Association Forum - Air Conditioning Ideas...

Assn Members Area · Join

Home.

Association Forum

Ships Store

Cruising

Racing

Technical Tips

Photo Gallery - New

Boat Search - Updated

Manuals & Brochures

Swap Meet

Links

Officer Flag Line & Staff

Bylaws & Constitution

Members Area

Join the Association

Notice:
The advice given on this site is based upon individual or quoted experience, yours may differ.
The Officers, Staff and members of this site only provide information based upon the concept that anyone utilizing this information does so at their own risk and holds harmless all contributors to this site.

Association Forum

Username:	Password:
Save Password
Forgot your Password?

All Forums

Catalina/Capri 25/250 Sailor's Forums

General Sailing Forum

Air Conditioning Ideas...

New Topic

Topic Locked

Printer Friendly

Author

Topic

albert
Captain

Member Avatar

USA
262 Posts

Initially Posted - 11/14/2002 : 00:31:03

I'm planning to add some type of Air Conditioning for next summer. Any ideas/suggestions. Its important to have the A/C available on the hook. I'm looking to power with a Honda ultra quiet genset.

Albert Iturrey
al@comhertz.com
Abacus': http://www.comhertz.com/abacus

Edited by - on

dlucier
Master Marine Consultant

Members Avatar

Virgin Islands (United Kingdom)
7583 Posts

Response Posted - 11/14/2002 : 00:48:26

Have you seen this Tech Tip by Mark Melchior?

http://c25c250.best.vwh.net/restricted/tt025.htm

Don Lucier, 'North Star'
C25 SR/FK
Lake Erie

Edited by - dlucier on 11/14/2002 00:52:24

Edited by - on

dlucier
Master Marine Consultant

Members Avatar

Virgin Islands (United Kingdom)
7583 Posts

Response Posted - 11/14/2002 : 02:09:27

Have you tried passive cooling techniques like cabintop awnings/tents, solar powered day/night exhaust/intake vents, low wattage dc fans, wind scoop for the hatch...etc. A lot of boats up here in Michigan use boom tents to keep the sun off of the cabintop during the summer when temps get into the 90's. This summer I installed a bimini and I was surprised how much cooler the cabin was when it was shaded.

Don Lucier, 'North Star'
C25 SR/FK
Lake Erie

Edited by - on

Walt
1st Mate

Members Avatar

USA
37 Posts

Response Posted - 11/15/2002 : 19:29:19

Has anyone ever tried the small a/c units for power boats. These are small units that require a small pump to run water through the heat exchanger. They do pull some power but are 12V ready... You can then run ducts to where ever yoy want and never have to man handle or even see the unit...

Walt

Edited by - on

Douglas
Master Marine Consultant

Members Avatar

1595 Posts

Response Posted - 11/15/2002 : 20:07:39

What I would like to know from Mark is once his unit is installed how do you get in and out of the cabin ? Why not plumb the cool air in through the front hatch.

Doug&Ruth
Triska (Alberg 29)
Tacoma Wa.

Edited by - on

albert
Captain

Members Avatar

USA
262 Posts

Response Posted - 11/16/2002 : 05:50:53

<BLOCKQUOTE id=quote>quote:<hr height=1 noshade id=quote>
Have you tried passive cooling techniques like cabintop awnings/tents, solar powered day/night exhaust/intake vents, low wattage dc fans, wind scoop for the hatch...
<hr height=1 noshade id=quote></BLOCKQUOTE id=quote>

Don,

The main problem is the humidity. Even this week the humidity makes it uncomfortable for the Admiral to want to stay out over night.

Albert Iturrey
al@comhertz.com
Abacus': http://www.comhertz.com/abacus

Edited by - on

albert
Captain

Members Avatar

USA
262 Posts

Response Posted - 11/16/2002 : 06:10:53

<BLOCKQUOTE id=quote>quote:<hr height=1 noshade id=quote>
What I would like to know from Mark is once his unit is installed how do you get in and out of the cabin ? Why not plumb the cool air in through the front hatch.

Doug&Ruth
Triska (Alberg 29)
Tacoma Wa.
<hr height=1 noshade id=quote></BLOCKQUOTE id=quote>

I like Mark Melchiors method. Its affordable, no drainage problems, and when not needed it can be left dockside; but I agree--the A/C becomes a MAJOR obstruction.

I was thinking of some sort of plumbing. Instead of mounting the wall unit A/C on the main hatch, I could leave it on the cockpit floor and only run a couple of ducts mounted to a thin (maybe 6" to 8") inch hatch board. This would prevent the A/C from becoming a major obstacle. It would just make for a wider step. Problem is this approach violates the K.I.S.S. principle. I would need to carry/store the ducts, A/C, Honda Generator, ...

Maybe the duct work could be made from flat duct sheets; similar to a hood scoop. Sears sells some cheap A/C's with a remote control unit. I would not need direct access to the front panel. I could put the A/C on the cockpit floor, put the hood scoop on top of the front edge of the A/C--wedge/velcor in place; a piece of plywood spanning the two cockpit seats over the A/C (to keep my weight from damaging the unit)...hmmm...an A/C under a cockpit table with only a SLIGHT obstruction...

Albert Iturrey
al@comhertz.com
Abacus': http://www.comhertz.com/abacus

Edited by - albert on 11/16/2002 06:14:41

Edited by - albert on 11/16/2002 06:16:08

Edited by - on

n/a
deleted

Members Avatar

31 Posts

Response Posted - 11/16/2002 : 13:05:31

Albert
Just looked at the pictures of your boat. Thanks. Good job. I have some inablilty to think up new ideas and really enjoy looking at other peoples boats. Wish we could think of some way to encourage others to post similar pictures. It would give us ideas to work on over the winter.

