Ode to the Masters Throne

I borrowed a bunch of money to buy some stocks in early December. Lucky for me the bet payed off, and I made back all the money I was down over the last few months, plus a little extra. Now I have the funds needed to finish the refit. By the way, I don't recommend playing with the stock market to gain a few extra dollars for a boat. Not that investing is a bad thing, after all, it is my most favorite thing to do after sailing, but it can be very dangerous, it is not for the faint of heart, and you have to be prepared to to take it in the @$$, maybe for years.

So I phoned The Store (Mason's Chandlery) in Toronto, Ontario. I love these guys. They have a great store and I found them extremely helpful when trying to make decisions on gear, plus, they don't mind giving the odd discount, which is nice. They also happen to be the only place in Ontario I could find the Lavac "popular" head.

I ordered it so that I could pick it up when we go to the boat show in two weeks. It has to be installed before the boat goes in the water, because I am re-plumbing the boat. We need to be able to pump out our waste tank when in places where there are no facilities to perform such functions. I also want to add a grey water tank for the head sink and shower. We are going to connect our pressure water system to raw water, install a deck wash down, and convert our fresh water tanks to hand pump only. Quite the list, however, we prefer to keep the pressure water system as non-essential, and it helps us conserve fresh water by not being able to just turn on the tap. Also, I prefer to use a holding tank always, and then pump out the tank when we are at sea. I don't really relish the idea of letting the waste go in the anchorage, where I swim and fish. It wouldn't be so bad on an out going tide, but I don't think I can hold it that long.

I have never seen one of these heads, let alone used one. But they come highly regarded from some of my favorite sailors. Apparently they do not suffer the same ills as a standard boat head. I screwed around with our Jabsco during our trip in Aug last year, and it drove me nuts. It just would't play nice. Plus after hearing the horror stories from many, many others, I was not looking forward to tearing it apart on our short little trip to clear a clog. Also, even with a 20 gallon waste tank, it was full in 3 days. The Lavac is supposed to use less water, and is more reliable, so it doesn't take 30 strokes to make the nasty stuff go away.

Most importantly, this modification has been spousal approved.

Later. Rob :-)