I have to agree. When my POS Jabsco totally goes I will be getting a skipper.
________________________________ From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Norm of Bandersnatch Sent: Monday, June 09, 2008 10:55 AM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [Liveaboard] Wilcox Skipper Head Info Not quite. My Wilcox Skipper has been used by two people on a daily basis since 1988 with only two overhauls, each ten years apart. In the first overhaul I replaced the piston leather and the two check valves, in the second just the leather, for a total coast of less than $40. Even more important, the unit has never stopped functioning, doesn't leak, and has never overflowed. I rest my case... Norm S/V Bandersnatch Lying Julington Creek 30 07.72N 081 38.40W ----- Original Message ----- From: Larry Dill <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: [email protected] Sent: 6/6/2008 11:07:31 AM Subject: Re: [Liveaboard] Wilcox Skipper Head Info Norm, I just replaced my Wilcox shipmate head yesterday, it only cost $160... That equates to 6 of the Shipmates to one Skipper head, so I will be ahead of the price curve for some time... <http://mail.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/mesg/tsmileys2/11.gif> <http://mail.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/mesg/tsmileys2/11.gif> <http://mail.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/mesg/tsmileys2/11.gif> Sea Ya Larry S/V Two Step-N LAT N 40ø53'321" LON W 073ø47'116" ----- Original Message ---- From: Norm of Bandersnatch <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: A LiveAboardList <[email protected]> Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Wednesday, June 4, 2008 3:52:25 PM Subject: [Liveaboard] Wilcox Skipper Head Info Ahoy All, Today was head overhaul day. I have a Wilcox Skipper head that has been in almost daily use by two people for over ten years since last overhaul. At that time I deleted the "joker" valve since "salt" (I presume from urine since we use the shower hose fresh water to flush it) caked on it made it useless. I cut the valve part off leaving the gasket part. I welded half of a 1 1/4" bronze close nipple on the discharge hose spud and screwed a 1 1/4" Apollo ball valve onto it. We keep that ball valve closed when not pumping the head. I did the overhaul because there had begun a slight grinding feel/sound when pumping the unit and I presumed the leather piston seal was worn out. In this I was correct. Lately also we had noticed a bit more backlash in the pump handle. I thought it might indicate wear on the shaft but this turned out to be because the clamp part of the piston operating lever connecting the piston to the operating shaft (that the pumping handle attaches to) had loosened. Just the woodruff key was connecting the pump handle to the piston. The clamping part is supposed to firmly grasp the shaft. The shaft actually showed no significant wear except where the stuffing gland grasped it. There was considerable "salt" deposit inside the pump cylinder, check valves, and passages all of which I cleaned out using Muriatic (hydrochloric) acid about 25% with water 75% after disassembly. The two check valves cleaned up good but I could see wear on the rubber hinge areas. I will buy a rebuild kit ($65) soon at West or Boaters World. For anyone who wants a standard marine head I belive the Wilcox Skipper is the best. They are about $1K new and half that used. That being said, I have been seriously considering a Air Head, even though it is not certified as a Class 1 device, as the LectraSan is. Environmentally, it would be the best device because it handles feces so elegantly, and urine dumped overboard is not a significant pollutant. It seems to me to be the best solution to the potty problem there is, except for the urine dump now being illegal. If only the government would say that if we put a shot of bleach in the urine bucket after each dump to sterilize the urine, with that allow overboard dump of the urine bucket and certify the Air Head as a Class 1 device. It would be the long awaited answer to our potty problems. Norm S/V Bandersnatch Lying Julington Creek 30 07.72N 081 38.40W _______________________________________________ Liveaboard mailing list [email protected] To adjust your membership settings over the web http://www.liveaboardnow.org/mailman/listinfo/liveaboard To subscribe send an email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send an email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] The archives are at http://www.liveaboardnow.org/pipermail/liveaboard/ To search the archives ht tp://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected] <http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]> The Mailman Users Guide can be found here http://www.gnu.org/software/mailman/mailman-member/index.html
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