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Still cogitating on the AC

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Frank Hopper
Past Commodore

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Pitcairn Island
6776 Posts

Initially Posted - 03/13/2004 : 19:14:33

I was unhappy with my first unit because it blows up and not out so I found this unit at Sears for $150. 5600-BTU. As I was messing around it occurred to me that rather than putting it in the teak bulkhead, I could put the hatch in the bulkhead and simply set the AC on a shelf in the sail locker. It may still be easier to simply make up a new bulkhead for when the AC is in season and use the old one for when it is not.

Edited by - on

Sea Trac
Master Marine Consultant

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Vanuatu
1357 Posts

Response Posted - 03/13/2004 : 22:43:59

Frank,

I still don't quite get this whole concept. First of all, won't the air conditioner overheat, because it will heat exchange upon itself in the sail locker. Second, we discussed condensation in the sail locker last year, but I don't remember if it ever got addressed. Finally, are you attempting to cool the quarterberth, salon, V-berth, or the whole cabin? Seems like the quarterberth will be a meat locker and the V-berth will hardly be affected. Like I said, I'm just not getting it.

Related to window unit A/C on boats, my best friend (Allied 32) once rigged an insulated, flexible duct from a window unit on a stand dockside over to a custom made fore hatch cover. Worked great...until the first time they went sailing...glug, glug, glug.

Edited by - on

Frank Hopper
Past Commodore

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Pitcairn Island
6776 Posts

Response Posted - 03/13/2004 : 23:48:15

The hatch is the one I bought to install in the footwell wall of the sail locker to act as an exhaust vent. I was going to put it in so it opened from the bottom and could be open in the rain. It doesn't fit well and the bilge pump is in the way. I am ok with simply leaving the seat hatch open for a vent. As for the condensation in the evaporator catch pan; we will see what needs to be done when I see the problem in action.

Meat locker quarter berth sounds fine to me, we will sleep on the new queen bed in the salon. I figure that if this turns out to be dumb I will put it in my shed for my work shop.

Edited by - on

cch
Navigator

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202 Posts

Response Posted - 03/15/2004 : 09:41:48

Hi Frank,

I may have a great solution to the AC question. At Home Depot I found an air conditioner which sits in the room you are conditioning and only has a 4" exhaust hose which goes outside.

The down size is it is heavy. What I am planning is to install the AC and just leave it on board unless we are going out to spend the night on the boat away from the dock.

I have purchased the unit but need to do some dock wiring to make it safe.

I am at work and really didn't have time to be reading the forum, but you know how it is. I will post some photos and keep you up to date.

Frank, this is the year we get our boats air conditioned!!!

Edited by - on

Chip Hunt
Navigator

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120 Posts

Response Posted - 03/15/2004 : 10:18:11

here is how i attacked the AC issue. i went to lowes and bought the cheapest window unit they had (about 110 bucks). i then bought a half-inch sheet of plywood. i took my companionway boards out of the boat and assembled them on top of the sheet of plywood. i outlined the boards with a pencil, and then jig-sawed the excess plywood out. i then put my AC unit on top of the new plywood "skirt" and outlined it with a pencil. i then jigsawed a hole for the AC unit. the unit fits the bottom of the companionway almost perfectly. i sat the unit in the bottom of the companionway and slid the plywood skirt in on top of the unit. what few small gaps were there were then filled with foam weather stripping. the unit was plugged in thru the shorepower and turned on. the water from condensation dripped into the cockpit (for the most part), and the cabin area was kept nice and cool. this arrangement does pose a bit of a problem when entering or exiting the boat. i found that it is easier to just gain entry thru the hatch in the v-berth (kinda like crawling down into a submarine or something). the system really works flawlessly. i live in charleston, sc, and it gets mighty hot here in july and august, which is really the only time i use this setup. with the unit running at full speed, it is nice and cool throughout the boat. when not in use, i store the unit and the skirt in my dock box at the bow of the boat.

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sailgal
Captain

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USA
400 Posts

Response Posted - 03/16/2004 : 12:08:56

This is a photo of a companionway AC unit from the 250 tech tips, sounds similiar to Chips.
I bought a freestanding AC unit from Best buy on clearance last year. It exhausts out my bath window port. Yup it is heavy (70lbs) but at 9000 btus I'm cool. Keep it in the house when it's cool weather in the winter months.

Keep cool

(I hear the northeast is expecting 8 inches of snow....)

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cch
Navigator

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202 Posts

Response Posted - 03/17/2004 : 00:24:56

Suzie,

Your freestanding unit is close to what I just purchased to try in Moonglade. Haven't managed to get shore power up to snuff yet, so have yet to try it out. Does it work well? Does it keep the humidity down inside the boat?

