my heater vent tubes kinda blow!

[joe surfer]

both heater tubes that mount under passneger seats are both barely bent but wont go back down the shaft they came out of.... after having the boat only 2 weeks they are both not usable.... my only complaint so far but it feels like a pretty cheap design on such a fantastic boat

any ideas on an easy fix or replacement?

[SquamInboards]

I think unfortunately you're dealing with something made by Heater Craft, not by Supra. I have the exact same part in my 1989 boat (retrofitted) and yeah, it's finicky. Mine's been stepped on a few times and it has a very hard time going back in. Sadly, I'm not aware of any upgraded version. What you could do is replace one (or both) with just a straight vent. Then you just drape a towel or blanket over your lap and still get a lot of heat that way... unless you're trying to get heat to go far away from that point, a straight vent will crank out a good blast of hot air. I have the tube in my boat to reach the back seat, and only take it out when absolutely necessary.