Radiant heater

"I have a mercruiser 233 in th

"I have a mercruiser 233 in the 24 ft fibreform to the left.Ford 351W. A plumber friend of mine has taken a commercial grade hot water radiator and adapted it to fit the 1 inch lines I have on my closed cooling system. He has intalled two valves, one that is on a bypass to open when heat is not required . If I want heat, I open the one that feeds through the heater and close the bypass.I realize that one MUST be open at all times for coolant to circulate. I plan on plumbing it into one of the two lines that run from the water pump to the riser. My questions are, will adding about 10 feet of hose make much difference in coolant circulation and are ther any other associated problems I should be aware of before going ahead and installing it. He tells me that 150-160 degree water should more than heat the boat."

"You Should be drawing your Ho

"You Should be drawing your Hot water from the Intake Manifold or the Block,.....

And Returning it to the Circulating pump.......

Then you'll Not be altering any of the routes of the Water Flow....."

"Adding that additional length

"Adding that additional length will reduce flow... a little bit. But considering you're only going to be using when it's cold, it should be fine, plus the radiator will act as a heat sink for the engine as well. If you can cowl a fan over that heater, you'll really get that boat warm!
I'm considering doing something like that, but more for a defroster for the windshield... a little warm air blowing on my feet while heading out to the fishing grounds woudn't be a bad thing either!
I did a fishing trip a few years ago on a head boat that had engine coolant circulating through the hand rails... THAT WAS NICE!"

right. some folks use "sco

right. some folks use "scool bus heaters"... basically a heater core with a little squirl cage blower plumbed into the engine coolant. Nice and toasty.

"Bondo,
I`m not that familiar

"Bondo,
I`m not that familiar with marine applications but in automotive applications for ford small blocks there is a small 90 degree bypass hose than comes from the thermostat housing on the intake back to the water pump. Is this what you are referring to ? Maybe it`s time to get out my manual and rethink the installation procedure."

"Well Barry,.... I'm not a

"Well Barry,.... I'm not all that familiar with Fords either.....

But,....
It's the Block that holds Pressurized water,+ the engine Circulating Pump is the Low Pressure Point.........

On my 4.3l,.. I found a plugged Port on the Intake Manifold for my Pressure side,+ a plugged Port on the circulating Pump for a Return line......
I also installed Ball-Valves at these points to make Shut-offs,+ Winterizations Easier.....

You could also use a Port on the Engine Block for the Pressure side, If you can find 1.....

I Thought about using the line going to a Riser, thinking it would be the Hottest Water,....
But,.. The Length of Line would definitely Increase the resistence,+ the Heater Core would Really cause some More Resistence.....
But,.... due to the T-stat dumping water Into that line when the T-stat is Closed, by-passing the Block,(when it's building it's Heat)....
It Isn't the Hottest Water that's available to Use.....
Water that's In the Block IS the Hottest water to Use......

Btw,.....
I used a Heater out an "R" Model Mack,....You'll want to find 1 from a Junkyard, or I bought mine on ebay,.. As Mack wants a Large Fortune for 1.....
It's self-contained, with the Core, Blower,+ Ducting for Heat,+ Defrost.....
Even Better is that it's only about 12"X15"X18".... Real Easy to find a spot to Mount it....
The 1 in My boat is mounted Under the dash, just forward of the cabin Bulkhead....
The 1 I put in a Bud's boat is mounted Under the passenger's Seat......

Good Luck.......
And,.... Make Sure that you're able to Drain it for Winterization........."

"<[img]"http://www.marineengin

"
Bondo,
Your points are taken well except for 2 things.
1. The radiator is a residential type which is just a length of 1 inch copper pipe with the fins on it.It`s 2 feet long and about 6 inches deep and 4 inches thick including the cover.
Therefore shouldn`t , itself , add too much resistence.
2.It`s in the closed cooling system so as far as winterization goes, it will have antifreeze in it all year?
Tks
Barry"

""I plan on plumbing it in

""I plan on plumbing it into one of the two lines that run from the water pump to the riser."

I guess That thru me,.....
Usually a line running To a Riser is water that's about to be dumped Overboard........

If you're running a Freshwater System,.....
Just use the Hotwater/Engine side of the Heatexchanger as your Feed to the Heater......
That's as Hot as it's going to Get.......

I boat In freshwater,.....
And I like a Heater that makes me want to Open the Windows......
I guess that's Why I over-engineered it......"