hot water heater recommendations???

centerline

centerline

.
Mar 20, 2012
3,983
Cal 34-III, MacGregor 25 Salem, Oregon
its time to replace the hot water heater.... 6 gallon, 110V w/heat exchanger.
in the Defender catalog, I see prices ranging from 300 dollars for a Seaward aluminum tank model to 824 dollars for the Raritan with a glass lined steel tank....
the Isotemp stainless models fall in between these prices....
Torrid has a glass lined steel tank spec'd the same as the Raritan, but with a stainless shell for 90 dollars less than Raritan.... what makes Raritan so special?

I am not shopping for cheap, I want value and the longest lasting one available.... why is Raritan so high with the steel tank when Isotemp has stainless models cheaper?.... is stainless not the preferred material for a hot water heater over a glass lined steel tank?.. how about aluminum?...

appreciate the input...:D
 
M

mitiempo

.
Sep 28, 2008
922
Canadian Sailcraft CS27 Victoria B.C.
Hard to beat the Isotemp. It would be my first choice. Raritan and Torrid are both very good as well. Seaward, and to a greater extent Kuuma, are built to a price vs a quality standard.
 
Claude L.-Auger

Claude L.-Auger

.
Dec 14, 2003
1,450
Hunter 34 Lake of Two Mountains, QC, Can
What was there ? How long did it last ? Easiest replacement is to go with same type. In the end, space as well as tubing & wires positioning, will probably dictate what you can install. Good luck
 
centerline

centerline

.
Mar 20, 2012
3,983
Cal 34-III, MacGregor 25 Salem, Oregon
Claude L.-Auger said:
What was there ? How long did it last ? Easiest replacement is to go with same type. In the end, space as well as tubing & wires positioning, will probably dictate what you can install. Good luck
Click to expand
the Raritan is what I have now.... but i do have plenty of room for any 6gal model i choose...

I called Raritan and found that the water heater I have was manufactured in 1994... so its not original with the boat, although the boat was originally outfitted with a Raritan heater according to the build sheet in the boat records...
so this means we can reasonably expect at least 17 to 20 years from another Raritan unit.... I think that would probably last long enough for us....:D
 
Stu Jackson

Stu Jackson

.
Feb 26, 2004
23,348
Catalina 34 224 Maple Bay, BC, Canada
Short answer:

Seaward - least expensive, I found one for $281 including s/h from Sure Marine Seattle

Raritan - more expensive but no better features

Isotemp - worth the extra $$ if it fits, best insulation, comes with a thermostatic mixing valve
 
ggrizzard

ggrizzard

.
May 27, 2004
2,059
Hunter 30_74-83 Ponce Inlet FL
Centerline,
I bought an Isotemp but haven't really used it yet, so no recommendation on brand. But, I do have two caveats:
1. Have you measured the access space to the mounting location? When our boats were built and appliances installed, the cabin top was off. When I tried to remove the original, water heater, I had to cut it into pieces. What really caused the problem was that the new Seaward I put in 15 years ago wouldn't fit until I cut a section of the cockpit locker shelf away and reformed it to give the space needed to install.
2. When you plumb the heat exchanger, run it through the engine heat exchanger to avoid salt water in the heater.
I now have a 2GM with heat exchanger to run the new Isotemp so I won't rust it out as I did with the YSM raw water cooled engine and the Seaward.
 
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