Thanks

Edited by - on

Steve Shetter
1st Mate

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USA
60 Posts

Response Posted - 03/17/2004 : 19:19:03

When I got "At Last", she came with a "CArry-On Cruisair" air conditioner that fits over the front hatch. It does a good job at night, even when it's really hot and humid in the summer. It just doesn't have the uumph to keep it cool during the day, if it's hotter than 90 degrees. The only problem that I have had with it is the fact that there is a condensation that forms on the corners of the unit, that drips very slowly onto the center of the V-berth, during the night... you know... about shoulder high. WOW! Is that cold!

If I tinker with it long enough, I may figure out why it condenses that little bit of water inside rather than outside (virtually all of the condensation runs onto the foredeck innocently. The biggest problem is that it weighs about 60 lbs +/- and is diffiult to store. Thus far I have stored it in the starboard Quarterdeck berth when not in use, but it's big and bulky to put in there. I will admit that it is nice at night with the pop-top up and covered, with the a/c running... kinda reminds me of home... only quieter!!!

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cch
Navigator

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202 Posts

Response Posted - 03/17/2004 : 21:42:55

Hi Steve,

Do you know what the BTU rating is on your unit? Might help some of know what to expect with the things were are experimenting with.

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NuNees
Navigator

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USA
125 Posts

Response Posted - 03/17/2004 : 22:43:26

Frank,
I like that hatch idea ... but getting one that will fit seems to be a chore ... is that right?
I bought a 5200 btu unit from walmartloweshomedepot for a little over one boat unit. (Even has a remote control ... talk about 'Guy Heaven!) The problem, yet to be solved is vacating hot air from the Lazerette/sail locker. Leaving the lid open seems to bo OK, for now. Just not very seaman-like.
I removed the partition and replaced it with a couple of pieces of cheap plywood, one on each side.
I built a small shelf and set the A/C unit just aft of the centerline of the hatch, hoping to get some fresh air.
I addesd two small fans, one in the lazerette to help push air out, and one in the qtr berth to push the cooled air into the cabin.
I'm anxious to get to work on this project to see if I can sharpen it up.
That portable unit that Sailgal posted looks interesting ...
I still have the good teak partition if this thing flops ...
When I clean it up I'll post a couple of pics.
Meanwhile ...Spring is almost here ... could get to 65 deg this weekend ... can't wait.

Edited by - on

sailgal
Captain

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USA
400 Posts

Response Posted - 03/22/2004 : 12:20:46

Hey Chris, I tried the ac only once this past fall, and it worked great. Waiting for the dead of (Fl.) summer to come so I can really give it a test drive. I'll report back then. Also keep in mind, this thing is 9000 btus.

Edited by - on

Frank Hopper
Past Commodore

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Pitcairn Island
6776 Posts

Response Posted - 03/25/2004 : 14:54:01

Ok I couldn't let the companion way install stand, I tried. It just makes ingress and egress too hard. The little Carrier fits so nicely.

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cshaw
Captain

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USA
460 Posts

Response Posted - 03/26/2004 : 18:43:54

Can't remember where I saw it, but a while back I ran across a guy who had the A/C sitting on the dock, with a dryer hose running over to the boat to capture and funnel the cool air into the boat. Never pulled air OUT of the boat, just pumped it in.....Guess there are enough air leaks to make this work OK. He said it worked great, and did not clutter up the boat.

Chuck

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Sid
Navigator

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129 Posts

Response Posted - 03/30/2004 : 10:56:26

I was lucky. When i purchased my C25 last year , the owner had installed a Mermaid 12000btu AC/5000btu heater on board. it sits in the rear port locker(dinette interior). Cools the boat very well, except the starboard settee is unusable due to being too cold. I reviewed the install instructions, and it should have had three ducts, not one. As stated above, fans are needed to circulate because even with 12000 btus, the vberth is still warmer than the main cabin so the crew freezes will the Admiral drops the thermostat to cool the v. The unit is heavy and mounted to port, same as the outboard, so the boat list about 2" to port and takes a lot of storage space. At least I get the Admiral to the boat when the temps hit 100 in the summer

Edited by - on

albert
Captain

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USA
262 Posts

Response Posted - 03/30/2004 : 21:48:06

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Sid
 I was lucky. When i purchased my C25 last year , the owner had installed a Mermaid 12000btu AC/5000btu heater on board. it sits in the rear port locker(dinette interior). Cools the boat very well, except the starboard settee is unusable due to being too cold. I reviewed the install instructions, and it should have had three ducts, not one. As stated above, fans are needed to circulate because even with 12000 btus, the vberth is still warmer than the main cabin so the crew freezes will the Admiral drops the thermostat to cool the v. The unit is heavy and mounted to port, same as the outboard, so the boat list about 2" to port and takes a lot of storage space. At least I get the Admiral to the boat when the temps hit 100 in the summer

.

