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Air Conditioning

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Jonathan Cuff
Navigator

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Cayman Island
173 Posts

Initially Posted - 06/15/2005 : 08:49:36

Hi chaps

I tried to stay out in the boat last weekend but gave up at 1am due to the combined effect of 86 degree heat and mosqitoes. I had a look on the web for any potential solutions to the heat issue and came up with this.

www.kooleraire.com

Have any of you any experience with this product? It seems like quite a good idea for boats such as ours.

Cheers Jonathan

Pie Sees 2 C25 #5686 1987 SR/WK

Edited by - on

Leon Sisson
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1893 Posts

Response Posted - 06/15/2005 : 09:23:14

Jonathan,

The KoolerAire was mentioned here a couple months ago. Here's a link to that thread: [[url="http://www.catalina25-250.org/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=9008"]click here[/url]]. That may not answer all of your questions, but it might be a start.

-- Leon Sisson

Edited by - on

Derek Crawford
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
3324 Posts

Response Posted - 06/15/2005 : 09:27:18

I was the one who asked about KoolerAire. We bought one and tried it out. It went through 10 lbs of ice in about an hour and the cabin temp remained the same (even tho' the boat was closed up). The outside temp was only in the mid-80's.
We sent it back.
Derek

Edited by - on

Frank Hopper
Past Commodore

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Pitcairn Island
6776 Posts

Response Posted - 06/15/2005 : 11:13:24

When I installed my unit (See Leon's "click here") many people worried about the condensation and where it would go. There has not been a single drop of water in my sail locker. The circulation fan is working so well that the saturated air is being evacuated and replaced with outside air before water can build up and overflow the pan. I have run it for MANY hours now, even in the rain. My installation is braindead easy and gets the job done. I do use a fan to help blow it out into the salon since the AC is back in the quaterberth. I cannot tell you how nice it is to crawl head first into that quaterberth in the middle of the afternoon where your head is in the dark and that AC is cycling at 68; NAP TIME! I also believe that my reflective window tint is very important in fighting the solar gain and when possible I leave my cabin-top canvas on to further shade the boat and windows. For under a hundred dollars... get'r done!

Edited by - on

Jonathan Cuff
Navigator

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Cayman Island
173 Posts

Response Posted - 06/15/2005 : 11:55:29

Hi Frank

Surely you need 110 volt for your system? I'm trying to find a way to keep a little bit cooler when I'm anchored off the beach. I couldn't find much in the way of anything 12 volt that would cool and not drain the battery even allowing for recharging via engine or solar means.

Cheers Jonathan

Edited by - on

oldsalt
Admiral

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USA
578 Posts

Response Posted - 06/15/2005 : 18:54:44

The "Kooleraire" looks like a great way to raise the humidity in your cabin without any noticable cooling effect which would probably make you even more uncomfortable.

How many BTU's are available in a few blocks of ice in the long term anyway?

A ton of airconditioning equals 12,000 BTU's which is supposed to very, very, roughly approximate the cooling power of 2,000lbs of melting ice per hour.

It's a gimmick rather than a solution.

Edited by - on

ronrryan
Admiral

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USA
561 Posts

Response Posted - 06/16/2005 : 13:28:31

A/C on the hook pretty much calls for a generator to operate one of the many conventional solutions. ORION has a small A/C unit in the companionway, with a canvas shroud snapped to the unit and to the hatchboard rails. This works swell on shorepower at the dock. On the hook, I would be obliged to bring aboard one of the small portable generators to power it. Not for me. Best simple way is a combination of 12V fans and a "windchute", IMHO. Good luck, Ron Orion SRSK SW FL

Edited by - on

Frank Hopper
Past Commodore

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Pitcairn Island
6776 Posts

Response Posted - 06/16/2005 : 15:39:58

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by ronrryan
 Best simple way is a combination of 12V fans and a "windchute", IMHO. Good luck, Ron Orion SRSK SW FL
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
AND SCREENS

Edited by - on

Sea Trac
Master Marine Consultant

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Vanuatu
1357 Posts

Response Posted - 06/16/2005 : 16:26:24

Jonathan,

These are very popular here in Oklahoma:

My Davis Windscoop keeps me relatively cooler even when anchored out in our 90 degree/90% humidity. Not cool, but definitely cooler.

I don't think you'll be able to find much more than 12V fans to help the situation away from shorepower, at least not without a house bank that weighs as much as the boat. ;-)

Regards,

Edited by - on

Jonathan Cuff
Navigator

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Cayman Island
173 Posts

Response Posted - 06/16/2005 : 17:44:16

Thanks for the tips guys. I guess the best combo would be that wind scoop somehow combined with mosquito nets. I suppose it's part of the joys of living in the tropics!! It would be really nice if that Kooler Aire thing did what it said it did on it's web site, but like all these things it's too much to hope for!

