My friends Marty and Deborah bought a boat with…shall we say… "sanitation issues”. Apparently, those issues have been resolved, and a big part of the solution was the installation of an Air Head composting head. Take it away, Mary!

The one thing Deborah resents about boating is having to think so much about waste — as in, the kind we humans personally produce.

But I’m going to spend the next two On Watch columns talking about just that. Sorry, honey.

As many of you know, we’ve been working on upgrading the sanitation system aboard Three Sheets, our 1989 Island Packet 38. It started as a project to replace the holding tank and hoses, which had become permeated with what we came to call The Stank.

But as we puzzled through how to improve the system, we stumbled upon the marine version of the composting toilet.

Having just tested the limits of my iron-clad stomach during the demolition phase of the sanitation project, I was immediately intrigued with one of the primary selling points of the composting head: no hoses.

In fact, as we looked into the head more (can I say that?), the benefits of simplicity started to make a pretty compelling argument. Not only no hoses, but no clogged hoses. In fact, there was very little that could go wrong with what amounted to glorified (and pricey) shit bucket.

Read more:
Heads Up (Part One)
Heads Up (Part Two)

Marty McOmber has the second part of his ambitious do-it-yourself heater installation story over at Three Sheets Northwest. Be sure to read Part 1 first, if you missed it.

Last week, I wrote about the long process – and small boat fire – that led us to choose aWebasto 5500 Airtop heater to install on our Island Packet 38. This week, I’ll discuss the agony and ecstasy of installation.

If you are anything like me, there is a moment in every major boat project where you question your sanity — as in, why in the hell didn’t I take up hiking or ping pong as a hobby?

When it came to installing our new forced-air diesel heater, that moment came as I sat inside my starboard lazaret, armed with a 4-inch hole saw that I had pointed at a heretofore innocent bulkhead.

“Don’t make me pull this trigger,” I mumbled.

Then I held my breath and did just that. As the heavy-duty drill growled to life and the hole saw began digging into the white-painted plywood, I knew there was no turning back.

It would be victory or failure. I would either step up several rungs on the DIY ladder of success or be exposed for a big-talking fraud who should be banned from touching a power tool again.

Either way, I was not only crazy, I was committed.

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Bob at BoatBits mentioned a few different stoves suitable for boat interiors, and one that I fear may not be suitable at all. I’ll excerpt his post here and add my comments:

Part of the problem with solid fuel heaters and stoves on boats is that, for the most part, they are more decorative than functional and somewhat pricey… Dickinson and SIG both make a bulkhead heater that is OK and produces some needful heat but falls short on the stove side but will keep a coffee cup warm…

I agree with this. If you’re going to burn wood, charcoal, or other biomass for heat, it’s a shame not to be able to COOK with that heat, too! At least boil water for tea or heat up a can of soup.

Which brings us to the Shipmate small cast iron sort that you can really use as a stove as well as produce a hellacious amount of dry heat which is no bad thing on a boat.

I like it! Although, were I in the market for such a thing, I might favor the little Sardine stove fabricated on Orcas Island by Andrew Moore as part of his Navigator Stove Works line. I like supporting local producers whenever possible.

The downside of the "Skippy" and other cast iron stove/heaters is that they have a rather large footprint and can be problematic space wise on a small boat as well as being a seriously heavy hit on the pocket book.

I noticed that. These things aren’t inexpensive!

But they sure look "shippy" and inspire all sorts of confidence… Don’t they?

Very much so.

I’ve mentioned before that maybe the best option would be to build a "rocket" stove and cobble together some sort of "shippy" means of mounting it within a boat  along the lines of a bulkhead or floor mounted heater.

The Stovetec solid fuel stoves developed for the third world seem to be just the thing and, truth be told, not entirely un-shippy looking when you take a moment to look at it…

Being a rocket type stove it will produce much more heat using less fuel and that makes all kinds of sense on a boat where solid fuel storage is somewhat problematic. Better yet it is inexpensive and buying one helps a good cause… Kinda works for me!

[Warning: I’m straying a bit off topic here: It ain’t about boating for two paragraphs or so. Then I get back to boating gear farther down the page. —Tim] Thanks to you, Bob, I spent about two hours last night online learning about rocket stoves, and I’m utterly fascinated. Smitten, even. I want one, and I want to help provide them for people who cook with wood and charcoal. Watch this video to get an idea why this is important:

This is one of those simple products that makes so much sense for so many people all over the world, particular in the so-called “developing world”, it’s a wonder it isn’t already ubiquitous.

BUT, I have serious reservations about installing the amazing StoveTec stove aboard a boat. Here’s why:

• It’s going to rust. I just don’t see any way around it. Even stainless steel sheet metal, when subjected to repeated heating and cooling cycles, tends to rust in a marine environment. And this stove isn’t fabricated with stainless steel. Installed inside the cabin, away from direct contact with saltwater, it’ll probably last a few years before rust becomes a serious problem.
• However, it’s not at all appropriate for an interior installation aboard a boat, unless one also installed some sort of cooking hood like in a real kitchen to pull exhaust out of the boat. Therefore, it’s not really going to help heat the boat. So back to the original idea (“a solid-fuel stove for heat AND cooking”), this isn’t really an attractive option, as far as I can tell.

