boofer
10-27-2007, 02:15 AM
I managed to get 2 out of the 3 things I wanted to accomplish with the boat done this summer: install a depth finder, upgrade the ballast. The last on my list was a heater. I managed to get myself a week off from work. So, I decided to give it a shot. I am glad that I had the entire week to devote to this project; I needed it.
First of all, I used P-hat in Cincy's write up as a guide. His write up is located here; http://www.wakesiderides.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=17249
For all practical purposes the same boat.
I wanted to keep the system as stock as possible. But, I did decide to go with the three vent system since it does pump out more heat. The stock system would be a two vent system. And I have failed to mention, the brand of heater is Heatercraft. I am 99% positive that this is what the boat would of come with from the factory or installed by the dealer.
Basically, you mount the core behind the drivers side kick panel, route the hoses to the engine and hook them up, install the vent tubes, and wire it. MC has placed a mounting plate behind the kick panel. But, to get to it you have to remove the kick panel. This is a royal PITA. You remove the two screws on the lower left hand side. Easy enough. But, the wiring bundles under the dash put a lot of pressure down on to the panel. I used a large screw driver and a crow bad to gingerly raise the panel then scoot it out. I have the factory sub and later I found that If I removed it that made the panel easier to get past the drivers seat (which I left in). Removing the drivers seat would definitely help, but I decided to leave it in place. Needless to say, I unhooked all of the wiring harnesses from the components that are attached to the panel.
Okay, so the panel is out. Now you will see the mounting plate. It is basically a 1/2" thick piece of very dense plastic (you'll find it all over the boat where they mount stuff). Here is a pic.
http://carpron.com/multisite/d/168028-2/Picture+094.jpg
And here is a closeup view.
http://carpron.com/multisite/d/168024-2/Picture+093.jpg
Now, if you have read P-hat's write up, you will know that to install the 3 vent core, you will have to build an additional mounting plate since the 3 vent core extends past the stock mounting plate. I did the exact same plate as P-hat. Measure the piece to coincide with the size of the core and don't forget to account for the mounting side plates. The only difference between mine and P-hat's is that I mounted my plate with 6 screws (me anal). I then inserted two of these triangular-like nuts that iinbed themselves on the left side of the plate and used screws to hold that side in place. I cannot recall the names of these nuts, but i found them at West Marine. I drilled 2 holes completely through the right side of the plate and just used screws and nuts. This way my core is separate from my plate. Now, one problem that I had with the stock mounting plate. The fiberglass was poorly done and there were high spots where my mounting plate needed to go. Here is a pic:
http://carpron.com/multisite/d/168070-2/Picture+093a.JPG
I had to sand these down to make the surface flush.
First of all, I used P-hat in Cincy's write up as a guide. His write up is located here; http://www.wakesiderides.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=17249
For all practical purposes the same boat.
I wanted to keep the system as stock as possible. But, I did decide to go with the three vent system since it does pump out more heat. The stock system would be a two vent system. And I have failed to mention, the brand of heater is Heatercraft. I am 99% positive that this is what the boat would of come with from the factory or installed by the dealer.
Basically, you mount the core behind the drivers side kick panel, route the hoses to the engine and hook them up, install the vent tubes, and wire it. MC has placed a mounting plate behind the kick panel. But, to get to it you have to remove the kick panel. This is a royal PITA. You remove the two screws on the lower left hand side. Easy enough. But, the wiring bundles under the dash put a lot of pressure down on to the panel. I used a large screw driver and a crow bad to gingerly raise the panel then scoot it out. I have the factory sub and later I found that If I removed it that made the panel easier to get past the drivers seat (which I left in). Removing the drivers seat would definitely help, but I decided to leave it in place. Needless to say, I unhooked all of the wiring harnesses from the components that are attached to the panel.
Okay, so the panel is out. Now you will see the mounting plate. It is basically a 1/2" thick piece of very dense plastic (you'll find it all over the boat where they mount stuff). Here is a pic.
http://carpron.com/multisite/d/168028-2/Picture+094.jpg
And here is a closeup view.
http://carpron.com/multisite/d/168024-2/Picture+093.jpg
Now, if you have read P-hat's write up, you will know that to install the 3 vent core, you will have to build an additional mounting plate since the 3 vent core extends past the stock mounting plate. I did the exact same plate as P-hat. Measure the piece to coincide with the size of the core and don't forget to account for the mounting side plates. The only difference between mine and P-hat's is that I mounted my plate with 6 screws (me anal). I then inserted two of these triangular-like nuts that iinbed themselves on the left side of the plate and used screws to hold that side in place. I cannot recall the names of these nuts, but i found them at West Marine. I drilled 2 holes completely through the right side of the plate and just used screws and nuts. This way my core is separate from my plate. Now, one problem that I had with the stock mounting plate. The fiberglass was poorly done and there were high spots where my mounting plate needed to go. Here is a pic:
http://carpron.com/multisite/d/168070-2/Picture+093a.JPG
I had to sand these down to make the surface flush.