Xtreme Heaters

[Lee Weber]

Anyone have experience with Xtreme engine compartment heaters? I had one installed in my 08 22Ve so we could go out on the nice days without draining the block every time. Great idea, but I do get nervous on some of these cold nights. Any thoughts or advice?

[chpthril]

They come as optional equipment in the engine bays of Cruisers Yachts. My dealer installs them in those that don't have them.

Doesn't take a lot of heat to keep the engine bay above freezing, what kinda low temps to you see?

[Lee Weber]

We see lows in the mid-20's and occasionally a bit lower, but very seldom does the temp stay below feezing for more than 4-6 hours. It was 28 this morning and is a beautiul 63 now.

[chpthril]

Lots of people (i've done it) have used a 60W drop-light in a pinch to keep from freezing. One of their small heaters should work just fine and keep ya safe.

[Lee Weber]

Thanks! I am sure it is more effective than a light bulb- at least I hope so aftr spending $350!!

[wminnich]

Anyone have experience with Xtreme engine compartment heaters? I had one installed in my 08 22Ve so we could go out on the nice days without draining the block every time. Great idea, but I do get nervous on some of these cold nights. Any thoughts or advice?

I have one in my 22ve. This is my second winter using it. I don't winterize my boat.

I installed drain valves on the hoses which feed to my heater core (I have a factory heater for the cabin which uses water off the engine block for heat). So all I do is drain my heater core and then plug in my Xtreme heater and I'm done. I also put a towel over the engine's blower vent to provide better insulation of the engine compartment.

The real danger here is losing electrical power during a bad ice storm. If that were to happen, I'd need to go put my boat in the water and start it up and let it idle. Or go thru the process of winterizing my boat during the storm.

Personally, I think its silly that all the boat manufacturers haven't designed a simple single drain that is easy to access in order to avoid this problem. The amount of cumulative effort that everyone goes thru each year because of this design is simply stunning. Winter happens every year right? Why is this an acceptable design in boats?


BTW: I considered using a light bulb. But I keep my boat in a marina. Its probably very unlikely, but if I had a fire on my boat because I didn't use a proper heater...it could result in destroying my boat and many others as well. I wasn't willing to risk that kind of damage for a single purchase of a good heater. I sleep better.

[chpthril]

I cant find the link right now, but there is an aftermarket company that makes an apparatus for draining the drive train from a central block. It was around $400-$500, if I remember right, but seemed like it would be real hard to get to on a typical V-drive as the drain block was located on the lower/front of engine.

[dmgski22ve]

Do you have any pics of the drain valves on your heater core hoses...? I would like to see them... thanks, Dave