Installed Portable Toilet

We finally installed a portable toilet in our boat.

We bought an Aquamate which turned out pretty good.

First, we had to remove the old permanent toilet and re-glass the holes for the seawater intake and the overboard discharge. We were worried about the thru-hull fittings being so corroded and sinking the boat and we also couldn't clean the old toilet sufficiently to get rid of the awful smell.

To make sure the glassing was done correctly, we decided to hire somone to do it. Included in the price was the removal of the old toilet, glassing the holes, and gelkoting the inside wall of the bathroom. While it was expensive ($500) we thought our peace of mind and not having to do the hard, stinky work was well worth it. We both have fulltime jobs so the quick turn around was nice as well. We also were able to prove to a local handyman that we were able to pay for his work so that he would be more willing to provide work for us in the future.

Seeing as we do not travel very far and our state allows portable toilets, I would recommend to anyone that they replace a permanent toilet with a portable one. A portable toilet is easy to install and clean.

Folding Rigging

Last year, about this time, we pulled our boat out of the water and brought it to our house to work on it. Everything went fine and we started hauling it back into town (6 miles away) to put the boat back in the water. The weather was significantly warmer, though, and we think the power or telephone lines stretched because our boat hit the lines, killed the power, and bent our aluminum rigging backwards. Nothing else happened to the boat and we got it back into the water.

We have a great welder and mechanic who looks at our boat when we are lucky enough to get into his busy schedule. I mentioned the idea of not just repairing our bent rigging but cutting it so that we could fold it down in the future to prevent this from happening again.

The welder did just that - he put a hinge in our rigging and it turned out beautifully. This picture shows the hinged rigging as we just pulled the boat out two days ago.

Spring Cleaning Haul Out

It's that time of year again! We hauled our boat out of the water yesterday and had quite a time doing it. What was supposed to be a quick task turned out to be a 3 hour project.

First of all, we had to warm up the boat. I like to warm it up for about 10 or 25 minutes. Then, when we got to the pull out area, we started having problems with the boat trailer.

Originally designed for a different boat, we had to put a board at the front of the trailer to hold the bow of the boat. The board came loose and was guiding the boat off track while we were attempting to put the boat on the trailer.

On top of everything, a breeze came up and started pushing us sideways which made things more interesting.

When we got everything cinched down and started pulling the boat out of the water, the tow cable snapped. However, that wasn't the main thing holding the boat and nothing bad happened. For safety, we just tied a rope in place of the tow cable to the bow of the boat and proceeded.

Luckily, no one was waiting in line to haul their boat out of the water and I am happy that there were hardly any cars behind us as we trailered the boat to our house 6 miles away. We were using my mom's Suburban and my wife, brother, and three nephews were all helping.

Now the real work of getting the boat ready for the season begins!

Portable or Permanent Toilet?

I am trying to decide between a portable or a permanent toilet. The permanent toilet might be nice because it theoretically should smell and work better but I haven't had any luck with mine. I am also worried about the saltwater seacock corroding and sinking the boat.

The only bad thing I can imagine with a portable toilet is emptying it. I don't know how handy it is to haul the full tank up the dock and into a bathroom somehwere. It seems like a good idea, though, because I wouldn't need to worry about a hole through the hull or about hose and seals leaking.

If anyone has any experience or opinions, please let me know. I am about ready to pull the permanent head out and patch up the though-hull.

UPDATE 5/27/24:  We made the decision to mount a portable toilet, similar to the Thetford Porta Potti 365 Portable Toilet (for RV, Marine, Camping, Vans, Trucks, Healthcare).  It was a good choice and we found that emptying the waste was not as bad as I imagined.  Patching the hole through the hull made me feel safer.

New GPS Antenna Works

Well, we plugged in the new GPS antenna and it started working immediately. It sure is nice to have our navigation system back!

Standard Horizon SCU-31 GPS Smart Antenna with NMEA 0183 Output

Humminbird Matrix 67 GPS Antenna Replaced

Last year, we bought a GPS/Fishfinder from Boater's World, a Humminbird Matrix 67. I bought it because it had all of the features I was looking for and was inexpensive. While it has a black and white display, I thought that wouldn't matter, that a color display was an unnecessary luxury.

Now I know that a color display is more than a luxury. Having different colors on the display allows you to separate different features on the screen more quickly and easily. Whenever we upgrade our GPS Fishfinder unit, it will have a color display.

The Humminbird Matrix 67 was a decent unit until the GPS antenna stopped working. Luckily, it was still under warranty. I emailed Humminbird, received a quick response, and mailed the GPS antenna in. Today, the replacement arrived in the mail and I was surprised by the fast turnaround.

Overall, I am happy with the Humminbird Matrix 67 as an entry level GPS/Fishfinder but can't wait until I save up money for a color unit.

Since the Humminbird Matrix 67 is no longer made, here is a link to a Humminbird 411920-1 Helix 7 SI GPS G4

Catalogs are treasure troves of information

The first thing I did when my wife and I decided to buy our first boat was to order as many catalogs as I could find. Looking through catalogs very carefully produces a lot of free information. You can learn common names of items, figure out the genereal prices and quality of items, and many catalogs include helpful guides to assist you with your projects.

My absolute favorite is West Marine
www.westmarine.com

They produce a large catalog with color pictures and are full of guides that teach you about many things, ranging from batteries to fishing. They ship quickly and I have never had a problem with them.

Some others are: Overtons, Boaters World, Consumers Marine Electronics

First time out of the water

This is a picture of our boat during the first time we took it out of the water to do our initial work on it. We usually keep the boat in the water full time. If you look closely, you can see the painter's tape right below the wood trim at the top of the hull - we had just finished painting the boat.

Introduction

Hello,

My wife and I bought a boat last year in October (2005). It is a 24' fiberglass boat with a diesel engine. We both love the boat! Everyone told us that it would be a lot of work to own a boat and they were right. Everyone also called it a "hole in the water" which means that there is always something to buy for the boat and the money can disappear quickly.

I am going to write about our boat and share information about our hard work with other people who may be going through the same thing. It's amazing how much information can be pieced together from so many different sources. There is no one single book or internet site that can answer all questions and finding out how to do something is part of the fun of owning a boat.

Also, we get to do some Alaskan Fishing!