My wife, daughter and I love taking the boat on day-long adventures fishing, exploring, swimming, sandbaring and enjoying the water. It’s all fun and games until someone needs to use the bathroom. On a small boat, far from shore and hours away from the marina, there is no where to go when I have to go.
The latest generation of portable potties for boat options are clean, comfortable, safe and convenient, with features that take the hassle out of using the bathroom on the boat.
Portable toilets for boats are as simple as a bucket and toilet seat or as complicated as a composting toilet that turns solid waste into scentless dust. At the end of the day, I remove the porta potty from the boat and safely dispose of the contents.
A portable toilet for boats makes everyone’s experience more enjoyable. With the best portable potty for a boat, when nature calls, I have an answer.
Quicklook: 7 Top Boat Porta Potty Options
- Best for all-in-one: Dometic Sanipottie
- Best for portable or pump out: Thetford Porta Pottie MSD
- Best for bucket style: Yeti Wild Stool
- Best for small spaces: Seaflo Portable
- Best for women: Go Girl Feminine Urination Device
- Best composting toilet: Trelino Evo L
- Best battery operated: Thetford Porta Potti Curve
Which Portable Boat Toilet Is Best for You?
I have a small boat and take day trips. You have a larger boat and go on multi-day adventures. I can get away with a bucket and toilet seat. You may need a boat portable potty with more capacity and longer cycle.
Clearly, we need different portable marine toilets. To help choose the best portable potty for boat options, I searched the internet and visited my local dock shops to learn about models from top manufacturers. Here are a few of my favorites.
Dometic Sanipottie
I need an all-in-one portable potty that’s at home on the boat, in the RV, and at the campsite. The Dometic Sanipottie is a great all around toilet with an emphasis on comfort and convenience. The holding-tank-style toilet is a little more expensive than some models, but when I’m comfortably sitting on the 15-inch high seat, I don’t mind spending the extra money. When it’s time to empty the tank, the convenient two hand design with a mess-free spout and vent pays off.
Best for: All-in-one
Features:
- Rotating spout for easy emptying
- Two-step waste valve to prevent pressure build up
- Two handles on waste tank
- 15-inch height
Disadvantages:
- Non-composting
- More expensive than other porta potty for boat options
- Tie-downs sold separately
Price: $199
Thetford Porta Pottie MSD
For a larger boat and longer trips, a portable toilet that I can also empty at a pumping station saves time and mess. Thetford’s Porta Pottie MSD is a larger portable toilet best for a dedicated installation. The four-gallon water tank provides 56 flushes between refills. To go days between service, a five gallon holding tank features a sealed holding tank to control odor. When I reach a marina or RV pump out station, I empty the tank and refill the water. In between stations, I still have the option to manually empty the tank.
Best for: Portable or pump out
Features:
- MDS pump out valve
- Larger water and waste capacity
- Piston pump flush increases water flow
- Hold-down kit included
Disadvantages:
- Large and heavy for camping or small boats
- 5.5 gallon waste tank is unwieldy when full
- Narrow seat
Price: $349.99
Wild Stool for Yeti Load Out
On my 20-foot center console, I keep a Wild Stool for Yeti Load Out for emergencies. My wife and daughter are grizzled outdoors women, but they like the convenience of a five gallon bucket with a toilet seat when nature calls. And, there have been more than a few times I was glad I had the quick and easy boat portable toilet. The wide toilet seat fits securely over the bucket lid. I add a liner inside the bucket if I’m packing out the waste. The Wild Stool will fit any standard five-gallon bucket, but I use my Yeti Load Out because the food-safe plastic is easy to clean and disinfect.
Best for: Bucket toilet
Features:
- Wide seat
- Only five pounds
- Fits securely over bucket and liner
Disadvantages:
- Waste is not treated
- Bucket not included
- Only available for five gallon buckets
Price: $55
Seaflo Portable
In the world of portable toilets for boats, achieving the title most portable is a mark of distinction. The Seaflo Portable has the smallest water and waste capacity in the lightest boat portable toilet with a holding tank. Seaflo’s Portable is also the least expensive, so it fits my budget. I can take the Seaflo from my boat to the campsite and always have a discreet bathroom that is clean and tidy. The small cube-shaped toilet fits in my gearbox and my boat hatch. At the end of the day, the tank separates from the seat and a rotating pour out spout is easy to empty. Of course the Seaflo Portable has a convenient carry handle so I can take it anywhere.
Best for: Small spaces
Features:
- 13.9 X 15.9 X 11.9
- Sealed holding tank
- 2.5 gallon waste tank, 3.5 gallon water tank
- Inexpensive
Disadvantages:
- Square shape isn’t most comfortable
- Single waste valve
- No level indicator
Price: $89.99
Go Girl Feminine Urination Device
Okay, I admit, I don’t have personal experience with the Go Girl Feminine Urination Device. But, the women in my life perked up when they first saw the ingenious funnel that allows girls to pee while standing up. Maybe it’s convenience, maybe it’s curiosity, but the little pink device offers the ability to use the bathroom out in the woods or on the water.