Once again, I claim no special expertise on this topic. I’m always interested in learning new things, and I never take offense at being corrected. So what’s the most sensible solid-fuel, interior, heating/cooking stove available?

In any case, thanks for inspiring today’s Navagear, Bob!

[Bill Liptak is a product engineer at Dometic Marine responsible for the development of the In-Duct Breathe Easy, which won an Innovation Award during IBEX 2010. He’s written this article on the product to help Navagear readers understand the product and what it does. —Tim]

For boaters who spend a lot of time aboard their vessels, it is becoming increasingly important to ensure the best possible air quality below deck. Due to the damp and confined nature of onboard living spaces, they can be difficult to ventilate, which leads to unpleasant smells and unhealthy air.

For us at Dometic Marine, two years of hard work resulted in the development of the In-Duct Breathe Easy™ Air Purifier—an effective air purification system that combines Photocatalytic Nano-Mesh Technology with UV light, silent operation and no production of harmful ozone. Winning the 2010 IBEX Innovation Award in the Mechanical Systems category was a great reward for the engineering team’s tireless efforts which included extensive market research, product design, and independent lab testing.

With the Breathe Easy installed in the ductwork of your existing air conditioning system, you can say goodbye to unhealthy, stuffy and smelly air onboard boats of all sizes and enjoy cleaner air, which significantly reduces health risks and unpleasant odors. The unit takes up little space and if retrofitted, will require no alterations to be made to the vessel’s existing air conditioning unit. There is no need for mounting hardware as a section of the A/C ducting is cut out and the circular In-Duct Breathe Easy tube is simply inserted, then the ducting is reattached.

The system should be installed in a section of the ducting that is accessible for servicing because UV bulbs must be replaced annually. Working silently within the ducting, the In-Duct Breathe Easy uses the air conditioning system’s blower to move air through the purifier. This is something we worked very hard on as it was a key priority to ensure that the air purifier operated in harmony with the air conditioning system and did not restrict airflow.

Today, there is a wide range of air purification systems available to boaters, many of which use UV light. We, of course, recommend our In-Duct Breathe Easy, but whatever air purification system you choose, make sure you get a model that fits in the space you have, maximizes the effectiveness of the air purification process, does not produce harmful ozone, and does not restrict airflow of the boat’s air conditioning system.

In any photocatalytic system, UV light sterilizes biological contaminants that pass close to it and it activates the photocatalytic coating inside the purification device so that any contaminants that come into contact with the coating are reconfigured into harmless elements such as water vapour or carbon dioxide.

For safest results, boat owners must be sure that the selected system’s UV light does not produce ozone, which creates free radicals that can irritate lungs, deteriorate rubber seals and impact other surfaces in the immediate environment. To maximize the effectiveness, it is also important that there is as much photocatalytic surface area available as possible for the air to contact.

For example, air passing through a simple screen structure will have less physical contact with the catalytic coating than air passing through a three-dimensional mesh structure. Thus, the In-Duct Breathe Easy Air Purifier has a UV bulb that runs lengthwise, parallel to the air flow, for longer UV exposure time and its photocatalytic structure is made of metalized foam to create 2200% more catalytic surface area than a screen or a flat surface.

Additionally, the Breathe Easy’s catalytic nano-mesh structure runs parallel to the air flow and is curved to create a vortex action that pushes air through the mesh for maximum contact with and subsequent destruction of its contaminants. Scientifically tested and proven by an independent laboratory, this results in up to 100% reduction in mold spores, odors and other contaminants, which means that health risks from biological and chemical contaminants as well as unpleasant smells onboard are significantly reduced.

Already tried and tested on several yachts and superyachts, the In-Duct Breathe Easy is delivering results. A 95-foot yacht built in 2004 had developed a serious mold problem throughout the ventilation system that was making the crew sick. They were complaining of ongoing health issues, such as irritated eyes, sore throats and coughs. To alleviate the problem, the captain had all of the air conditioning blowers and ducts replaced and our In-Duct Breathe Easy air purifiers installed. Within days, the boat’s crew told us that they noticed a significant change in air quality and a much more pleasant environment.

As a specialist supplier of heating ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems, Dometic Marine’s team would be happy to provide advice and support on air purification solutions, including the In-Duct Breathe Easy Air Purifier. For further information please visit www.dometic.com/marine.

Deborah Bach has this story at Three Sheets northwest:

[Roger Lehet with a prototype of the stove he spent about six months developing, which is now being manufactured for sale.]

A year ago Roger Lehet was in a desperate situation, on the verge of losing his business while moving onto a boat with his family because they could no longer afford their house payments.

Today Lehet is filled with renewed hope, believing that the woodstove he designed and built to warm his boat might also be his ticket to success.

Lehet says his stove, which is currently being manufactured for sale, will burn a single presto log for at least 6.5 hours and is more efficient than anything else currently on the market. The stove will also burn wood and driftwood, Lehet says, and with simple modifications can also run on pellets, kerosense, diesel or glycerine.

