We purchased a new boat and specified that an Xtreme heater be installed in the engine compartment to protect the single Volvo Penta D6-370 hp diesel engine and other installed equipment. It protected the boat for the entire winter in Vancouver, BC, Canada until we could take delivery in the early spring of 2011.
Since taking delivery, we’ve added a second Xtreme heater in the engine compartment, mounted on the quick release bracket since it was installed very close to the engine and could be in the way for certain engine work. This gives us two heaters, a 450 watt heater (the first one) and a 600 watt (the second one) heater. This will make sure we can run the boat all winter here in Seattle with no freeze damage risk. We just added another Xtreme heater in the lowest part of our V berth to keep the boat interior above freezing without running a standard electric boat space heater with a resistive coil, which is a fire hazard.
These units so impressed the dealer for the boat they recommend them to all their new and existing owners and I know of one owner who already installed one. My marine electrician was very impressed with the quality of the construction and said he will be recommending these to his customers as well. Three Xtreme Heaters on one boat….yep, I’m a fan!!
By the way, the freeze spray testing method works perfectly. Helps to confirm our electrical installation was correct and that the unit is functioning at the start of the season. We installed engine fresh air intake covers out of Sunbrella fabric and the engine compartment is staying right in the 40-50 degree range, despite some pretty cold nights in the 20’s. Very happy customer!!
Barry Rutten
Commander 30 flybridge sedan
