Separett Tiny at sea

Part 1

Is a urine-diverting toilet suitable for a sailing boat?

There are limited toilet options available for boaters, and after much consideration, we decided to switch from a traditional marine toilet to a urine-diverting dry toilet. Our goal was to get rid of the constant pipe replacements, toilet pump issues, blockages, leaks and the hassle of finding septic tank emptying stations. A urine-diverting dry toilet seemed like an attractive solution, as we had seen it work well in cottages and vans. The idea also made sense for a sailing boat.

Positive experiences from other sailors strengthened our decision. They had switched from traditional marine toilets to urine-diverting dry toilets and were happy with the change, which encouraged us to try something new as well. Although the idea of a urine-diverting dry toilet seemed almost perfect for our needs, a small doubt crept in: is this too good to be true?

Why did we choose Separett Tiny?

Separett Tiny became our choice for several reasons. Firstly, its price is reasonable, and it is one of the most affordable premium urine-diverting dry toilets on the market. This made it an attractive option.

Secondly, Tiny stood out thanks to its clean and minimalistic design. Dry toilets are rarely considered pleasing to the eye, but Separett has succeeded well in this regard.

Thirdly, using Separett Tiny reduces waste being discharged into the sea, which is important to us. Protecting the oceans is close to our hearts, and by switching to Tiny, we can do our part to reduce waste entering the sea. This environmentally friendly aspect was also a significant factor in our choice.

Installation on the boat

Installing the urine-diverting dry toilet on our boat required some modifications to the space, which added to the overall amount of work. However, the installation itself went surprisingly smoothly, especially in such a confined space, as Tiny is considerably lighter than a traditional porcelain toilet.

During the installation, Tiny was lifted onto the boat using a ladder. Once all the other modifications to the space had been completed, Tiny was secured to the floor and the ventilation hose was connected to the existing ventilation vent in the ceiling. The actual installation involved securing the toilet to the floor, installing the ventilation hose and connecting the electrical wires. It was a surprisingly simple process!

Observations from a boater’s perspective

The urine-diverting dry toilet gave us more space on the boat. In addition to removing the old marine toilet, we also removed the septic tank, which gave us more storage space in our 31-foot sailing boat. In addition, since the new toilet does not require water pumping or moving pipes, we were able to seal two through-hulls in the bottom of the boat. This significantly improves peace of mind for a boater, as the risk of water leaks is reduced.

Our expectations for Separett Tiny are high. We are excited about this product and hope that the amount of maintenance work will be significantly reduced. Waste disposal is easy and does not cause us any extra inconvenience. The most exciting thing will be to see how Tiny performs when the sailing boat heels. We do not believe that the capacity of the containers can be interpreted in the same way as on level ground, but this will become clear once we are on the water.

So far, we have been very satisfied with our choice, and Separett Tiny has worked excellently. Our boat is still on land, so we cannot yet give it full sailing boat approval. We will return to our user experiences later, once Separett Tiny gets to work on the water!

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