Portable Air Conditioner

It will be interesting to see how all of these AC adventures work out. There are several things to remember: The top of the C Dories are balsa cored--so there is some insullation--the sides are not cored. The windos are quite a bit of area--so that they have solar effect, as well as heat loss thru conductivity. We use "shade cloth" over our windows during the summer--and also use a car "windshield shade" on the side and front windows. One really needs to cut the heat collection effect. We will be insullating the roof with another 1/2" to 5/8" of foam.

The other factor is where these boats are--Florida with the humidity vs Arizona with the dry heat. Marie and I were talking about the CD 25 and if we would air condition it for Lake Powell. The conclusion is that we would not be air conditioning for Powell. (Cool water, temps falls at night, low humidity and one can make an evaparative cooler if necessary.)
 
The other factor is where these boats are--Florida with the humidity vs Arizona with the dry heat. Marie and I were talking about the CD 25 and if we would air condition it for Lake Powell. The conclusion is that we would not be air conditioning for Powell. (Cool water, temps falls at night, low humidity and one can make an evaparative cooler if necessary.)
Click to expand...

This was what I alluded to earlier with the problems. Nights in the west have never been a problem for me (other than having to fire up the Wallas for heat).
 
Earlier in this thread, someone asked: What is the size of the middle front opening windshield in the CD-22?

I had a chance to measure mine this weekend. The frame is 12.25" high and 18" wide. The height clearance is the same with the window left in place and simply opened as high as possible.
 
This topic is of great interest to me and I would appreciate some pics from those who bought the small home a/c units and how they installed them in the front hatch.
Jeff
 
Oh what to do, what to do.

With the addition of the radar arch and rodholder atop the Katie Kat, the roof is no longer a viable option for an AC.
After traipsing about town and finding the Fridgidare 5000 btu unit, I've discovered that I don't have a window big enough for the unit to slip into( its 161/8 inches wide bah humbug) without alot of trouble.
Is there a smaller window unit then the 5k Frigidare?? I've looked but can't seem to find anything.

I don't really want one of the free standing portables......but..

Rigging something for the front hatch is also an option, and the Frigidare unit would work for that, but it'd be a pain to mess with.


So, my question(s) for those who have used them.
Can I tee off of the seawater supply line for the Jabsco head, to give cooling water for the Marine AC?
How much heat do the marine units generate? Can I put it under the bunk in the front berth w/o ventilation, other then supply and return ducting?
Where is a good place to purchase one, or are they all in the 1700 dollar and up range?

Gordon
 
Gordon,

there is a marine a/c furnace combo named "Air Fusion" that uses a small duct to outside air instead of water for cooling. It is based upon the same, quiet, compressorless design of the small 12V refrigerators. It costs about $3,000 though.

As for me, I already have three, 7,000 Btu, portable a/c units that use outside air which I use in my old farmhouse upstairs rooms. I am thinking of putting it at the edge of the bunk on my TomCat, and venting the air tube out the little forward, elliptical port. A unit like that may fit forward of your head/helm area, or to the port, as I'm thinking of trying. If it works, I may install a more permanent, dorade type, closable opening.

Using the Btu calculations from the West Marine catalog, it would seem that a 13,500 Btu unit is needed for the 90 to 100 degree heat here in the mid summer afternoons... I have a covered dock, and most frequently need something to help me sleep comfortably. I suppose the main reason I'm trying this is that I already own some of the 7,000 Btu a/c units...

John
 
Gordon,
Mermaid marine AC units were made to run off of an inverter, so are effecient. Yes, you can put a "Y" or "T" valve and use the head intake. But don't forget to change it over.

The problem with marine air conditioners in our area are several fold:
1. jelly fish; we have already had a large infestation of non stinging jelly fish. One of my friends ruined his air conditioner water pump due to the jelly fish (despite our cool spring)

2. sea grass and fish intake into the strainer (you have to have a strainer on the air conditioner intake pump)--we have had a small fish plug the strainer up--and one has to back flush the strainer/thru hull.

3. mud or sand. Often we run our boat up on the beach, and it is easy to get mud or sand into the intake, causing damage to the intake

4. The air cooled type of AC can be used with the boat on a trailer or lift.

Bill Castello (Sea Air Marine) runs the marine air conditioning shop on Barrancas--and is quite knowlegable on what is available. You can probably buy directly from the manufacturer.

