The Groco sea toilet on Seaglass was state of the art when the boat was manufactured, but that was 25 years ago. The venerable Groco had started its life as a manual toilet, but at some point in the past it had been upgraded to electric operation by a previous owner. The head still worked, but there were a couple of things I didn’t like about it. All the pipework, for example, was on display below the bowl, giving the installation a rather industrial look and making it hard to clean.

As part of a general refit of the boat, I wanted to install a toilet that was somewhat more streamlined and—more importantly—used fresh water for flushing. Boat toilets have a reputation for being smelly with a tendency to clog. There’s a reason for this bad rap, but it’s not all the toilet’s fault. Correct use and maintenance are critical for the proper operation of any sea toilet. The plumbing hoses must be top quality and yes, nothing should be flushed down the toilet that has not been eaten first.

Nonetheless, the sulfurous smell that is found in many heads and often mistakenly attributed to waste in the tank and pipework, is usually caused by the seawater used for the flush. Seawater contains millions of tiny micro organisms, and as these die and decompose they start to give off that rather evil smell that, sadly, is all too often considered a unavoidable part of life afloat.

Walking the aisles at the Miami boat show earlier this year, I spent some time looking at the offerings from various manufacturers, but one caught my eye. Raritan is well known to many boat owners for its water heaters, but the company also manufactures a range of toilets. After some deliberation I settled on the Elegance model, which can be flushed with seawater, freshwater or a combination of the two. Other options include a straight or sloped back, high or low seat height and a choice of white or bone color. As these toilets are electric flush control there are options here too, from a simple push-to-flush switch to a programmable control. All these options mean that there are few vessels where these toilets could not be used. The macerator pump is built into the back of the toilet, concealed behind the china, and as if this were something from a Star Wars movie, it has what Raritan calls “Vortex Vac flush technology,” which chops up waste and pushes it into the holding tank more effectively. Who knew sea toilets had become so sophisticated?

After some careful measurements—electric toilets usually take up more room than manual versions, and you want to make sure they’ll fit—I opted for the white low-seat model with freshwater flush and programmable control. The other thing that I had not considered until my wife pointed it out to me is that the toilet looks and works just like the one at home and does not require an engineering degree to flush—it’s great for non-sailing guests, because you simply tell them where to press the button. The electronic control takes care of the rest, and there is no more “move the little lever to this position, give five strokes, close the lever then pump 10 more times.”

The installation took me three days in total which included stripping out the old head and pipework, making good the fiberglass pedestal base that the head sits on, and then installing the new toilet, plumbing and electrical connections. This is a fairly advanced DIY project, and you need to be confident of your skills. However, providing that you have a decent tool kit, patience and a methodical approach, it is within the reach of a skilled amateur. Every boat is unique of course and circumstances differ, so although the final result may be similar the method may be slightly different to what you see here. Here’s how I did it. (Many thanks to the folks at Raritan, especially Dale Weatherstone.)

RESOURCES

Raritan raritaneng.com

Jabsco xylemflowcontrol.com

Dometic dometicsanitation.com

Thetford thetford.com