Window AC

[srbaum]

OSPREY now has a rooftop AC unit and we no longer have a need for the window unit. If anyone would like a small window AC unit that will fit under the open forward window of a 22, they can have it.
The catch... you have to get it from my shed to your boat.
Cost of window AC unit is zero $$. If no one wants it, it will go to Goodwill.
Best regards,
Joan & Steve

 

[ssobol]

I also live in VA. I am interested in your AC installation and have some questions.

What do you plan to power it with, just shore power or with a gen? If so, what gen?

Did/how did you mod the AC to work with a gen (if applicable)?

What did you have to do to the roof (besides cut a big hole) to support/install the AC?

Will the AC run off the boat electrical system (so you can run while cruising) or does it only run with supplemental power?

How does the weight on the roof affect the handling or stability of the boat?

Thanks.

 

[patrick and linda]

Cut a fourteen inch square hole and the unit will fit nicely without much effort at all. Shims required if roof has to much pitch. My Honda 2000 gen runs my roof mounted air for about four hours. To extend the usage I converted the Honda gas cap with a shutoff valve and added a Johnson male fuel line connection, which I then connect to a female connection that was attached to the external tank. If you want info let me know and I will text or post exact parts needed.

 

[thataway]

The view thru the roof. The reason for the 14" square hole is that is the size of the RV vents and AC openings. This was taken as I was building the frame for the Tom Cat Coleman 9200 BTU air conditioner, which ran well with the Honda EU 2000i or shore power. (More photos on the "Thataway" album.

My feeling is that you want to do several things to the roof. I made a frame, which contoured to the inner curve of the roof out of Oak. It was clamped with epoxy glue to the under side of the roof. The core of the roof was sealed with epoxy (the 22 roof does not have a core). I laid glass on the top to make it fair and level. The seals on the under part of the AC will conform to some curve. However, my opinion is that the roof may deform with time, and there is some chance of there being a leak down the line. I am aware that some folks have just cut the hole, and put the AC on top…

The wiring on the inside just runs down the wall to the 110 Volt AC panel. Flip the switch and "cool"

Final from the outside:

 

[srbaum]

SoBelle,
I did add more photos of the installation in my album.
The unit that was installed is a new model 9000 BTU Coleman, low profile (advertised as 8" height). The hole size requires a 14" to 15" square hole. You always want a radius corner in a boat, otherwise you will induce a crack over time. I drew a template on a piece of cardboard with radius corners that ended up being 14 1/2" wide. The hole was cut on the cabin top as far forward as the existing combination radar/searchlight mount allowed, to move weight as far forward as possible (I saved the cutout fiberglass, in case somewhere down the line the AC needs to be removed and the cabin put back to normal configuration).
The AC unit gasket is a hefty piece of dense foam, which had to be tapered to form to the curve of the cabin top. The AC unit comes with a steel backing plate that is bolted on from the interior and draws the outside unit down real tight and secure (no leaks).
The interior unit is prewired and plugs into the exterior unit. I did purchases the optional heater element and installed it as well. the system is also prewired and has hardware installed to mount the heater element without fuss.
Lastly, the AC unit requires a 15 amp fuse which was already preinstalled in my Paneltronics circuit panel. Installing the heater element requires a breaker of 20 amps, so I switched out the circuit breaker to 20 amps.
The interior unit would typically be mounted in a rooftop on an RV, where the headliner would hide the wires. In our case, there is no liner, so I drilled and sealed a hole on the interior of the unit to run the wiring forward.
As to impact on stability...no doubt adding 90 lbs to the top of anything floating does place weight where we know it should not be, but I did get underway last week in a blow (15 - 25 kts wind), just to see what the impact would be. Surprisingly, I could not feel any change in boat handing characteristics.
Everything in boating is a compromise and adding an AC unit was something I really did not want to do, but if my wife gets underway more often, then I'll do it as long as it does not jeopardize our safety in relatively normal conditions.
I do not plan to use the AC unit underway, so no, I do not plan on adding a generator. The air flow through the cabin is generally good even on hot days as long as you are underway with windows open. Once tied to the dock at the marina, that story changes, especially on a 90 degree day...

 

[thataway]

There are several other advantages of an RV air conditioner--you can run this when the boat is on a trailer or boat lift. It is not subject to a water cooling pump, and filter, which will cause problems when there are jelly fish in the water.

 

[Bill K]

I use mine all the time when I am working inside the boat in my back yard.

Bill Kelleher

There are several other advantages of an RV air conditioner--you can run this when the boat is on a trailer or boat lift. It is not subject to a water cooling pump, and filter, which will cause problems when there are jelly fish in the water.

