank. You have to tab in the holding tank as you don't want it banging around. Full it will weigh 70 lbs. cheap hose. ( which I don't recommend unless you want it to stink)

 

We used to have a Precision 23. Fun to sail, reasonably well built, and easy to trailer. No built-in head, but Thetford portapotti with small holding tank. Still regret selling the boat seven years ago.

 

Dear Yorkville,

Having owned two trailerable sailboats in the past, the head situation is not significant if you are in a marina that has land locked heads and showers. We only used the porta potty for late night or bad weather urgency.
The holding tank/head arrangement is more important in mooring fields and anchorages where other boats and swimmers abound.
As to handling, any boat can be handled with foresight and planning ( what I call the belt and suspenders approach) by having an alternative at hand should plan A go awry. ( I.E. engine idiling, jib sheets loose but available, fenders and dock or spring lines rigged, attention to windage,etc.). We moved from a 17 footer to 25, to 36 and now 45 feet but the same basic seamanship applies regardless.

 

Beneteau First 235. It's what it was designed for. There's a guy in Italy that coastal cruises his. You can find one in the US pretty easily on a trailer. Most came with a marine head, all have a galley, and they are great sailing boats. I race and cruise mine. Take a serious look.

 

Small boats and marine heads with holding tanks are a tough fit.

You may want to consider a sawdust toilet that will meet all USGC marine toilet requirements. The following link: http://sailfar.net/forum/index.php?topic=4772.0 will have a through discussion of this toilet and other toilets that small boats are using.

A good, stylish sawdust toilet may cost about $25 +/-

Good luck

 

Yorkville, I don't see your location. Here on Monterey and San Francisco Bays, we have a Santana 22. We cruise this section of the coast and camp out on the boat two or three times a year. Our One Design racing rules require a head or a weight penalty. We have a Porta-potty to meet the requirements and have had occasion to use it. Not very convenient, but it does work. At about 7 pounds empty and a little more with flush water and deodorant it is light, compact (fits under the V berth) and not too much trouble to empty. There are a lot of Catalina/Capri 22s around that would also fit the bill. Take a class if you are nervous about boat handling. If you can sail a dingy to the dock, you can sail these boats as well.

 

i think my yamaha 25 makes a superb pocket cruiser. its snug but doable for 4 overnight, with 2 real quarter berths and a generously sized v-berth. they came with a porta potty in the US, but the molds were designed for a head and there's a suitable compartment to build a modest holding tank. i understand some owners have made that mod. like most others boats in this size, you don't get much privacy, but the curtain they put in actually gives pretty good privacy for using the porta-potty sight-wise. can't do much about sounds and odors on a small boat though. there is decent ventilation with the forehatch open though.

downsides are the fairly deep draft - 5.5' makes for a well balanced boat under sail, but its not much use in florida and not suited to trailering. it's just fine in the puget sound, where i sail. it sails nicely enough for a cruiser, and the 1-lunger yanmar that came standard is reliable and economical.

 

I had a Catalina 250 for 7 years. It has a very nice enclosed head for such a small boat (including a sink), and an open cabin layout that allows multipurpose use of interior space. Also a nice, queen-size berth under the cockpit. We did a couple of overnights every year on it, sometimes sleeping in the bow, sometimes in the aft berth. The default configuration out of the factory had a Porta-Potti in the head, but mine had a marine head with holding tank. This is a very different design from the ubiquitous Catalina 25, which also has its fans.

Regardless of what boat you get, I would suggest that you get some clarification on the exact policy that is actually enforced. Are people able to get away with a Porta-Potti? Your best bet might be to talk to other marina tenants to see what they actually enforce, since I think the difference between a Porta-Potti and full head is negligible for one-night stays. And how do they actually enforce their policy against overnight stays for non-compliant boats? I doubt they do bed checks.

I do recall that my prior marina had signs promising immediate eviction for anyone who emptied their Porta Potti in the marina bathrooms. Maybe they have a similar policy, so if you're able to get away with just a Porta Potti, you may need to take the tank home with you to dispose of it.

 

Good point TakeFive. Is the porta potty allowed as a holding tank and do they check? Almost all marinas with heads on shore also have a pump out. That is where the porta potty is supposed to be emptied.

 

Never knew that, never had a porta potty?

What is the difference between pumping it out and putting it into a toilet in the bathroom?
Not all pump outs are easily accessible plus pump outs in MD cost.

 

Not everyone is as careful as you might wish dumping contents into a public toilet. There is also a possibility of objects plugging the toilet. Not a good scene. The pump out is not easily plugged. In California some of the state sales taxes, fishing gear, a portion of the marine fuel tax, etc. are applied to boating improvements. Almost all pumpouts in the state are free. There is a phone app that shows their location. If the nozzle fits your deck fitting, it should fit the porta potty.

 

So it’s a matter of someone might be messy.....not that it’s illegal.
Like I said in Md not every marina has a pump out, and also there is at least a $5 charge to use it.

 

I had a Thetford Porta-Potti for my fishing boat. Still have it in the basement (thoroughly disinfected). Mine is designed to pour out the stuff, not to be sucked by a pump out wand. I’m not sure you could pump it out if you tried.

Marinas are private businesses and can set their policies. They may not want someone dumping several gallons of days-old black water into their toilets. The smell and splashing would be far more than any single person taking a dump. Would you want to use a bathroom after someone had just made such a mess?

If you go with a Porta-Potty, plan to take it home to empty it. One person can ruin it for everyone.

 

I understand it isn’t pleasant. And there is potential for spillage.
Our marina doesn’t have that kind of restriction and there are plenty of small sailboats with porta potties.
So if you have one....do you have to take it home?
Boats aren’t the only ones facing porta potties...RVs do also.
I don’t see cesspool bathrooms all over the place.
It is a private business so they can set their own rules.

 

Our yacht club doesn't want these dumped in the toilets but there is a covered dump pipe on the grounds.

 

OP - don't see your location, but agree with cb that the Beneteau First 235 is a good little racer and can serve, even if it's a little tight, for weekend or overnight cruising.

I have its slightly bigger brother, a Beneteau First 265, also a quick boat for its size, but roomier and more comfortable for overnights and weekend cruising. It has an enclosed marine head with sink, galley, aft berth and v-berth/open salon, etc. It also has a new Dutchman flaking system for the mainsail and a new roller-furling headsail, each of which makes sail-handling much easier. The boat is on the hard for the winter in Northern VT by Lake Champlain.

I've sold my house up there, and so I'm seriously thinking of selling the boat too, now or in the spring.

If you're interested, PM me. Thanks.

 

I've used a Thetford porta john on my trailer sailer (a Dvoekie) for decades. It works well and the capacity is well within the days I spend on-board for a cruise. I've also found launch sites, parks normally have facilities for dumping porta johns. A year or so ago "composting" toilets were the rage and that may be a good fit for a trailer sailor that takes long cruises.
As for a boat, you just need to match the boat to your sailing conditions. Small Boat Journal (no longer published) was a center for small boat cruisers with boat reviews. Small Craft Advisor puts out info today in the same vein.
The Catalina 22 is the ubiquitous trailer sailer. Lots everywhere, a strong class organization with info on the the boat from the users.