A little elevation keeps the toilet base dry
Issue 88 : Jan/Feb 2013
I have seen quite a few marine toilet installations where the presence of even a little amount of salt water has caused green stains to run out from beneath the toilet’s bronze base. When I recently installed a fully rebuilt Wilcox Crittenden Skipper II marine toilet in our 1979 Ericson Independence 31, I resolved not to let that happen to me.
My solution was to raise the bronze base slightly above the platform by stacking four nylon washers under each lag-screw mount, sandwiched between the toilet base and the platform it’s screwed to. The stacked washers measure 1/4 inch in total thickness.
The air space means there is now virtually no chance of getting those green streaks. Also, from time to time I can simply splash a tumbler of fresh water beneath the base to flush out (forgive the intentional pun) any salt water and debris from under there, ensuring the space remains fresh and clean.
Glyn Judson and his wife, Marilyn, have sailed Santa Monica Bay and the Channel Islands together since 1982, for the last 17 years on their 1979 Ericson Independence 31 that they keep in Marina del Rey, California. They always sail with Glyn’s current guide dog in training.
Thank you to Sailrite Enterprises, Inc., for providing free access to back issues of Good Old Boat through intellectual property rights. Sailrite.com
