Re: [Paddlewise] Kia Complete with Toilet

   Craig, I believe you have brilliantly invented the composting kayak.
We'll need a test pilot for the prototype. How about Mark? He seems game.

Brad

Quoting Craig Jungers <crjungers_at_gmail.com>:

> On Mon, Mar 17, 2008 at 11:47 AM, Bradford R. Crain <crainb_at_pdx.edu> wrote:
>
>> Craig:
>>      Could that composting toilet be strapped onto the back of a kayak?
>> You could make millions, maybe billions. And save the planet from a
>> gigantic brownout.
>>
>> This is an interesting question. I can see two major problems:
>
> 1) A composting toilet works by... um... composting the... um... stuff. As
> long as the kayak remains upright (a situation many - but not all - of us
> aspire to) the composting toilet should work just fine regardless of where
> it is located. I am unsure of the effects of salt water intrusion  in the
> composting area, however. It's entirely possible that the salt would kill
> the very organisms that do the dirty work, so to speak.
>
> B) The composting toilet I have is about the same height above the floor as
> a toilet in a handicap stall. While the bio-mass of the toilet is carried
> low (at the bottom of the toilet) the addition of a paddler up high could
> very well disturb the natural balance of the kayak and result in an
> inversion and resultant possible salt water intrusion (see above).
>
> There might be some appropriate design changes that would make this
> ingenious idea (I can see why you're a college professor - although being a
> math professor does detract somewhat) work. To wit: incorporating the
> composting into the kayak itself. Since many kayaks already are
> compartmented into handy... uh... compartments one could simply select the
> compartment least used for gear and food and spread the compost along the
> inside hull in that compartment to a depth of about 5 inches. The hatch
> could then be used as a convenient perch.
>
> The best part about this arrangement (besides the obvious greening - or
> maybe de-browning - of the world) is that if anyone notices the paddler
> sitting atop the stern hatch and asks impertinent (or even pertinent)
> questions, one might reasonably reply that he (or she) is practicing the
> cowboy rescue. This would immediately divert any suspicion since every
> paddler knows the importance of practicing self rescues.
>
> I'm willing to share in the patent with you. Any patent lawyers at that
> college of yours?
>
>
> Craig Jungers
> Moses Lake, WA
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