What's under my driver seat base (can I put a hot tube in it)?

[justgary]

Now that I actually have my new Heater Craft heater in hand, I have decided that the best place for a hot tube is the driver's seat base. I can drill it and put the tube in, then feed the hot air from the other side (from just under the end of the throttle panel).

If the base is open to the bilge, I'll have to figure out how to cut a decent hole to feed the hose through so I can hook it up to the hot tube. If the base is just glassed to the floor, I can hack any old hole and use a flange to connect the hose to the seat base and let the base force hot air into the hot tube.

This placement would be optimal to keep the hose run short, but still have the hot air on the observer's legs while the tube is fully stowed. I just don't want to drill a big hole and then find out it's full of foam. I hate digging out foam.

The boat is a 1999 Sunsetter LX. If you know where the factory might have put hot tubes, please let me know. I'm still open to ideas.

[JB-FOOT]

I am curious on this answer too, as I am looking into where to put my 4 heater tube/outlets for my closed bow echelon...

[BuNewb]

I have a '00 vlx and under my seat there is a screw off top that allows you access to that space. Mine is empty, but you might take your seat off and check. I bet it has the same screw off opening.

[Slyexe]

I'm pretty sure the stock hottube is located under the spotter seat near the sidestorage, there is just enough room for it beside the fiberglass cooler. If I had taken pictures of where mine is mounted you'd probably understand right away. Although comparing to the boats now, most have it in the walkthrough.

I'd go with whatever seems logical for your own personal usage.

Edited April 22, 2014 by Slyexe

[justgary]

BuNewb - Your seat box has an ace port? That would work great for access. I'll take the seat off, but I think I just have slide rails on a flat box.

Slyexe - I know the place you are talking about, but it will take a lot of hose to go around the bow. I don't want to go through the ski locker. If I put the heater on the port side, I have trouble getting heat to the driver.

I don't really want the heater on the port side since it's a closed compartment connected to the bilge.

[justgary]

BuNewb, you *are* the man!

It's not an ace port, but it will work perfectly well for what I'm up to. I peeked under the seat, and I could see the cover. After I got inside, I found what I had hoped for; a box above the floor that is relatively well sealed. I know it's got a decent enough seal because it is damp inside.

I need to fabricate an angle flange to support the hot tube (because the seat base is not thick enough to allow the tube to match the angle of the side of the base), and a box flange for the starboard side of the seat base where the heater hose will meet it just behind the throttle panel.

I also discovered how disgusting it was under the seat. I knew that the starboard side of the base was bad (I saw that after I bought the boat), and I have not given the boat a good cleaning yet. Anyway, excuse the mess: