Marine Toilet and Windlass for 2000 CONQUEST 23

[NabetaMobettah]

Aloha Boston Whaler owners.

I just upgraded to a 2000 CONQUEST 23 from a 1983 MONTAUK 17.

Q1: what brand and model of marine toilet will be compatible with a 2000 CONQUEST 23?

Q2: what brand and model of windlass will be compatible with a 2000 CONQUEST 23?

The original windlass was removed by the prior owner of this boat.

Moderator's Note: In the model year 2000 the 23-foot CONQUEST model was designated as the CONQUEST 23. The three digit notation "235" was not used for this model. The 235 CONQUEST is an different boat, and the three-number designator "235" should not be used to refer to the 2000 CONQUEST 23.

[jimh]

If the 2000 CONQUEST 23 boat already has a black water holding tank with vent and pump out, you can use a marine toilet that does not have its own holding tank. If the boat does not already have a holding tank with vent and pump out, you may need to use a marine toilet that has its own holding tank. Marine toilets with their own holding tank are generally small capacity and will have to be unmounted to be taken off the boat for the the holding tank to be emptied.

[jimh]

Regarding a suitable replacement windlass:

Q3: do you intend to use a windlass powered by an electric motor?

Q4: if you intend to use an electric windlass, was the original windlass that has been removed also an electric-motor operated windlass?

Q5: if the original windlass was operated by an electric motor, are the necessary very large size electrical cables, circuit breaker, and solenoid still in place on the boat?

[NabetaMobettah]

Hi Jim, and thank you for the reply.

For the toilet, there is already a holding tank and pump out. Previous owner removed the toilet but the plumbing fixtures are still accessible and capped off. This toilet will be used primarily by my wife so I want to get a decent one to keep her happy.

Regarding the windlass:

Q3: do you intend to use a windlass powered by an electric motor?

I'd like to use an electric motor that can be operated by switch or remote.

Q4: if you intend to use an electric windlass, was the original windlass that has been removed also an electric-motor operated windlass?

The original was electric.

Q5: if the original windlass was operated by an electric motor, are the necessary very large size electrical cables, circuit breaker, and solenoid still in place on the boat?

The cables and stuff were all removed.

The previous owner dropped anchor the old fashioned way and just kept the anchor with rope stored away in the box.

[jimh]

The previous owner of this 2000 CONQUEST 23 must have been focused on simplicity. He removed two rather expensive options from the boat, the marine toilet with holding tank and pump out, and the electric windlass. I doubt that this fellow was the original purchaser of the boat: why would he pay for those two expensive options and then remove them?

About the only reason for removing them that comes to mind: because both of them are in the forward area or bow of the boat, they both were removed to remove weight from the bow to improve the trim on the boat.

The best solution in both cases for re-installation will be to restore the missing components with the same items as used originally by Boston Whaler. I say that because using the OEM marine toilet and electric windlass should allow you to use the original fastener locations. And, by the way, I assume those fastener holes have been sealed after the gear they were holding was removed.

To find out what brand of toilet and windlass were used, you MAY be able to get that information from Boston Whaler customer service. Or you may be able to get that information by calling a long-time Boston Whaler dealer. Two dealers that come to mind are Nauset Marine in Massachusetts, and Twin Cities Marine in Wisconsin, now operating under the name The Boat House in Manitowoc. Contact their parts managers, and they may be able to help you identify the brand and perhaps even source the parts for you. Or you may be able to find another c.2000 CONQUEST 23 owner who has one or both of those options, and they may be able to get the manufacturer name and model from their boat's gear.

Regarding the windlass, you have two realms to work in: mechanical and electrical. For the mechanical, you really will be best to get the original brand, as it should permit you to re-use the fastener holes, which were certainly located in a reinforced area of the deck or pulpit. For the electrical, you will need to re-install proper electrical cables using the original path or rigging tunnel or chase that allowed those cable to be run from the winch to a very large battery bank. You will need to choose the conductor size to be properly suited for the LENGTH of the conductors and electrical current in AMPERES that the windless motor will draw from the battery.

