Sue's early Christmas

Yesterday we walked to the local West Marine in Marathon.  They had one water heater in stock; the exact one we were hoping to find as a matter of fact.  With a couple of discount coupons from West that Chris had e-mailed us, and a page from a competitor's catalog with a much lower price that West matched, we were on our way back to the boat.

Here's what the factory thinks a water heater should look like.

This morning, (cold, grey, and windy by the way - Chris doesn't want me to complain about our weather, so I'm just mentioning the conditions) we got right to the project du jour.  After removing the access panel, taking apart the fresh water system and sink drain, it was time to see if we could make a 13 inch appliance fit into a 12 inch opening.

Heater core, sink drain, and fresh water system (in background)

All you have to do is take off the cover, the ends, and the bottom.  I'm not sure, but I think this voids the warranty.  And if that doesn't, when you cut the cover in half with a saber saw you can pretty much forget about getting a refund from West Marine.  The rest of the project went surprisingly well, with very little creative language.  We were able to get the bottom, the two ends, and the top and one side back into place.  The local Home Depot didn't have the plumbing bits I wanted so we have a small leak, but Sue was able to wash dishes with hot water!  I'm hoping there will be a better hardware store in Key West.