Cheers Jonathan

Edited by - on

Frank Hopper
Past Commodore

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Pitcairn Island
6776 Posts

Response Posted - 06/16/2005 : 19:23:24

When in Viet Nam we lived by high velocity fans inside our bug nets. They did two things, evaporated sweat so you felt reasonably cool and the bugs could not fly in the wind. I am not a V-berth sleeper, I use the quarterberth, but I would think a net door either at the salon or berth doorway and two 12 volt fans on high would get you close.

Edited by - on

jesse camp
1st Mate

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USA
84 Posts

Response Posted - 06/22/2005 : 10:30:41

I made a copy of the two lower companionway boards and built a
support bracket on the boards for a window unit AC. I bought a
5000 BTU AC from Home Depot for $75.00 and also installed a 1/2
inch tube to drain thru scuppers out of the cockpit. The unit will
stay in without the top board in, so you can climb in and around it without too much acrobatics. With a 12v fan going its hard to beat
if you are in a marina with shore power. Last week a couple in Florida died from carbon monoxide posioning while aboard their boat with a generator. Something to think about.

Good Winds,

Jesse Camp

87 5550 SK/SR

Edited by - on

Frank Hopper
Past Commodore

Members Avatar

Pitcairn Island
6776 Posts

Response Posted - 06/22/2005 : 10:40:58

Jesse
After I tried that, I was the only person who could get in and out. My wife could not. The companionway solution requires some fabbing because of the angle, what was your solution to that problem? (Window sills are vertical so the frame braces on an AC are as well.) Some units pull coil cooling air from the sides, much of the sides are in the boat due to the angle, that is bad. The cooling fins are like razors and my unit did not come with a guard so I sliced my fingers hefting it in and out. It requires storage on shore. It does work far better than my bulkhead installation because of directionality, buy man my quarterberth is heaven!

I made a bar to hold the top in the crib-board grooves, I had to move the top window sill brace as far forward as I could, the bar is screwed in the brace. I made short "posts" that fit into the crib-board slots at the bottom and through bolted them to the chassis at the right place so the unit would be level. I used small inserts to fill the gap and a custom top board for the replacement crib board. Worked great but still unacceptable for me. With the bulkhead installation I just push a button on my remote.

Edited by - Frank Hopper on 06/22/2005 10:52:27

jesse camp
1st Mate

Members Avatar

USA
84 Posts

Response Posted - 06/22/2005 : 11:19:24

I think the reason mine worked is the unit itself is small enough
to fit in the two lower boards and I still use the original 3rd
board. I cut my boards so the AC rides level and the side vents are still outside, I took the outer shell off the AC and installed a
metal handle (Door Type Home Depot) painted to match the AC, So the
unit can be handled easily. I used the metal lip that is used to hold in the window normally. I also use automobile insulation strips
for a tight seal. The AC unit is a Hampton AC 5000 BTU from Home Depot. So far so good. I thought about putting in lazarett but I have so much stuff in there already. Plus a lot of times I only
use when I am staying in a marina. I plan on staying in Marathon,Fl
in the middle Keys in September for a week so I will have an update.

Good Winds,
Jesse Camp
87 25 SK/SR
Orlando, Fl

Edited by - on

ilnadi
Captain

Members Avatar

452 Posts

Response Posted - 06/22/2005 : 13:18:41

Has anybody looked at [url="http://www.air-conditioners-america.com/category.asp?subcat=CP05"]portable room air-conditioners[/url]? They are not 12V units (unless you want to run a 1000W inverter => drawing 90amps from your battery

). They are self-contained and need one ot two external air hoses that should be easily adaptable to a hatch board.

Edited by - on

Frank Hopper
Past Commodore

Members Avatar

Pitcairn Island
6776 Posts

Response Posted - 06/22/2005 : 15:16:49

I have a friend with one on his ODay 272 LE, they have twice our interior volume and it still lurks in the corner blocking access to the quarter berth, I really do not see where a 25 could put one. And they are $400.

Edited by - on

JimB517
Past Commodore

Members Avatar

USA
3285 Posts

Response Posted - 06/22/2005 : 20:21:33

bring the boat to San Diego. It never gets above 80, nor below 60 especially by the beach. It almost never rains, we have winds 15 knots every afternoon, year round. Water temperature is 60 to 70. No bugs of any kind. Seas generally less than 4 feet. If it gets bigger than that, we have 2 sheltered bays as big as the biggest lakes. There are races every weekend, and fireworks every night in the summer. We have a real nice group of sailors to hang out with in Fleet 7. Sunday afternoons there is a live blues band at the deli by our dock. Its the only authentic Tiki Bar within 2000 miles. The south pacific is a downwind coconut milk run away.

Bring some sunscreen, thats all you will be needing.

Edited by - on

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