Best for: Women
Features:
- Soft, pliable silicone
- Reusable with proper cleaning
- Pocket size
- Splash guard
Disadvantages
- Could be messy
- Not everyone is sold on the idea
Price: $14.99
Trelino Evo L
A portable composting toilet is the ultimate portable boat toilet for long trips and easy management. Using science and nature, the Trelino Evo L captures liquid waste and turns solid waste into a safe and odorless material. Separate containers for solid and liquid waste make it easier to empty the toilet. The sturdy toilet is capable of supporting 330 pounds with a wide seat for comfort and balance.
Best for: Composting
Features:
- 1.6 gallon solid waste capacity
- 1.2 gallon liquid waste storage
- Turns solid waste into odorless material
- 10 solid feces bags included
Disadvantages
- Requires spreading drying material on solid waste
- Drying media not included
Price: $419.99
Thetford Porta Potti Curve
For the ultimate in convenience, Thetford’s Porta Potti Curve includes a battery operated flush mechanism that reminds me of home. Instead of manually pumping the flush mechanism to release water into the bowl, the Curve’s electric pump does the work. This way I know I’m using the correct amount of water to clean the toilet. The Curve includes large waste and water tanks that are easy to service. I like the comfortable oval-shaped design that is similar to a home toilet.
Best for: Battery operated flush
Features:
- Comfortable oval shape
- Water and waste level indicators
- Integrated toilet paper holder
- 56 flushes between services
- Batteries included
Disadvantages
- No manual override
- Tie-down kit not included
- Not as stable as others
Price: $289.99
Comparing Boating Porta Potty Types
Portable boat toilet
Portable boat toilets are a convenient, safe and hygienic way to use the bathroom when a bathroom isn’t available. These plastic toilets contain a tank for water and a tank for waste. Add chemicals to the water tank and the waste tank to control smell and make the tanks easier to clean. An adjustable pour-out spout and easy to operate vent reduce spills and smell when emptying the tank.
Portable boat toilets come in a variety of sizes with features making them easier to use and less messy. I can take my portable boat toilet camping and RVing, or anywhere else I go.
Composting Toilet
The latest advancement in portable boat toilets is actually old technology. A composting toilet separates liquid and solid waste. Liquid goes into a sealed container. Solid waste is mixed with an aggregate like sawdust or cat litter that dries the waste into an odorless and safe material I can dump in a garbage can.
The liquid waste container is easy to pour out. Treated solid waste is collected in a plastic bag that is quick to remove and chuck into the trash.The holding capacity is less and there’s no water tank to clean the bowl, so I have to empty and clean the composting toilet more often.
Bucket Toilet
A bucket toilet is the simplest and easiest way to manage human waste on a boat. The special-shaped toilet seat is designed to fit over the lip of a standard five gallon bucket. A plastic bag inside the bucket collects the waste. Between uses, I remove the bag, tie it closed and throw it in the garbage. I can even add a little kitty litter to absorb liquid to eliminate odor and leakage. I keep a five gallon bucket on my boat and the toilet seat fits almost anywhere, so the bucket toilet is always ready in an emergency.
Pump Out Toilet
Portable toilets are great, but cleaning and servicing are not pleasant. Boats and RVs with permanent toilets use a pump out system that makes cleaning the waste tank hassle-free.
The best portable boat toilets also have a valve to use a pump-out station and avoid the mess and smell of manually dumping the waste tank. Just find a pump out station at a marina or RV park, attach the pump out hose to the valve and remove the waste without seeing, hearing or smelling the stuff. Use the station hose to clean out the waste tank and fill up the water tank. If I’m in a larger boat or spending more time at sea, a portable toilet with pump-out feature has greater capacity.
Enjoy the Convenience of a Portable Toilet for Boats
Everyone enjoys the outdoors more when there is a bathroom nearby. The convenience and safety of a portable marine toilet will extend my time on the water and make my guests more comfortable. Plus, properly disposing of human waste saves the water and wildlife from pollution. With so many choices for boat porta potties, there isn’t an excuse for turning the water into a washroom.
FAQ
How do you empty a porta potty on a boat?
Modern porta potties are easy to empty and service. When the waste tank is almost full, remove it from the toilet seat and take it to an approved dumping station. Holding the tank with the spout up, remove the cap. Turn the tank and open the vent to pour out the contents. When the tank is empty, rinse it out and use recommended cleaners to clean the inside and outside.
Is there special toilet paper for boats?
A boat porta potty requires special toilet paper that disintegrates completely. Using standard toilet paper could cause the toilet to malfunction requiring a messy cleanup. RV toilet paper is available at many outdoor stores and online.
Is discharging sewage in US waters legal?
Federal regulations prevent discharging human waste within three miles of shore. The best plan is to store the waste onboard in a portable boat toilet and dispose of the stuff safely onshore.
Ric Burnley is regional editor for Salt Water Sportsman magazine and editor of Kayak Angler magazine. When he’s not writing about fishing, Ric is out fishing in the surf, on a kayak or in his 20-foot center console.
