The facilities aboard Faith have worked just fine. She had the original (1964) Shipmate head... works well, fixed the pump once with part of a leather shoelace... still works.
The head sat in the original position, and the intake / discharge seacocks were handy. What was not handy was the diverter valve and large rubberized bladder that would serve as a holding tank.
I do not recall ever messing with the valve, but we always kept the seacocks closed so we were 'legal' in a kind of legal way.... it was a stretch and I never was happy with it.
We looked at the porta-potty route, but can't get into the idea of using our fresh water to flush with. Not too thrilled about dealing with the sloshing slurry either...
So, I recall Ebb is going with the Airhead... I figure I would do some more research.
I can find no one who has either the Natres way, or the Airhead who is anything but happy with them.
It seems that the Natures way folks may have gotten their start with Air head, and left to develop their own products based on the things folks called in and complained about the Air Head.
I took the plunge and got the Natures head
I am a cheapskate.
That said, I took the plunge and bought a Nature's way head for Faith.
I have spoken with Larry, at Nature's way for a few months now. I bet I have been his most labor intensive 'pre-purchase' customer to date.He has been very patient with me and I would say that based on the 'feel' of our conversations the company has a higher then average level of customer service.
Some of the reasoning behind this is;
1.) Eliminate the liability of the discharge through-hull. I may use the smaller inlet for something else. My discharge through-hull will 'seep' in fresh water. I would like to get away from the current set up. Interestingly I have never had an issue in Florida (where everyone claims to have trouble) but future travel plans would include some inland waters that may be a bit more picky.
2.) My diverter valve is broken, and I can not see paying the silly price for a decent replacement. I hate this peice of gear, since it serves no real purpose onboard other then to be quasi-legal. I really am looking forward to getting rid of this, and the silly 5 gallon bladder that if I ever filled it with 'product' I would have nightmares about... :P
3.) My venerable 'shipmate' head (circa, 1964) will need maintenance. I am quite sure I could re-hab it into shape, but would still be stuck with the current set up.
4.) I was able to get a 'factory second' head at a substantial discount. If I would buy new hose, diverter, and seacock I would have paid more then I am paying for this one. The 'defects' are that this one has a 'flat' finish (not polished) stainless hinge, and a scratch on the lid. I had been asking for this for some time, and Larry had 3 of them assembled from parts they would not put on full priced heads. He said he had one more available as of this afternoon.
5.) Having monitored those with composting heads I can find no one who has anything bad to say about them. As a matter of fact, there is a company making a high end cruising boat (A Hess drawn cutter) that is installing them as original equipment.
6.) While I like DIY better for most things, I felt the supporting documentation that came with a production unit would be preferable to trying to explain to a boarding party in the middle of the night why my bucket and hose contraption was legal.
Here is a little more from Nature's Way's brochure (PDF)
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1. No holding tank, no pumpouts, no odors, no clogging, no kidding.
2. “The Head” has a unique molded design (with a gray granite color) and incorporates stainless steel components and hardware into a high quality product.
3. This composting toilet is self-contained and waterless.
4. Uses 1½-2 gallons of peat moss in the base for your composting matter.
5. Because of the waterless urine separating design, this unit has extraordinary holding capacity. This could translate into a month usage by a cruising or traveling couple, or perhaps an entire boating or camping season of weekends.
6. “The Head” is very compact and space efficient measuring 13” wide at the base, 17¾” front to rear, and is just under 20” tall.
— Plus! Easy installation in most applications, simply mount brackets to fl oor, vent unit to outside, and hook to 12V power source! (Several options available.)
From the Owner's manal (also PDF)
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NATURE'S HEAD OWNER'S GUIDE
Congratulations on your acquisition of a Nature's Head!
Although the concept of a composting head (toilet) is not a new one, the
unit which you have purchased is the freshest of the new generation of this kind of product.
Nature's Head designers, both sailors with many years of boating experience, and their wives—one a research biologist and one an RN, have used earlier versions of composting toilets on their boats. The concept has been refined and reworked to provide you with a more user friendly product which is aesthetically pleasing, more space-efficient, and a more
affordable alternative to previously offered models.
Your new Nature's Head will provide you with years of worry-free sanitation solutions without the inconvenience of holding tanks, frequent pump-outs, or smelly portable potties.
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