Portable / dockside pumpout MI????????????
 

My boat is broken and likely wont get fixed until winter. I need to pumpout but dont know of any portable or dockside pump outs. Boat is now in port huron area and will travel 150 miles north along I75 to get her home. any suggestions? I do have a big shop vac at home but this will be my last choice.

River Street Marina has a pump out facility if I remember correctly but it has been a while......If they do not have the service availible, Have you tried calling any of the local marinas where the boat is currently or locally to see if any of the marinas have a pumpout station that is accessible to a boat on a trailer.

It is a lot less hassle paying a bit extra for a pumpout where ever it is, than having to improvise emptying the tank.

Wet/Dry vac should get the job done, unless you are dropping dueces in the boat...I don't think I would want to use a shop vac at home if that is the case.

What happened? Seems like last year you had some issues as well?

Well there are 2 deuces in there since the 4 th of July. Oh the joy. I had one day of trouble free boating this year and then blew a drive. I didn't want to throw good money after bad so I decided to think about my next move with my drives and save some money

I have put 20 hours on my boat in the last 3 years. Sux! Last summer it was in the shop 5 different times and that's a6 hour round trip deal. This year it went once and it's still there

Ill go get it in a week but shtters full and I have called a few places with no luck. Hoping someone here has a good suggestion

Have you tried a Septic tank pumping company. Their trucks could drive right up to your boat. Need the right fitting though.

The shop vac thing is not as terrible as it sounds. As long as you have some treatment in the tank neutralizing bacteria and odor; you should be fine. Fill the tank with fresh water through flushing the head, and suck out the full tank. Then dump the shop vac out in the woods somewhere; and clean with fresh water and Lysol. I've done it a number of times with no issues. Just make sure you pull the dry filter out of the shop vac first.

The Harborage has a portable pump out station, I would think a bigger marina down that way would have one.

Bridge harbor has a portable pump out, right off the main highway, on the wat to the bridge....Ken

Thx bob. Called the harborage and the can do it. I called the marinas in st clair and no one could help

How about a truck stop?? they do motor homes

Motorhomes are gravity dumps - pull the gate valve and physics handles the rest...

I like the Lyson idea. Would Lysol leave it smelling better for the long winter months??

I was referring to cleaning the vac with Lysol.

However, go to the camping section in Wal*Mart and get some of the porta-potty treatment. I buy this stuff that is bright orange, and thick like a syrup. It neutralizes the odors of the holding tank. Once I empty and flush the tank, I fill it back up with a little water, and the treatment, via pouring it in the bowl and flushing it. If you are not in the water to pull water sea-water in for the flush, just pour 1/2 of a bottled water in the toilet and flush with the treatment. Spray the bowl down after every use. You are not going to hurt anything.

I keep a can of Lysol in a locker in the head of the boat. I normally give a good blast throughout the whole bowl and entire head each day I'm on the water as preventative scent maintenance.