Catalina 350 International Association

I have a Newport SeaEra commode that suddenly quit working. When I push the flush button I can hear a very faint click coming from the motor area but nothing else happens.
Before I start tearing things apart, has anyone run into this before?

Yes. When mine did that, I pulled the pump/motor apart. The freshwater pumping portion had rusted solid. I removed the pump part and the motor/macerator spun freely allowing the macerating/flushing portion to work. I have run the head this way for years. We add water as needed using the shower wand.

Thanks for the information Ralph. I've cursed this unit for many years and this may be my incentive to replace it rather than tear it apart and fix it.

Yes we have looked to replace this noisy beast as well, just haven't found the "right" one. Let us know what you find

We replaced our Raritan SeaEra with the Raritan Marine Elegance toilet connected directly to the fresh water system. The toilet looks great, is quieter and works very well. The Marine Elegance toilet also has a salt water and fresh water/salt water combinations. We opted for the fresh water only as there is no odor & the water usage has not been a problem. The instructions were very good as was Raritan’s assistance. The only surprise is the fresh water pump runs whenever the toilet is flushed. I was able to eliminate all hoses from being visible.

Interlude

Thank you - pictures are very helpful. The Elegance lack of visible hoses and motor is impressive, along with a less noisy operation. Couple of questions if you do not mind:

1. where and how did you install the "flush panel"? What cutting, wiring, drilling, etc was necessary? The Newport "flusher" is at the base of the toilet; does not require anything separate.

2. did you stabilize the new unit and if so, how? The Newport is glued down and wobbles until completely disconnected. Others have installed brackets from the "head closet" ( which is thicker than the base platform the toilet is attached to, so would assume greater stability and longevity) to the hinge portion of the toilet. Will "Elegance" be/become as wobbly as Newport?

Thanks
Tranquil

HI Teri- I put the control panel under the head sink where the push button was located for the previous head - it required a small cutout. The wiring connections were very easy - but- fishing the wires to the connection locations required some thought. The head does not wobble as it is supported by a bracket fastened into the deck and then attached to the toilet. Each bracket is made for specifically for the toilet you receive. I made an opening behind the toilet to route the waste and water hoses(being in fresh water you may have a different hose arrangement). Ken Krawford also installed a Marine Elegance toilet. Hope this is helpful. I am happy to answer any questions, John

I'm very happy with the Raritan Elegance as well. John's help was invaluable for the installation. I'd highly recommend using Raritan's Saniflex hose. It's ridiculously expensive but bends without kinking. I also didn't realize how much odor had permeated my old hoses until the new one was in. The mounting brackets are a strange design I'd never seen before and I had to call Raritan for replacements twice before all was well. The unit is solidly attached to the base once installed.

Thanks to all for the feedback. Seems this is an "elegant" solution for the head. My newport does not have a separate control unit, so would need to cut a new hole as well as figure out how to connect to battery with new wiring (including fish it through the boat)

Additionally, we in Chicago cannot macerate and have to lock off the system to avoid usage. I have a service that comes weekly to suck out/pump out the waste from the port side mid ships fill. Uncertain how that service will affect the "elegance"; would assume it should not be any different from the Newport. But if hoses are different on the new unit, perhaps it would be affected adversely.

Not sure I am ready to take all that on and will need to "sit on it" for a while (ha ha)

Teri

Did you have to undo the waste tank to get
the waste hose to the top of the tank?
Also curious about fresh water source. I assume you can run a line from vanity sink. Did you have a source for the pex and plastic quick connections?

Oops looks like my contacts didn’t post.

Jeff Jones
S/V Donna Marie
Sandusky Ohio

Jeff,
I installed the marine elegance not long ago also. No, you don’t have to unfasten the tank— at least I didn’t. On mine the hose connection is on the side of the tank. I have read that some released the tank to make easier access to the waste connection, but I didn’t have any issues. I had to extend the power leads from the old Wilcox-Critteden toilet, as well as the water line. The original W-C toilet was plumbed directly to the manifold in the bilge, but the line came up just slightly too short for the new toilet. Also, I didn’t reroute the hoses and hide them, I ran them through the same access as the original toilet. I did have to buy a couple of hose connectors, either a 90 or a 45, but I don’t remember exactly. We have been very satisfied with the performance of the toilet, and the customer service is superb.

Jeff, I didn’t have to move the tank. The Raritan hose is quite flexible and wasn’t too bad to position. I used nylon T’s and other connectors readily available from Home Depot for the supply side. I pulled my water supply by T ing into the cold water supply to the sink and shower.

Hi Ken,
You don’t by any chance remember how much hose you had to order from Raritan? Also, does anyone have any experience with the wireless flush control they now have available?
Thanks!
Dan

Dan I ordered 8 ft of hose and had almost 2 ft left over.
Not to be judgmental but I can't imagine needing a remote control for anything inside a space as small as a C350 head. Imagine having an inoperable head because you don't have a spare set of AAA batteries. It's not like you might occasionally use it while in the cockpit ! I loved Raritan's description : "Fill/Empty/Flush up to 50 feet Away with Phone and Free App".

Great point - the attraction to me was not having to run a wire to it when installing — but that’s a great point.