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I wrote about the Feathercraft BayLee inflatable dinghies during the 2009 Seattle Boat Show, and now that I’ve had a chance to use my own BayLee 3 HD (the “flagship” of this diminutive fleet) a bit during the early part of the 2010 cruising season, I can report that it’s living up to my expectations.

Read my earlier review for the full story. Suffice to say this inflatable boat is designed to do one thing extremely well: It’s a tender for boats or float planes with limited storage space or strict weight restrictions.

Oh, it does one other thing extremely well, too: The kids love paddling around the marina in it! (I like the fact that there’s almost no chance they can damage anybody else’s boat with it.)

[This is a really great idea! Perhaps something like this should be offered at the Seattle Boat Show. I know I’d like my family to attend such a session. Onward with the press release…]

It’s never too early to learn about safety on the water. That’s why Cobra Marine, a division of Cobra Electronics, along with its partners Sea Tow Services International and the Sea Tow Foundation for Boating Safety and Education are offering simulated VHF radio mayday call and radio operation instruction for children at the Miami International Boat Show. Those interested in participating can stop by Sea Tow’s booth #S40 or Cobra’s booth #1610 anytime during the show, February 11-15.

"We aligned ourselves with Sea Tow to help make waterways safer by enabling effective communication," said Tony Mirabelli, Cobra’s senior vice-president of marketing and sales. "Now, we’re taking it one step further and showing the next generation of boaters how to help in an emergency."

My kids are trade show swag aficionados. They’re practically swag dowsers, I tell you, divining the presence of swag from two aisles away. I don’t really understand how they do it.

But I do appreciate their mystical ability at the Seattle Boat Show, especially when it yields treasures such as these:

Kenmore Air (booth East 813 at Qwest Field, and Tent 303 on Lake Union) has cool balsa gliders while supplies last. Even my wife wanted one of those.

And of course there are tide tables galore from a huge variety of sources. However, may I suggest that you stop by the public service agency grotto at the far south end of the East Hall (East 1515, to be precise)? There you’ll find the USCG 13th District, Washington State Parks and Recreation, the Power Squadron, and the Recreational Boating Association of Washington.

I’m a bit embarrassed to admit I can’t remember which of these booths had the Puget Sound Pilots 2010 Current & Tide Tables booklet, but I think it was the RBAW. All I know for sure is that the PSP booklet is a VERY comprehensive tide table booklet, with a lot of extra information many recreational boaters will appreciate.

For instance, do you need the local number for Maersk, K-Line, or Holland America? That’s in there, on the page listing “Vessel Agents & Operators.” How about an after-hours port security phone number for, say, the Port of Everett, or a phone number for the Ballard Locks? That’s in there, too, along with lots of reference information for pilots and commercial vessel operators. Handy! 

The only thing missing, from a pleasure-craft perspective, is a set of current tables for Deception Pass. Apparently big ships requiring pilots don’t generally use Deception Pass. Go figure! So you’ll have to track down another free tide table from one of the other booths at the show.

Besides climbing around making the Hinckley Picnic Boat people nervous, there are lots of other, more appropriate activities for children at the 2010 Seattle Boat Show.

In particular, kids of all ages will enjoy a tour of the Worlds Largest Toy Boat Collection.

In fact, this is only about 20% of the collection, which includes over 5000 boats in all. There are “only” about 1000 boats on display at the show. I overheard lots of people—of all ages—say things like “I used to have one of those!”

And the Center For Wooden Boats is once again hosting an activity that kept my younger daughter busy for at least an hour last year, sailing model boats across a tiny “pond”, using plain old household box fans to create artificial wind. It’s amazing how smoothly the models sail across, back and forth. I found myself yelling “Starboard boat!” lots of times, but those burdened-vessel port-tackers never seemed to steer clear.

Daren Lewis at the US Coast Guard’s 13th District posted some important reminders about children and PFDs over on the District 13 blog.

Aboard my boat, children and adults wear PFDs at all times underway, and children wear them at the dock. As I’ve recommended before, have a PFD protocol! I don’t care what it is. But give it some thought, establish some rules, and enforce them.

Anyway, the Coast Guard guidelines bear repeating, so here they are:

As we enter the boating season and get life jackets out of storage for the first time since last season it is important to pay particular attention to the fit of the life jackets for the kids on our boats. As all parents know, growing out of clothes and shoes is a constant challenge. Children grow out of life jackets too. Life jackets need to be carefully fitted to children in order to be effective. Children can fall out of life jackets that are too large or improperly fastened and may not receive sufficient flotation from a life jacket that is too small. Even a life jacket that appears to fit may allow a child to shift downward so that their face is immersed once they enter the water.

• Choose the right size.
• Make sure it is in serviceable condition.
• Buckle all the buckles, tie the ties, zip the zippers, and use the straps… including the crotch strap if equipped.
• Tighten the straps, the life jacket should be snug as it will loosen in the water.
• Pick the child up with the life jacket, vest types should not pull up above the ears.
• Make sure kids wear the life jacket and wear yours. You are not only modeling good behavior but you will also be able to assist your kids if everyone ends up in the water. WEAR IT!