Composting Head: Plus or Minus on resale

[SoundWave]

We're on the verge of pulling out all tanks, hoses, closing thru-hulls and going with composting heads, and I got to wondering...

If you were shopping for a boat, and it came with composting heads,
(and no blackwater tanks)
would that encourage or discourage you from making an offer?

[Matt Johnson]

-we built a composting head for our new boat..... but, if I were looking at buying a Catalina, I'd want at least the possibility of reinstalling a marine head.

Matt

[KiminAK]

That would encourage me to buy it, I want a composting head on my boat and it would save me the trouble and expense of installing it myself. BTW, I am shopping for a boat and it's a plus on any boat that I'm looking at.

[Cthoops]

Well, given that we pulled out the holding tank and hoses, plus glassed over four thruhulls when we installed our Nature's Head, it would definitely be a plus in my book. But honestly, we don't worry about the resale when we make changes to our boat - we simply do what works for us.

[thinwater]

It would be much smarter to call 2-3 brokers and ask. This sort of question on a forum will not attract plus and negative responses equally.

I've know several people who removed composting heads after installing them. They were quite glad not to have ripped out the conventional tank and fittings.

I know my wife (and many others) would not look at the rest of the boat once they saw that. So it limits the field of buyers--some will like it, some will not.

As for those that have trouble with conventional systems, they were either poorly installed, poorly maintained, or operated incorrectly. One of those three. I'm sure the same can be said of failed composting systems... but not to the same level of certainty.

[Kenomac]

The answer is really quite simple, look at the percentage of boats which have a composter onboard... very small. People have strong feelings towards them. Either they seem to love them almost religeously or they hate them... there's no inbetween.

That's your potential market at resale..... a very small number of interested buyers. Boats are difficult to sell used in the best of conditions since they're a luxury item and by installing a composter, you've now eliminated over 90 percent of interested buyers, maybe even as high as 99 percent.

It's your choice.

[valhalla360]

Leave the thru-hull for a while. just cap it off and put a wood plug in.

The risk of failure is negligible and it allows easy re installation.

I would see a composter as a positive.

[44'cruisingcat]

If the boat has more than one head, why not have one of each type?

[Kenomac]

My friend who's sitting directly across the table from me here in Italy, has a composting head at his camp up in New Hampshire. He's well aquainted with composters and can't imagine having one or wanting one on a boat.

In a few years, he'll be looking at a used boat for use in either the Med or for use in New England. He's your potential buyer, take this for what it's worth.

[valhalla360]

Originally Posted by Kenomac

My friend who's sitting directly across the table from me here in Italy, has a composting head at his camp up in New Hampshire. He's well aquainted with composters and can't imagine having one or wanting one on a boat.

In a few years, he'll be looking at a used boat for use in either the Med or for use in New England. He's your potential buyer, take this for what it's worth.

Are you confusing an outhouse with a composting toilet perhaps.

[smj]

We've had no problem selling 4 boats with composting heads in which we got rid of the holding tank, hoses, and glassed in the through hulls. If selling is in your near future It may be a good idea to leave the through hulls installed and capped of, but get rid of the rest of the stinking mess.

[Mike OReilly]

Obviously the answer is, "it depends…” It depends on the boat, and the target market. It depends on the location, the style and size of boat, and the type of potential owners. It depends on a lot of things.

Obviously for folks like me, we would see a composting head as a slight positive on any boat I might buy. And conversely I would see a standard marine head as a slight negative. But like most systems on a boat, this one factor would do little to alter my overall view of a boat. There are far more important factors to consider than the type of existing head.

It would be very interesting to get quality data on the percentages of composting heads currently installed in cruising boats. Given the growth in interest, and number of companies now offering various versions, I suspect the rates are increasing. It is certainly true they are far less uncommon today than in the past. As they become more common, any potential negative resale impact will diminish.

But basically, I’m with Cthoops on this: I don’t view my boat as an investment. I make changes based on what I think is best for us, not for some theoretically future buyer.

[montigre]

I just purchased a boat with a composting head--the PO removed the thru hulls and redid the bottom completely. So far, I am very happy not to have extra inlets for possible issues and there is absolutely no head smell at all in the boat. It would be a plus for me.

[Casey74]

For what it is worth -- we installed a composting head on our boat last year, but have not pulled all the hoses and valves yet. Based on our positive experience, that will happen this year. As to whether it will limit the resale market -- yes, people that want complex, sophisticated boat systems will be turned off. But if the composting toilet is consistent with the rest of the boat's systems, it should not be a problem.

[Kenomac]

Originally Posted by valhalla360

Are you confusing an outhouse with a composting toilet perhaps.

No.

He has a camp on a lake with no running water, and his "outhouse" as you call it utilizes a crank which one would turn each time one does one's duty.