Yes, you could put a marine air conditioner under the bunk or in any cabinet. The water cooling is effecient in removing heat. As noted in earlier posts, an air conditioner will produce slightly more heat than cold as measured in BTU's.

There is one boater who had a cuddy cabin boat, who mounted a window AC unit under his helm seat, and ducted cool air under his and his mates jackets (insullated), or could duct the air into the cuddy cabin. So there are lots of ways to air condition a cat....
 
Thanks for the reply.
I've located a Pioneer unit that pushes 5000btu's at River Marine for $900(I have to check again and see if this is everthing or if the pump etc. is extra). I'm going thru the other choices now. The King-Air seems to be the most compact. When I got to googling I found alot of manufacturers. the earlier 1700 figure came from a link at WM.

The pilot house on the 24 is about half to 2/3's the size of your 255. If I can tap into the pickup for the head instead of adding another hole in the hull, the Marine unit is going to be looking really good.

Overnighting is one plus with ac, the other will be running home from fishing on the Gulf when the return trip may take several hours. Having something carefree and easy to operate when underway as well as on the hook would be great.
 
thataway":33q3aa5w said:
Gordon,
Mermaid marine AC units were made to run off of an inverter, so are effecient. Yes, you can put a "Y" or "T" valve and use the head intake. But don't forget to change it over.

The problem with marine air conditioners in our area are several fold:
1. jelly fish; we have already had a large infestation of non stinging jelly fish. One of my friends ruined his air conditioner water pump due to the jelly fish (despite our cool spring)

2. sea grass and fish intake into the strainer (you have to have a strainer on the air conditioner intake pump)--we have had a small fish plug the strainer up--and one has to back flush the strainer/thru hull.

3. mud or sand. Often we run our boat up on the beach, and it is easy to get mud or sand into the intake, causing damage to the intake

4. The air cooled type of AC can be used with the boat on a trailer or lift.

Bill Castello (Sea Air Marine) runs the marine air conditioning shop on Barrancas--and is quite knowlegable on what is available. You can probably buy directly from the manufacturer.

Yes, you could put a marine air conditioner under the bunk or in any cabinet. The water cooling is effecient in removing heat. As noted in earlier posts, an air conditioner will produce slightly more heat than cold as measured in BTU's.

There is one boater who had a cuddy cabin boat, who mounted a window AC unit under his helm seat, and ducted cool air under his and his mates jackets (insullated), or could duct the air into the cuddy cabin. So there are lots of ways to air condition a cat....
Click to expand...

Thanks for your thoughts Bob.
I seem to remember you mentioning clogged strainers before.....is the dent in my forehead noticable? :mrgreen:

My wife is the one that started this, but the more I thought about it the better its getting to sound. I was hoping the frigidare unit would fit in the side window above the table, but its about 3/4 of an inch to wide.

I'm looking for something clean, neat, and carefree. The price is /was the scary part, but its getting closer to the portable units that duct out. The convienence of having something permanent that is out of sight is very appealling.
Do the pumps have a reversing potential to back flush the sea strainer, or would I have to rig a line to a washdown pump etc.?
Would a sea strainer like the one for the raw water washdown be sufficient? Mine has a screw off lid and a little basket that can be taken out and cleaned. As long as the head is used from time to time, wouldn't that help to keep the pickup clean?

The plus side of the portable AC's mentioned by Drjohn, others, and yourself is the ability to run it on the trailer. Thats certainly a plus. :thup
 
Gordon-

About a year or so ago, someone who lived down on an island in the Caribean east of Panama bought a new C-Dory 22 and put one of the marine style AC units in the bottom of the galley cabinet. It was a super installation!

As far as having the AC unit out of the way and not interferring with the operation or looks of the boat, it was a superb solution.

Maybe someone remembers who it was and we can locate the pictures in the album.

Joe.
 
Found it!

The boat was from Little Cayman Island, and the name was (another) Hunky Dory!

HERE"s the thread on their AC.

And HERE's the link to the photo album.

net_door_can_be_turned_to_blow_vent_towards_vberth.jpg

Super clean installation. Note in the posts and photo descriptions that the 6,500 BTU AC unit runs off a Honda EU 1000i generator, not a EU 2000i or larger. Must be that the water heat exchanger is more efficient than with an air heat exchanger!

