Dirty Pictures

You think your life is crappy!? Try being this guy for 27 years. He may not have dealt directly with the butts, but he certainly had to put up with their crap! (Sorry, I had to tone down the language. This is a family site after all) I don't blame the poor fella for packing it in (retiring, that is). Now that it's time to find his replacement, I'm learning that even a holding tank is a complicated and beautiful thing. The myriad shapes, sizes, configurations are downright baffling.
Here's what I've learned (don't expect too much):
1) Patrick Turner, owner of Salt Shaker, a '79 CD36, used Ronco Plastics tank #B126. He also made some significant modifications to his v-berth area to accomodate the new beast. I'm in no mood to grind, glass, or otherwise modify Ariel.



2) Randy Palmer, another CD36er, chose Ronco Plastics tank #B115 and said that it was a perfect fit. The dimensions in the Ronco catalog seem to indicate that the tank will fit just fine, although the dimensions are different than the original. I've emailed Randy and asked him to tell me a bit more about the installation and fit.



3) I discovered another tank in the Ronco catalog, tank #B486, that is nearly identical to the original tank. Now I'm wondering if maybe that's the tank I'm after. Choices, choices. Randy's tank holds 25 gallons, while this one only holds 18. I'm not particularly interested in holding more waste than I have to, but more capacity does translate into happier bowels.


Now compare poop tank model #B486 to my poorly drawn diagram of the original poop tank.


I don't have the measurements handy for the sideview of the old tank, but it sure seems like #B486 is a winner (or at least comes very close to being identical). It even has the cute little recessed panel for the pumpout and vent ports.
One last dirty picture showing the side of the tank (notice the backlighting):


** 3.24.06 ** A recent post on the Cape Dory board by Scott MacCready seems to indicate that tank #B486 is a direct replacement for the CD30 ketch. Apparently the CD30 is a bit wider at the forward bulkhead! Seems like Cape Dory would have used the early 36 holding tank dimensions for the CD30 as well rather than go to the trouble of having a new mold built.
** 3.27.06 ** #B486 is a direct replacement for CD30s. A Ronco salesperson told me that several CD30 owners went in together a few years back on a run of holding tanks to defray the expense of having a mold made.