Beneteau 323 Heater Installation & Heater type

[Paul G]

Hi

Help please wanting install a hot air heater on our boat

happy to do it myself as i have done one before but having trouble where to mount the thing

Could any 323 owners email me a photo of where your heater is mounted

we had a eberspacher on a previous boat but people are telling me Webasto Airtop is the best hot air heater and much more reliable !!

got a very good price for airtop marine kit inc 9 mtrs ducting and insulation and muffler for exhaust £1,300 !!

Paul G

 

[Cloven]

Hi Paul and welcome to the forum. In the absence of any other replies, I will pass on my experience of fitting a heater to a slightly smaller boat (27ft) some years ago). Looked long and hard and in the end I opted for a Mikuni. I the probably though about the installation for a couple of months over the winter before beginning the installation in the spring.

Eventually fitted the burner unit in the cockpit locket for several reasons, convenient space, close to the fuel tank for connections and easy to vent exhaust via the transom and of course any smell was outside the main part of the boat. Secret to fitting the ducting was to invest in a really good hole saw of the correct size. All went well and it worked faultlessly for the several years I continued to own that boat.

 

[David2452]

Well I hope the muffler is welded into the exhaust tube not a separate one, just out of interest which Airtop model is it? Most of the Bennys around 30 - 35 feet I have either fitted to or serviced have been mounted in the transom void, it means the heater is lateral which is not ideal for operating when heeled for long periods but they don't seem to suffer.

 

[pvb]

After many years of happy Eberspacher ownership, I've just had an Airtop 3900 EVO heater fitted to my new boat. Initial impressions are very good - it's quiet and has intelligent fan speed control to keep the noise to a minimum. As David2452 says, you need to ensure you get a genuine marine kit; there are lots of cowboys flogging vehicle kits as "marine".

 

[ChiPete]

Hi Paul,

What year is your 323? On our 2008 323, the heater is installed in the bottom of the cockpit locker with a large shelf over the top that the usual contents sit on. I'm going to the boat tomorrow (Sunday) and will take photos. Can't think of a better place on the boat.

Cheers,
Pete

 

[mcanderson]

Hi Paul,

I too have a 323, 2005 model with Eber heating. We have a D4 with two outlets. One in the aft cabin and one under the chart table.

Our heater is mounted at the rear of the boat and you need to pull the floor of the cockpit locker out to get at it. I know as I had to change our ECU. I will have a look for some photos I took when I changed the ecu, or pm me and I will take some photos next week when I am on board.