Also, you will need to use a relay or solenoid to actually make the connection of the motor wiring to the battery, as the current involved will be much too large to be controlled though a switch. You will need to use a switch that controls the current to the solenoid or replay coil. Both the high-current path and the low-current path will need to be protected by an over-current device such as a circuit breaker or a fuse.

When and if you get around to this point of the refurbishment, I can offer more advice to you about how to select the proper conductor size.

You may also need to install a dedicated battery to run the windlass. I would not attempt to provide electrical power to the windlass from the engine starting battery. If you run the windlass and drain significant stored charge from the engine starting battery, the starting battery may not have enough stored electrical energy to crank over the engine. You could operate the windlass from a second battery, usually referred to as the HOUSE battery. In any case, you must provide some means for the propulsion engine battery-charging output to be connected to the second battery to recharge it. Again, more advice can be offered on this later.

Since you have just recently purchased this boat, I suggest you may want to give a bit more consideration to the plan to restore the windlass and the marine toilet with holding tank and pump out. You might want to contact the previous owner to ask why he removed them. He may have some interesting comments to explain his reasons.

Note: The devices that lifts an anchor is a "windlass." The term "windless" refers to lack of wind.

[jimh]

ASIDE: Here is a short recounting of an incident related to using an electrically operated windlass to handle the anchor chores:

Many years ago, we were anchored in a 30-foot sail boat in a vary nice cove in northern Lake Huron in the Benjamin Islands. Another boater came into the cove, operating a 30-foot cabin cruiser. He attempted to anchor about 100-feet away from us. He seemed to have difficulty getting the anchor to set, and he had to retrieve the anchor, move slightly, and try again. This was repeated several times, and each time the anchor was raised by using an electric windlass. I got the impression the fellow was new to cruising, and particularly cruising in remote anchorages.

The next morning all other boats in the cove had departed except this fellow and our boat. We were enjoying the morning and waiting for some wind to come up so we could sail to the next destination. The fellow from the other boat came over to our boat in his dingy, and explained he had a problem. The state of charge in his boat's only battery was so low that it would not start the propulsion engine. Apparently all that work done with the windlass yesterday had drained too much charge from the battery. The only solution would be to get another battery to assist in starting his engine. Well, as the only boat left in the anchorage, one of the two batteries on our sailboat was the only available battery for many miles around. I agreed to lend him a battery, to try starting his engine.

To make the story shorter, he took my (well-charged) (secondary) battery back to his boat, jumped it onto his dead battery, and got his engine started. Then he brought it back, and I reconnected it to our boat electrical system. Because our boat had two batteries, and both were at full charge, I was not too concerned about some discharge on the loaned battery putting us in the same situation, that is, being unable to get our propulsion engine started. Our engine was a small Yanmar two-cylinder diesel which needed a very healthy battery to crank over, but because we had two batteries and an OFF-1-BOTH-2 switch, I was quite sure our engine would re-start--and just to be certain we would not end up in a pickle, I started the engine before disconnecting the secondary battery from the battery switch.

I mention this as an example of how much electrical energy is consumed in hoisting an anchor and its rode, and how discharging a battery by use of the windlass can lead to problems starting the propulsion engine.

[Jefecinco]

I assume you are a salt water boater given your use of "Aloha". A boat we owned several years ago had a recirculating toilet with a pump out tank and hoses. Pumping out the effluent and cleaning up the toilet was a very unpleasant chore and required the head and cabin to be well ventilated before using the boat. I also found that marina pump out stations were frequently out of order, a major inconvenience. I found the system to be so frustrating that I installed an overboard discharge head.

Based on my experience I recommend you consider an overboard discharge system for your Conquest. I believe such systems are legal for use in the islands waters.