 

[srbaum]

AC use feedback...
Well, we just completed the James River trip and had ample opportunity to use the new AC, when moored at various marinas. I had used a small window unit last year for these same hot months, so now I can provide feedback from both.
The window unit was adequate for the 22...it was cheap to buy (purchased one used from Craigslist) and took up only a minor amount of room on the boat while stowed. The down side of the window unit is getting it installed in front of the center window, when not moored to a floating dock on a 100 degree day, with no wind flow. We aren't getting younger and on a tippy bow, with sweat in your eyes, it can be a safety issue.
The new cabin top unit provides more than adequate cold air. You simply moor, plug in and the cabin is cold. We never even needed to run the unit on high, as it did such a great job on low cool and we even had to turn the thermostat way up to not be too cold. The v-berth still suffers from poor air flow and though there is a fan in that area, it is warmer than in the main cabin (when the main cabin is at a reasonable comfort level).
The negative side of the cabin top unit is exterior noise. It is like being outside of a hotel room that has those through the wall units and it is right at ear level. I'm sure that it would not be as noticeable on an RV/camper, as it would be well above ear level on those big RV's. So, now I must be vigilant and ensure I do not moor next to or near other boats that plan to have their windows open on those hot days, as it would be as inconsiderate as mooring next to someone that is running their generator, when you plan to have your windows open for ventilation.
Best regards,
Steve Baum

 

[Sunbeam]

So, now I must be vigilant and ensure I do not moor next to or near other boats that plan to have their windows open on those hot days, as it would be as inconsiderate as mooring next to someone that is running their generator, when you plan to have your windows open for ventilation.

I wish everyone were as considerate as you are! (Boats and RV's.) Thank you :thup

 

[ssobol]

I recently tried the window AC trick with a Zenith unit from WalMart. So far I have used it only in the driveway when working on the boat in the VA summer. I can put the unit in place from the inside of the boat (although I have to disconnect the hold open arm of the window).

This is a 5K BTU unit and is pretty quiet. You can hardly hear it above the ambient noise when standing near the boat. It is a bit louder on the inside of the boat.

In the 95+ deg, high humidity days this unit does not get the cabin really cold, but it is comfortable. A small fan helps to circulate the air. The unit fills the window pretty good, and I don't stuff things around the edges to really seal it up, which might help the cooling.

According to the label on the side, the AC unit only needs 515w. While this is probably the stable current not the max start up current, it might be possible to drive this unit with a 2000W generator.

 

[texasair]

We run our 5kw window unit on the boat with a EU 1000 generator.

The generator actually works much harder running the small microwave than running the AC.

Our window unit is permanently mounted in the rear window over the galley

 

[thataway]

We also have run several of the 5000 BTU window air units on the Honda EU1000i.

One other trick which helps to cool the boat is to cut pieces of the bubble/foil which is silver coated to reflect the light and heat in all of the windows. This makes a huge difference in the amount of cooling necessary, and the temperature inside of the boat. We were able to bring the temp in the C Dory 25 down to 20 degrees below ambient temp (95 to 75) with the foil.

I am surprised about the noise from the roof top AC. It is possible that the thin top of the center of C Dory 22 (about 1/4" solid glass) acts as a resonator (like on a banjo)--On the Tom Cat our air conditioner did not seem at all noisy. Building a frame, if you have not done so, would probably help. Also putting a layer of "Sound down" which is a marine product, with a layer of foam, layer of lead/vinyl, a layer of foam, and an outer layer of mylar foam/reflective material. This will appreciably reduce noise and temperature.

 

[texasair]

Another thing that helps is window tint.

We did not tint the front windows.

But went to a common auto tint place and had a very light tint with 98% UV reduction put on the other windows. Noticeable reduction in the heat coming in the windows

Even thought it is a very light tint another advantage that we found out later is that in daylight no one can see into the boat, very much enhanced the privacy with out having to break out the curtains.

 

[srbaum]

I want to clarify my response to noise... There was minimal noise in the cabin. The noise inside was just that of the fan circulating the air. The big noise was outside of the boat and all of it was coming from he AC unit by itself. There is no vibration/noise resignation from the boat that influences this noise.
As to cabin temperature, I did purchase a large roll of the silver bubble foil from an RV store before the trip, as recommended by FREEDOM. I ran short on time to cut it to fit the boat, so it was in the garage during my trip. On the good side, the new AC cools the cabin within moments on the low cool setting and that is with the thermostat cranked up pretty high. My first time using the AC was on low cool and the thermostat on the low setting, but 62 degrees inside of the cabin is just too cold...
Best regards,
Steve Baum