Thanks again.
Bob Arrowood 82 SK, SR

Robert B. Arrowood

Edited by - on

dlucier
Master Marine Consultant

Members Avatar

Virgin Islands (United Kingdom)
7583 Posts

Response Posted - 11/16/2002 : 16:52:32

Have you considered a portable AC unit or an air cooler. Most of these AC units exhaust the hot air extracted from a room through a standard vinyl-like 3 1/2"-4" hose, which would be a perfect fit for the aft clamshell vents on the C25. Some units have a water tank that you have to periodically empty, but the more expensive units vent the humidity through the exhaust. Since this eliminates the need for outside mounting, you could permanently mount the unit, say under the cockpit, and just run a vent hose to the clamshell vent.
<img src="http://store1.yimg.com/I/compactappliance_1714_8351480" border=0>
http://www.compactappliance.net/compactappliance/poraircon.html
Another option could be an air cooler instead of an air conditioner. An air cooler uses water instead of freon to cool the air. You could probably use water from the freshwater tank to supply the unit with water if you are in saltwater. These units generally do not cool like a regular AC unit, but they are generally cheaper, lighter, and smaller.
http://www.compactappliance.net/compactappliance/sunporaircoo.html

Don Lucier, 'North Star'
C25 SR/FK
Lake Erie

Edited by - on

Dave Seely
1st Mate

Members Avatar

46 Posts

Response Posted - 11/16/2002 : 17:34:26

This same question about airconditioning comes up quite offen and I made a similar suggestion on another forum. Running an AC unit all night means running a generator all night too. The problems of noise, exhaust fumes, fuel, the weight and cost of the genset and AC and the instalation problems make it an unrealistic project for most small boat owners. The idea of using evaporative cooling was mentioned but it only works well in areas where the humidity levels are very low. One idea that obviously isn't as nice as aircondioning but is much cheeper, simpler, lighter and easier to install, would be a water cooled matress to sleep on. The water temp in deep water is much cooler than the air temp and water transfers heat away from the body much faster than air. Obviously the deeper the water the better but most lakes get real cold at just a dozen or so feet. Pumping water through a matress would require only a fraction of the energy of an AC unit. A small pump and 50 feet of rubber line would be cheep and easy to locate. The only difficult part would be coming up with a matress. You would need a pourous yet stiff sheet inside the matress so that your body weight doesent cut off the flow of water. Something like a stiff 3M pad might work. Just a thought.

Edited by - on

albert
Captain

Members Avatar

USA
262 Posts

Response Posted - 11/16/2002 : 20:34:56

Dave,

The problem we usually face in S. Florida which is worse than the heat is the humidity. If we could remove the humidity then we wouldn't really need the A/C.

Don,

I had a standup unit at my old job. It would fit in the area in front of the galley. Problem is that it cost $800 for the A/C. I'll check your link. I think it would be great if the price is lower.

Albert Iturrey
al@comhertz.com
Abacus': http://www.comhertz.com/abacus

Edited by - on

MarkTM
Navigator

Members Avatar

USA
178 Posts

Response Posted - 11/20/2002 : 18:34:59

<BLOCKQUOTE id=quote>quote:<hr height=1 noshade id=quote>
What I would like to know from Mark is once his unit is installed how do you get in and out of the cabin? Why not plumb the cool air in through the front hatch.<hr height=1 noshade id=quote></BLOCKQUOTE id=quote>

Down here in Austin, we only use the AC when staying overnight (dockside) on the boat. So, it is one of the last things we put in place before heading below at night. Still, we have no problem stepping over the modified hatchboard into the cockpit (or into the cabin, as the case may be). Of course, I wouldn't want to be doing this in my 70's as that first step is a large one. Except for the minor inconvenience of stepping over the hatchboard and to either side of the unit, this is the PERFECT location for the unit. The air is directed into the settee area and not directly onto those sleeping in either the v-berth or the aft berth. Those hatch-mounted CruiseAir units will freeze you out of the v-berth . . . even with the optional air diverter. Condensation drains out the stern and there is no annoying rattle above us as there might be with a front hatch-mounted unit. Best of all, this solution costs me less than $150.

As strange as it may seem, we keep our heavy blankets/comforters onboard during the winter AND summer. Oftentimes, it is colder in the cabin on a summer night because the cabin cools down to 60ºF/40%RH with the AC. During the winter on those 35ºF nights, the cabin gets up to 70°F because of our electric heater. Yes, toasty in the winter and frigid in the summer <img src=icon_smile.gif border=0 align=middle>

BTW, I think the Honda EU-2000 will provide plenty of juice for the AC should we decide to cool down at anchor.

Mark Melchior
C250wb "Lorelei" #384
[url="http://www.texassailor.com/"]<img src="http://www.texassailor.com/texas.gif " border=0>[/url]
(click flag to visit Central Texas Sailor)

Edited by - marktm on 11/20/2002 18:39:56

Edited by - on

Topic

New Topic

Topic Locked

Printer Friendly

Jump To:

Association Forum

Notice: The advice given on this site is based upon individual or quoted experience, yours may differ.
The Officers, Staff and members of this site only provide information based upon the concept that anyone utilizing this information does so at their own risk and holds harmless all contributors to this site.