Joe. :teeth
 
Thankyou Joe.

They did a great job on the install.
Is the Pump below the water line. Excuse my ignorance, but do the regular C-Dory's sit that low in the water?
 
katkt":ewgz019l said:
Thankyou Joe.

They did a great job on the install.
Is the Pump below the water line. Excuse my ignorance, but do the regular C-Dory's sit that low in the water?
Click to expand...

The pump is at the back of the boat between the gas tanks on the centerline, basically, just in front of the transom. (Note see-thru windows to view gas line on polyethylene tanks.)

The pump could also be mounted beneath the galley, but the rear placement puts it next to the bilge pump if it were to leak, puts the noise of the pump out of the cabin (probably couldn't hear it anyway with the fans running), and keeps the intake below the water line more ( the galley cabinet floor/hull would only be out of the water in heavy seas). Come to think of it, making less of a mess when cleaning out the strainer would probably be the most important factor in locating it at the rear!

Joe.

AC_Installation_drilled_hole_for_water_intake.jpg
 
Although the cabin house may be slightly smaller in the 24 than the 255, the angle of the front windshield is a great solar collector--unless you have a shade over it--so I suspect that there will be a considerable cooling necessity during the daylight hours.

The strainer on the raw water pump is a bit smaller than the usual strainers, but I suspose it might work. In the photo of the installation aft I don't see a strainer. The danger there is that material may be picked up and either plug or damage the impeller, or hang up in the coils. If the coils are plugged then the compressor may overheat--and that would blow the unit.

For my larger trawlers I had built in marine air conditioners (about 48,000 BTU)--but on the Flying Bridge I had the RV type. (13,500 BTU). The Roof air was less trouble.
 
I notice that Dometic has a new "Dash Air" system which pipes cool air from either an air cooled condenser (like a car or home) or a water cooled condenser unit.

They are 13,000 and 16,000 Btu units.

The condenser unit is about 8x31x18 inches. (8 inches high) They are putting them under the helm seat in some boats. I wonder if you could put something like that under that aft port cabinet and open it up to blow hot air into the cockpit.

John
 
thataway":z3oeksnm said:
Although the cabin house may be slightly smaller in the 24 than the 255, the angle of the front windshield is a great solar collector--unless you have a shade over it--so I suspect that there will be a considerable cooling necessity during the daylight hours.

The strainer on the raw water pump is a bit smaller than the usual strainers, but I suspose it might work. In the photo of the installation aft I don't see a strainer. The danger there is that material may be picked up and either plug or damage the impeller, or hang up in the coils. If the coils are plugged then the compressor may overheat--and that would blow the unit.

For my larger trawlers I had built in marine air conditioners (about 48,000 BTU)--but on the Flying Bridge I had the RV type. (13,500 BTU). The Roof air was less trouble.
Click to expand...

Thanks Bob,

When I get my choice narrowed down, there will probably be suggestions from the manu. regarding the amount of flow needed that will dictate the pump and the filter ...maybe.
I got some good feed back on installation equip and brands(Mermaid got alot of kudos) at the other ......er....place. :lol:

I had a local guy near East Point fabricate a hat bill similar to the Molly Brown's that projects over the front windows(pics in my album). It has a radar arch, and a rack area that prohibits the roof top unit. Otherwise that'd be underway already after seeing yours. :)

Thanks for the info on the Dometic Drjohn
 
Someone else has done an upright Hyer type installation on a C-Dory as well. I looked at a bunch of the uprights with similar thoughts of ducting exhaust heat but the upright units seemed to bulky at this point for the 22, although they do put out twice the air (and cost of course was several times the Frigidare).
 
I measured the front window on the duck 18in wide only 17 with the s/s bracket so guys how will this frigidare work the dimensions are 18 1/2 wide by 12 1/2 wide 15 1/2 long is this the real dimensions can someone who has bought one give us the real figures im getting conflicting measurements might go to best buy and open a box??

Guys how will this fit into our center windows do we need towels or some other form of gaskets?? could someone post a picture its getting really hot down here in s/w fla. 90-92 with same amount of humidity

$ 99 at best buy in naples fla.
 
The 5000 BTU unit that I measured(frigidare) at the Best Buy in Pcola would slide into an opening 16 1/2 inches. The outside of the housing, was only about 16 1/4 inches.
 
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