Thoughts on Heads

This is pretty simple observation. Buy a good head, period.

The head that came with the boat is a Jabsco MANUAL COMPACT 16.75D X 17.75W X 13.19H 120325. It is lightweight, cheap, leaks and the rebuild kit costs $55 to $60 when a new one costs $130. http://www.hamiltonmarine.com/.

If your serious about cruising or extended stays on a sailboat, a cheap head is a major let down. The head is one of those pieces of equipment that while it may not make the boat unsafe or unable to make it to port, if it is not operating it can ruin a trip.

In our situation, I needed to get the head working quickly so that we could use the boat. I major refit and replumbing of a new head was more of a project then I really had time for during the shortened sailing season. The head replacement is now back on the list of things to do.

MARINE SURVEYOR: He made no comments on the head. This is not unexpected since the survey was done on the hard. The mounting appeared to be properly done; however, after a few uses, the screws parted from the mounts.

OWNERS REPRESENTATIONS: When we arrived on delivery day, I noted that there was a small amount of water on the head mounting platform. The owner represented to me that he had washed the head down with the shower and that there must have some left trapped behind the head. Knowing what I know now, that was probably not the case and the head had started to leak once the boat was in the water and the head was used.