Classic Hatt Upgrade: Best Head ?!?

[richardoren]

Hi Guys,

I've been away, offline attending to Hatt problems among others, glad to at last be back.

So I won't bore you all with a lost season of no boating -

When in Vermont I upgraded my vintage heads with super comfy Elongated units, but this is in the house. Now the boat heads seem teensier than ever, and I wonder if anyone here has found toilets which are larger than a thimble?

For starters, the boat in the Med is on land for a bottom scraping, my first time at the task will be a gratifying removal of 40 odd years of paint. Once new shaft packing is in place putting in new toilets would be a dream come true:

- they are non original strictly vacuum pump operated direct to sea units
- to be in legal mooring compliance in some of the nicer coves of the Med, and just plain out of courtesy to swimmers, divers and other boaters, a waste water retention system would be nice
- rewiring to the original electric vacuflush sounds nice, returning the heads to their original comfort

Which type of system would you recommend to retrofit the 2 heads? It is a modest yet for the most part fully original 1968 triple cabin 38DC which could use some discrete updating in specific comfort areas such as this ever vital commodity...

Thanks for any / all advice ! ! !

 

[yachtsmanbill]

Welcome home the US of A !!!
There is no doubt whatsoever that my new Atlantes Freedom heads are the best and most "user friendly" units on the market today (Thanks Sky !!! ) Self contained seawater (or fresh water) pumps and built in macerators to a holding tank makes this a no brainer. No vented loops or traps or any other nuances !! Pay for shipping to Le Havre, and I will give you 3 original HATTERAS heads and ALL Galley Maid pumps (600# shipping weight LOL ). ws

 

[MikeP]

From the research I have done now, including reading on this and other sites, I would have to agree. The Atlantes would (will be) my choice if (when) I ever replace the oem GM systems on our 53MY.

 

[J's Dream]

I just installed the Atlantes Freedom A812 head in my boat. It is completely self contained, and was relatively easy to install. I opted for the saltwater model since I have a Lectra-San, and once I ran the new hoses through the bulkheads, installation was a breeze.

Thanks to Sky's recommendation, I am very happy with the Atlantes.

Jason

 

[yachtsmanbill]

I guarantee yer quality of life will improve !! ws

 

[yachtsmanbill]

I just installed the Atlantes Freedom A812 head in my boat. It is completely self contained, and was relatively easy to install. I opted for the saltwater model since I have a Lectra-San, and once I ran the new hoses through the bulkheads, installation was a breeze.

Thanks to Sky's recommendation, I am very happy with the Atlantes.

Jason

Mine draws fresh water from the tank (no water solenoid valves) and dumps into an ex 160 gallon auxilliary fuel tank for black water. I had to install a deck fitting for pumpout and Y valve and diaphragm pump for the "other". ws

 

[MikeP]

"Mine draws fresh water from the tank (no water solenoid valves)"

Bill, doesn't there have to be some sort of valve system involved if you use fresh water to ensure no possibility of contamination of the water supply?

 

[SKYCHENEY]

Raritan sent the fresh water solenoids and vacuum breaks for each of my Atlantes. Must be Bill had some other ideas for his install.

 

[yachtsmanbill]

Mine has the optional seawater pump for flushing which adds to odor control problems. I hooked this up to a pick-up on my FW tank (with a check valve). I dont need a solenoid for dockwater or need to run the DC water system when underway. It will lift water 6 feet with no strain.
The unit dumps directly into the holding tank. After much research, Raritan suggests a 1-1/2' TANK VENT ON PORT AND STARBOARD SIDES for anaerobic bacterial growth (good bugs eat the bad stuff! ). After a month with a lot of 90 degree days, NO ODOR WHATSOEVER !! ZERO chemicals in the system also!
The flush timer is also adjustable, so the aft head can run long enough to clear the 40 foot run to the tank. That will be run in 1-1/2" pvc. The pics are before and after install on the holding tank. ws

 

[richardoren]

So there's gonna be life after the nasty failing hand pump!

Thanks for any leads to a good 'n cheap source as shipping is going to hurt...

Best

Richard

 

[SKYCHENEY]

I special ordered mine from Defender. They shipped direct from Raritan. You might give them a call and explain your situation.

 

[Ross]

We looked at jabsco elongaited head a lot cheeper than raritans but the vender for the boul has stopped making it.the atlantis looks like a real nice unit.Got one on the way.Using electr-san unit the holding tanks always leave me with a bad smell in the boat.

 

[richardoren]

Fresh Water or Salt Water has got me wondering what the advantages or inconveniences are for each ?!?

- fresh water reduces our fresh water supply, won't it reduce our mooring time without filling up again at the dock?
- salt water doesn't have an intake hooked up, is it hard to rig up a salt water supply without drilling through the hull?
- odors, isn't salt water smellier or does it better contain bacterial odors?
- do holding tanks do better with fresh or salt water?
- does salt water end up clogging the system with deposits?

Thanks again for all your distilled know-how which at least so far hasn't macerated in my head long enough to make me faint...

Rich

 

[yachtsmanbill]

That ATLANTES use about a quart of water per flush. Salt water and wee wee makes calcium, and stinks, you need lots of VENT both P & S, and slotchka and sea water makes for some STANKY mud. ws

 

[Walter P]

I had Raritan Atlantes heads in my previous Hatteras and I must say that I was very happy with them. They were conected to Electra-San units and used salt water. My present Hatteras (48) has 3 Vacuflush heads and uses fresh water. Absolutely no smells... We do need to do some service after so many years, but the option of Atlantes with fresh water flushing is appealing except for the water use.. My boat only has a 65 gal holding tank which I am surprised about since it has 3 heads and my previous Hatteras DC (43) had 2 heads and a 96 gal holding tank.

There has been a lot of discussion on this forum regarding toilets on our boats, and in fact almost as much as the engines. I need to decide whether to rebuild/replace the Vacuflush systems or replace with Atlantes.

Oh by the way one of the considerations is the difficult availability and cost of Vacuflush compared to the great service and relatively low maintaince costs of the Atlantes.

Walt

 

[richardoren]

Aw, guys, you're making it too easy! All I need to do now is buy 'em, ship 'em, and figure out how you darn hook them up.

Then we'll have a bean party while they're still on warranty and see how they fare?

Thx!

Rich