1981 43' HOLDING TANK SIZES?

[jakevr]

hello,

i am the new proud owner of a albin43. the boat was set up to pump waste overboard, so I have glassed all the thruhulls that either sucked raw water in to the heads or discharged waste to sea. I am going to pump fresh water into the heads but i need a holding tank. bigger the better because I am going to liveaboard and need to pay per trip someone comes and pumps me out durring the winter months. I was wondering if anyone here has put large holding tanks in there albins or any tank for that matter. if so what size did you go with and where did you locate that tank inside the boat. thanks for the help.

the boat is going to be launched friday so i need to do something asap/

thanks

[jleonard]

My 1983 40 Albin has a 35 gallon holding tank as standard equipment. It is fiberglass and under the galley floor.
I also removed all the old thru hulls and glassed up the holes. Right now I cannot pump overboard at all.
I have been this way for 3 seasons and so far no issues at all finding pumpouts.

[danskviking]

The 43 has a 40 gallon tank

Hans

[TheJudge]

Fools rush in where angels fear to tread. So I am going to jump in on what I am sure will be a controversial subject. When I read about people closing up thru hulls I know they must feel they have a reason. Certainly I know all the rules about pumping waste overboard and even with all those rules I avoid having to get into the water in a marina except in a repair emergency and then my wife is ready with a hose and soap when I come out. That said, I see no problem with pumping out at sea since a little poop can't be any worse than all those fish pooping in the water. So if sealing the hull is for ecological reasons I believe it is a wasted effort. As to converting the toilet to freshwater I would suggest a backflow preventer be installed to keep any accidental siphoning of contaminated water back into your potable water supply. You will need a bigger freshwater tank if you are going to be using it to flush toilets on a liveaboard. I would suggest a couple of hundred gallons. In fact I would have two one hundred gallon tanks and dedicate one to heads and showers. So now can you tell me why you are eliminating thru hulls?

[jleonard]

So now can you tell me why you are eliminating thru hulls?

First of all they were original. That means they are old and need replacing. They were poorly placed, meaning almost flat runs, and they were filled with yuck.
I decided I just didn't need them. Esp for each head. No reason to pump out directly as that is usually a no no where I boat. I figured if I was going to pump out it would be from the tank.
If at some point I find a need to pump overboard, it wll be a very easy change from what I have now. It would be more in line with how modern boats are set up.
Right now let the DEP or whomever come aboard. I have no valves to lock, etc.

Seawater flushed heads smell because the water contains tiny life that dies and stinks. That adds to the normal head smell.
Freshwater flushed heads don't have that issue. They also don't crust up the hoses, etc.
Freshwater electric pumps are also noisy because of the impeller. In one of my heads I used the existing electric pump and removed the impeller. The pump is whisper quiet.
Yes I have backflow preventers. One head I bought new set up for freshwater. It had all that stuff. The other I converted using the same design and components.
Flushing takes very little water in reality. I have 240 gallons aboard and we find that more than enough as we are weekend and vacation cruisers.
We did several 3 week vacations on our orevious boat that had only a 60 gallon capacity. Water is easy to find. When we do the loop cruise we expect the same.
My back up is a raw water washdown system that I can use for some water needs as appropriate. If that's not enough I can always add some capacity someplace I'm sure, but I don't think that will be needed.

As a final statement, I didn't seal up the hull because I was scared of anything other than too old and too many of what I thought were unecessary thru hulls.
I am glad I did it and have no regrets.

[TheJudge]

Thanks for the explanation. I was just curious. If your boat rarely if ever gets into an area where you can legally pump overboard then I see your point.

[jleonard]

Actually about 2 times a month in the summer I cruise thru areas that I can dump. I guess my point is why should I just because I can.
I don't have the need. I have the opportunity every weekend to get pumped if I choose, but I usually go 2 or 3 weekends between pumps.
The service is free, but a $5 or $10 gratuity is the norm.
That is not worth mentioning in the scheme of things.

[TheJudge]

On 12/5/09 I replied in ignorance that I saw no reason for you not to seal up your old unused thru hulls. Then my JAN/FEB issue of Passagemaker arrived and I read an interesting Letter to the Editor on page 24 inquiring on the same subject to which the editor made a lengthy reply which indicates this could be a big mistake. The short versin is that the bond on a plug is not structural and could spontaneously fail with or without stress and result in the sinking of your boat. I strongly urge you to read that letter before making your final decision.

[jleonard]

The short versin is that the bond on a plug is not structural and could spontaneously fail with or

Thank you for the warning. However, I am experienced with fiberglass repair. I did a proper job of grinding/bevelling out the hole and a proper job of laying up the new glass in the proper overlapping procedure. My repair is strong.
I am not the slightest bit concerned about it failing.
I would be much more concerned about a 25 year old bronze fitting that has been sitting in a salt water marina.
Happy cruising.

[TheJudge]

Good, I can sleep better now. I could just imagine some poor soul plugging a hole and then hitting some rough seas and going down with all hands! Your explanation generally complies with the recommendations in the article.

[jleonard]

I'll have to read that article, although the reason I stopped reading Passagemaker was that I believe that many of their articles were not technically correct.
I'll guarantee that my repair blows away what they recommend. I was taught by one of the best. I just don't have "the eye" for prettiness but structurally my repairs are very good. I always seal the area with gelcoat afterwords (inside and out) and as long as I can hide the area with bottom paint I'm good to go.