<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Sid,

Could you post pics of the AC installation. I've considered installing the smaller Mermaid AC.

Thanks.

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Steve Shetter
1st Mate

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USA
60 Posts

Response Posted - 04/10/2004 : 10:52:58

Chris,

Sorry to take so long to answer. No, I don't know what the BTU's are on the "Carry-on" but I'll be down on the baot next week and I'll look. If you want the info right away, I can tell you where there is a used unit ($995.00) retail value shown) on sale for $250.00. It's at Sailboats, Inc. in Indianapolis, IN. The owner, a Catalina dealer and a really nice guy, is Tom Moore and can be reached at 317/ 875-7845 or e-mail at tom@sailboatsindiana.com. I'm sure that he will either know or will look for you. Either way, I'll get the info next week.

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Back-Into-Sailing
Deckhand

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USA
8 Posts

Response Posted - 04/21/2004 : 22:37:44

I found a website for a company here in Texas that might have the right solution. I sent them an email and got the follwing info regarding A/C. They have a custom package for the C25 that has reverse cycle heat, ducts to 2 cabins, and a programmable thermostat. The package comes with comprehensive step-by-step instructions and photos. It's supposed to be a system that is safe, efficient, reliable, and low maintenance. The kit also includes a marine plywood mounting floor with epoxy kit and instructions, a nice teak grille for the main cabin duct, and a matching Catalina factory circuit breaker. It's what they call the "COOL the Easy Way" system. They claim also that it has been engineered to draw so little power that it can be run from their COOL Power inverter system
and 12v batteries.

They don't yet have the details up on the website at www.2becool.com, but can you can get info at 877-2-BE-COOL. His email is scotts@customyacht.com (his name is Scott). He said that this is the same Package that is advertised in the Catalina Mainsheet, customized for the C25 (and 250, I think).

The package is supposed to include everything you need for the installation. It has a 5-year warranty.

They don't have pictures of a C25 installation, but he sent me this link for a C28.

http://scotts.echoechoplus.com/gallery/view_album.php?set_albumName=album01

I haven't talked to him yet about total prices. If someone else does first, I'd be interested in what he says.

Van Johnson

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thacket3
Navigator

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USA
101 Posts

Response Posted - 04/22/2004 : 14:12:16

I got an e-mail from Scott at the above mentioned 2 be cool. He forwarded the link to me abouthte set up for the C-25. Cost is $1800.
Below is the e-mail reply and the link to the page for the set up.

Tim-

Great, I assume our ad is working in the Catalina Mainsheet?

Our Totally COOL Package system for the Catalina 25 includes a teak return
grille, a teak supply grille for the main salon, and a 4" closable grille
for the V-berth. The unit fits under the V-berth, on a marine plywod
mounting base, included with the package. All necessary plumbing, wiring,
and ducting parts are included. The package also includes the condensate
venturi system, to keep condensate water out of your bilge and off the
floor.

A Catalina factory circuit breaker comes with the standard package, if you
have an A/C panel, otherwise you will need to install a Shore Power system.

To learn about our TCP systems, go to:
http://scotts.echoechoplus.com/2BeCOOL/BetaCode/2BC_main.php?pg=shop&cat=5

To learn about the C-25 TCP:
http://scotts.echoechoplus.com/2BeCOOL/BetaCode/2BC_main.php?pg=shop&cat=64

The Air Conditioner weighs 36 pounds, and draws only 4.5 amps, making it an
ideal candidate for running from an invertor system or portable generator.

Our installation instructions include a floor plan layout, a duct map, and
step-by-step photos to show the way, along with the most comprehensive DIY
assistance in the industry on our toll-free COOL-Line.

Price for the package is $1,795 plus UPS ground shipping.

We currently have a Free Shipping special for orders placed by Friday, April
23.

Cal our toll-free COOL-Line at 877-2-BE-COOL (That's 877-223-2665 in dog
years.)

BE COOL!

Scott Shirley, owner
Custom Yacht Services/2BeCOOL.COM

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Champipple
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
6855 Posts

Response Posted - 04/22/2004 : 16:57:12

For the heat inside the sail locker, you might want to install an opening portlight (small size) in the sail locker, that way you can leave the locker open during the nice days, and the portlight (opening upward) for the rainy ones and still get some ventilation to the unit. As for the condensation - can't help ya...

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