Heaters

[Hofftoski]

Looking for a heater to put in my 2000 ski nautique. Circulating pump?

[cougfan]

@Hofftoski I put a heater and a circulating pump in my 2002 Sunsetter LXI and they work great. Did the whole job for under $300. Just ask @Rednucleus how much he enjoys the heater. He even runs it during the summer season at Bow lake. Also installed a hot water shower to make it easier to get into our Wiley bindings during the cold water season and for warming up our hands and feet during the winter ski season

 

 

 

[MDB1056]

Took mine out. They all eventually leak, cause a mess, don’t miss it.

[RichardDoane]

Electric seat heaters are way better. A good upholstery shop can add.

[UWSkier]

Wouldn't have a boat without a heater. Circ pump, you can put in a $20 pump from Amazon and it'll work great. I'm going on season 3 with my cheapie little Amazon pump. My favorite thing about it is the fact you can run it with the engine off between skiers and have continuous heat.

[Hofftoski]

What brand heater did you install $300 seems like a pretty good deal

[cougfan]

@Hofftoski here is the heater I installed in my boat. I mounted it in front of the drivers seat. I have 2 of the vents aimed at the driver and the 3rd one I attached a flex hose so it can be pulled out and used by the passenger https://www.jegs.com/i/JEGS/555/70602/10002/-1

[thager]

I put an aftermarket two vent heater in my 196 about 10 years ago. Identical to HeaterCraft version. Still no issues with core although I do fill heater with auto antifreeze for winter layup each year. At the time it ran me less than $200 for entire setup. Google "aftermarket heaters" for present day versions. Install is very simple.

[cougfan]

@Hofftoski here are some pics of my heater and circulation pump install

 

[WoodySkier]

If you have an existing heater, does adding the circ pump make it better at slow speeds? When you idle the heater cools off pretty quick when the engine isn’t pushing a lot of water. Do you just put it inline and wire it to the same circuit as the heater fan?

[rockdog]

@WoodySkier get a 'Y' piece and fit into the raw intake, with the recirc it keeps warm while at idle.

[cougfan]

@rockdog I wired my with a separate switch from my heater. Only use the circulation pump when at idle no need when pulling a skier as the engine is turning enough rpms to pump out enough heat

[MISkier]

I installed the Y pipe into the intake for my heater installation. It keeps the heat going at idle with no auxiliary pump.

[BlueSki]

What is the lifespan of a heater? As @MDB1056 said, I know they leak. Just curious when a preventative replacement would be in order.

[MISkier]

@BlueSki, I had to replace my heater core at 8 years. I think others have gotten longer life, though.

[Lars]

As @thager said I think filling it with antifreeze over the winter keeps the corrosion down.

 

[jpattigr]

My heater is 16 years old and going strong. RV anti freeze all winter and blow it out before of all water.

[UWSkier]

17 years on current core

[ejj]

I will also say that seat heaters are AWESOME. And easy to maintain!

[BlueSki]

Cool, thanks. Eight years and well winterized on mine, so I’ll keep my chips on the table. The heater has definitely pleased the Mrs during a few chilly sets.

[DW]

To keep my drivers happy, both a heater and seat heater are appreciated. Seat heater tends to get more of the 'happy vocal noises' :D

As others mention, off season care and even summer care help extend the life of the core. I use shut offs to avoid continuous raw water running through cooler during the warm months or even T it off during the summer and RV antifreeze off season.

[ReallyGottaSki]

35 years ago made one with a junkyard mustang core, crafted a small plywood box, and bought a flange mount blower and some dryer vent, hose and fittings.

I'm on my second box, second core, and original blower and water hose.

Couple years ago stepped up to the retractable outlets.

[Joeprunc]

Wouldn't own about without one. I even run it on early mornings in the summer. I installed this https://www.bakesonline.com/heater-craft-200-pro-series-complete-heater-kit.html The Y return has an orifice that keeps the flow hot once the motor is up to temp, even when at idle speeds. I have a 20 minute idle back to my house and it blows hot air the whole way back.

 

Although I did have an electric blanket which helped and will not eventually leak. I installed ball valves at the inlet and outlet lines. I also installed my heater core so the inlet/outlet hoses were at the bottom, this would allow the core to naturally drain each time pressure is released.

[MISkier]

@Joeprunc, I installed my heater the same way - with the vent outlets pointing up and the inlet/outlet hoses on the bottom for drainage. I had the bigger series heater. I also had to get their extended bracket kit to mount it to the floor and give clearance for the fan and the inlet/outlet. The Y pipe works well for me also.

[PeterAK]

Hey @cougfan what does the connection of the hose to the heater core look like? The Jegs stuff looks like a really good way to get this done for half of the cost marine kits. Did you buy the water hose and fittings from Jegs too?

[cougfan]

@PeterAK the Jegs heater has 2 nipples that the hoses coming from and returning to the engine slip over just use a standard hose clamp. I bought heater hose from an auto parts store and the fittings coming out of the engine I got from a local hydraulic hose shop. You could probably find them online too. Good luck. Let me know if you need pics of the connections