“Watsonizing” – Heads Up!

We have never owned a boat that did not require “watsonizing” to some degree. Our previous Kindred Spirits have been in varying conditions, but always needed an overhaul on something major or a lot of tender loving care. This newest Kindred Spirit, our Kadey Krogen 39, is certainly in the best shape of any boat we have ever owned, and yet…….. there still seemed to be a lot for Al to do. I breathed a sigh of relief. Boat projects meant that he would be happily puttering and watsonizing all winter long. He needed that.

Al’s first major project on the Kadey Krogen was the head and all of its components. We knew some work was needed to “freshen” the head, but we weren’t sure just how much would be involved. The final solution was a total overhaul – new everything.  The VacuFlush toilet and the Purasan waste treatment system were just not going to work for us. We thought that the VacuFlush toilet was too complicated and too prone to problems. Repairs and maintenance were going to cost more in dollars and aggravation than installing a new toilet would. Although the Purasan treatment system advertises that it can sanitatize “black water” for discharge into “rivers, lakes and ocean,” we weren’t comfortable with that option in light of no-discharge zones. We applaud the efforts here in the Northeast to provide free pumpouts and traveling pumpout boats to keep our waters clean. So, in the final analysis, Al removed everything – the toilet, the waste pipes, and the holding tank. And then he scrubbed, sanitized and repainted the bilge area. We do not like odors. 

The next phase was replacing everything he removed. After researching assorted holding tanks’ dimensions and capacities, Al built a cardboard prototype to see how large a holding tank he could fit down there. Winner? A 42-gallon would fit!

Before installing any new components for the sanitation system, the entire bilge region was cleaned and painted.

Now for the actual head. It’s not the biggest head we have ever had, but it will suffice.

This is not the most glamorous blog post, but I think all of us in boating would agree that the head and sanitation system cannot be ignored or underestimated. The only things left are the new towels and rug that I purchased.