Any one install a Heater?

[Scuba_ref]

Hey all, I just read WakeMAKERS Winter Project article about installing a heater and I wondered if we have any Yamaha owners that have done that project? There are times when I wish I had a heater on board and it looks easy enough to do - just need to figure out where to tap into the hot water source.

 

[Mainah]

You likely will not have sufficient hot water for a heater to make a difference in a Yamaha jet boat. That said heated seats could make a real difference and easier/cheaper to install. You can buy the raw pads with switches and relays online for cheap. Alternatively you could move south of the 37th parallel. I choose the later but may still install heated seats at some point. Too many projects and too little time.

 

[AboveTheBest]

@Mainah,

That is an outstanding idea about the heated seats!!
I may have to look into this.

 

[Scuba_ref]

You likely will not have sufficient hot water for a heater to make a difference in a Yamaha jet boat. That said heated seats could make a real difference and easier/cheaper to install. You can buy the raw pads with switches and relays online for cheap. Alternatively you could move south of the 37th parallel. I choose the later but may still install heated seats at some point. Too many projects and too little time.

That is what I was afraid of. I'm working on moving south but that won't happen for 2 more years!

 

[Ronnie]

When the Seadoo 230 Wake was first introduced I saw one in the showroom that had a heater with three flexible hoses attached to it. Thought it was a great idea but in retrospect it may have only been possible because the 230 wake has a closed loop cooling system.

 

[geohil]

At the risk of sounding like a redneck - our solution was 12 volt heated blankets. I added two cigarette plugs and carry two of these in the forward compartment.
https://www.amazon.com/Roadpro-12-V...d=1518022218&sr=8-2&keywords=12++volt+blanket
Cheaper and can be removed during the winter.

 

[Ronnie]

@geohil , thanks for posting about these, i will have at least one onboard before the next season starts. If i might be a redneck because of this i will be so proudly with no fiberglass cuts and hundreds of dollars in savings in my bank account.

 

[Julian]

A number of members of the old site (yamahajetboaters) installed heaters, here is a link to one of them:

http://yamahajetboaters.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=5334&hilit=heater

Copied below is the pertinent info from there in case you can't get to the post (installed in a 2005 AR230):

Finished the heater install today and even gave it a sea trial. So far so good the temperature at the vents was 100 degrees but what surprised me was that it maintained 100 degrees at idle. I need to add a hot tube so you can stuff hot air where you need it but I am happy for know.

The install took about 8 hours total but that's not to bad considering I had no instructions for the most part. The heater I used was the 40k btu three vent from West Marine (see link below) and the pump was a Jabsco (see link below) shower pump. The biggest problem was finding a consistent hot water source and I think I achieved that. The thermostat has a 3/4 hose that comes out of the bottom of it and outlets just above the jet pump. You can see where I tapped into the hose with a 3/4 automotive flushing tee and a barbed 5/8 brass garden hose repair fitting. Doing this on both engines and making a "Y" (top pic) gave me enough constant hot water without interrupting the cooling system. I was afraid that when the thermostat was closed there would be a interruption in hot water but with both engines hooked up it seems to have enough.

For the outlet I tapped into the floor drain at its lowest point but my fear was that at idle there might be some discharge of water from the floor drain. Well that one turned out to be true so got to find a fitting that is angled for the floor drain hook up so it will blow the water out as opposed to into the floor drain hose. Remember people Rome was not built in a day.

The pump works great, it's quite can be run dry plenty of suction and is safe around fuel vapors. I used a automotive fog light relay so the wires could be run to a fuse box I installed right next to the battery. The switch is mounted in front of the throttle controls one for the fan and one for the pump.

The sea trial was solo and the air was very very cold today but from what I could feel be reaching over to the passenger side I think my kids will be very pleased.


http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product/10001/-1/10001/233377/10001/543/379/12

http://www.boatersworld.com/webapp/...51&catalogId=10051&langId=-1&productId=326208

 

[skrip345]

I installed a heated seat kit in my jeep. Ordered a kit for about 70 bucks on amazon. Came with the heater pads, wiring, relays, and switches. Piece of cake to install. I have thought about adding a few to my boat. They will roast you in the jeep, and I am sure it would make whichever seats you installed them on the most popular on board on colder evening cruises. The only thing i would worry about is the marine durability. Especially if it was the "hot" seat for a cold and wet skier. It would be relatively cheap though.

 

[farrelltravis]

I'm a Yamaha owner and my boat has 3 heaters...... lol.....3 heaters on my Chris Craft 450!! sorry....had to.....