Air Conditioning for the TomCat

[drjohn71a]

MIke,

Also, somewhere on this site is a photo of some bunk beds made over the dinette and a slidable extension which makes the dinette berth wider.

Additionally, if, like me, you don't use the Wallas stove much in the summer, you could mount a portable a/c unit atop the normal stove position and anchor it into the starboard or head wall for stability. In my boat, the Starboard side needs more weight usually.

John

[Mike...]

[drjohn71a]

My aluminum box allows you to climb over it, even if the genset is running. On a hot day you have to put a towel or something over the metal or it will burn you whether the genset is on or off.

John

[Mike...]

[drjohn71a]

Coming up the dive ladder, the top of the aluminum box is just below knee level. One can step over it, but usually, if at sea, we just sit on the box and swivel our legs into the cockpit, then stand up. That reduces the risk of falling.

If the genset is on, a life jacket or towel will have to be put on the top of the box before sitting on it. We keep the box closed when the genset is operating. Also, the spare fuel tanks are placed on the Armstrong bracket, between the engine tubes when the unit is running. So far, none have ever fallen off.

John

[Doryman]

[drjohn71a]

Maybe the booth extensions were on another site. One had a slot with a 'breadboard' type board that slid out and a leg was plugged in the extended end.

Another had two boards hinged for each seat with piano hinge which were opened to form an "L" with one leg on the floor and the rest horizontally resting on the seat. There would be some leveling problems with the side trim as things are on C-Dory's right now, but a spacer or such would help that.

I think there is enough room on the TomCat to extend the dinette bed and still be able to slide by between the sink and the bed edge.

Re: the Genset Box, there is plenty of room, over an inch, in the lid to allow for some dense thermal or sound insulation, and I had planned to do that in the beginning, but we have had no problems running the unit as it is. It is pretty quiet since most of the sound is bounced aft off the transom and we are usually pretty wet coming aboard off the swim ladder and have plenty of towels handy. So far no problems, but with small kids, maybe the heat would be a danger.

John

[thataway]

The honda generators will NOT pull fuel up from the tanks. The head is way too much. You cannot use a low pressure pump either--that puts too much pressure on the Honda tank. The only practical solution is a tank at about the same head level as the fuel tank in the generator.

[drjohn71a]

As Dr. Bob says, it's too complicated to run fuel from the main tanks. The benefit of having a generator running on the swim step is that the natural flow will vent the area well. Even the Honda extended run tank has to be set at just the correct height to run. I have the extended run tank, but it is too cumbersome for our boat sizes.

I rarely have to run the A/C more than a few hours at a time, and usually only for 15 to 20 minutes to run some appliances.

To put things in perspective, the Honda i2000 will run a De Longhi 11,000 BtU A/C unit at full speed in 90-100 degree weather for 8 hours on it's internal tank. In the mid 80's, it will run in the Economy mode for 12 or more hours. Things usually cool off at night so it it no big deal for the genset to turn itself off after you've had 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep.

It is so very nice to run the genset when cooking a big meal so you can use toaster oven, microwave, TV, etc., or heat the water tank.

The TomCat's Armstrong brackets allow a lot of space for storing extra gas tanks, but you have to be careful to arrange them to allow full and free movement of the outboards while underway.

Once you start running new fuel lines in the hull, you are opening a dangerous can of worms unless you are an expert.


John

[Mike...]

[Alok]

A generator in the cockpit could be a carbon monoxide hazard unless the exhaust is vented to the outside of the boat in a safe manner.

[Mike...]

[drjohn71a]

Way back, long ago, on one of the early TomCats, someone posted pics of an insulated exhaust system for a genset located in the live well area and it looked very expensive and took up a lot of room.

Mike, I had several worries about putting a gas genset in a small metal box and consulted several designs used in semi-truck cabs, etc.

I don't know what is intake or outtake now, but I thought that grill around the muffler under that large flap was the outflow of air, not the intake. In any case, I did not want the hot exhaust exit inside the box.

The outboard cables and fuel lines on my boat are very close to the swim step and I wanted to have some sort of protection between the hot exhaust and all of that delicate and explosive equipment, so that was the major reason for the large flap. It does serve to protect from rain and sea water.

I am amazed at how little problem sea water has been in this installation. You can see it coming right up on the top of the Armstrong surfaces at times, but it just runs right off quickly through the drains and this large opening in the photo. I had considered raising the generator with a floor platform in there, but the water has not risen above the rubber feet so far.

Originally, I had to cut the huge hole in order to get that huge 30 amp yoke to fit in, but having the exhaust end of the genset right out in the open outside air seems to be keeping the temperature inside the box nice and low.

That flap also deflects the exhaust flow down ward and aft which I am thinking reduces the chances of much carbon monoxide blowing up and over the transom into the cockpit.

I put one of those cheap, fuzzy, thin rubber bath mats you get at Wal-Mart down in the Armstrong bracket surface to dampen any vibration and it is working well. I put 6 3/8 inch SS bolts through the bottom of the box into the Armstrong bracket, but four would probably work just as well.

What does not show in the photos is that I put a full length, 3 inch high, screened vent across the bottom of the forward wall of the box to allow cool air intake with little chance for water intrusion. I also wanted a natural venting action should gasoline be spilled inside the box.

John

[thataway]

Any generator in a box needs good air flow over the generator/alternator coils. Even the water cooled marine units, often have to have blowers put in a box, if you totally enclose the unit. I haven't looked at the Honda (other than changing oil and clearing the carb)--but I suspect that there is some fan pushing across the electrical part of the generator.

[Mike...]