Replacing water heater, advice on brands?

[YeOldeStonecat]

Didn't mean to hijack your thread. For $350 it's about as cheap as a boat part gets. The labor is significant if you have to pay. For you since you have to remove it to work on it, just replace it. The welder said he could spend a few more hours working on the one fitting, but he suspects corrosion inside as well and recommended we call it quits and I replace it.

No worries at all about "hijacking"...the more input and situations from people, creates a thread that will help more and more people!

Yeah as you'll notice..sometimes the part(s) aren't the most expensive thing, it's the labor, the wrenching. My water heater is right up by my transom, it's like the boat was built around it! I have to pull the exhaust from one of the engines just to get enough room to slide it out and slide in a replacement. In addition to tying my ankles to the transom and hanging upside down under the deck for a few hours with my head turning beet red from the blood flow!

 

[Handsome Transom]

I am happy with the KUUMA I bought and installed this spring on our 268DA . I had to remove the riser and oil filter bracket port side to get it in place . I bonded 1inch cedar strips to the spot where it attaches and screwed the tank to that . Hopefully the gap created between the tank and boat help keep the bottom of the tank from coroding due to condensation being trapped there.