Hello Everyone....Hope you are enjoying the season !!!
"Aimless" is tired of the heat, and her deck ape (me) is tired of lugging the Cruisaire around. So the Commander (my wife) has agreed to "let" me install an onboard A/C system. Lucky me........
I am just now collecting printed material from any and all mfgs., but I know that the collective knowledge available on this board is going to be ALOT more valuable than the marketing material I am getting. So please your comments about brands, installation, btu ratings, dealers, whatever..............
Any gem of wisdom that will spare me some headache, heartache and depletion of the ole beer fund will be greatly appreciated !!!
Fair Winds,
John Nuttall
s/v "Aimless"
CD31 #28
Oriental, NC
nuttallj@msn.com
Onboard A/C System recommendations wanted !!!
Moderator: Jim Walsh
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mike
Re: Onboard A/C System recommendations wanted !!!
Until 6 months ago we owned a Westsail 32 and installed reverse cycle central heat/air on it ourselves. Bought a unit from King manufacturing in Florida. Although a number of W32s had 12,000 BTU units (and most owners with that size found it acceptable) we found several with 16,000 units. The factory recommended that size as well given the huge interior space of a W32. It was fine. Cost about $1100 not counting a few odds and ends we needed to install it.
On a boat your size a much smaller unit would work. A 5,000 might be on the small size but certainly a 7,000 or 8,000 btu would work well. I know you will say NC is hot and humid but it isn't as much so as South Louisiana where we are. Incidentally, we have a Pearson Triton (we sold the W32 since we didn't want to keep up 2 boats and really found the Triton better for our needs). It's 28.6', 8500#s, 8+ bean, 4' draft, full keel. Same designer as yours. Since it's old and "cheap" in terms of replacement and such (although stouter than a W32--same size hull thickness and much stouter than a C28), I installed a window unit permanently in it in a way that I don't have to remove it or do anything with it when I go sail. And I did so for under $200 rather than $1,000. I cut a hole in the vertical part of the bridge deck and installed a 5,000 btu window unit it in a manner similar to how someone might do in the side of a house. It works fine. Is quite secure. Its top is 3 inches or so below the horizontal piece of the bridge deck and it's about an inch above the cockpit sole. The condensate drains off into the sole and thru the drains in it. If I want it to look really shippy, I could install a teak box over the top of it. The unit protudes into the cockpit 8 inches or so and on the inside looks built in since it's in a recessed space above the engine area. Totally satisfied. Price (with a 2 year extended warranty--which I generally disapprove of but got since I run it 10-11 months a year 24/7 so the boat gets no mildew while we're not there) was under $200. A few years previously I A/Ced the boat by sticking a similar sized unit in the companionway but had to install baffles since the A/C confused the return air with the cool air. On this installation in the bridge deck, however, it works fine w/o a baffle. I set it on 5 (at the halfway point on its scale of 1 to 10)and forget it.
Totally satisfied.
Mike
michaelconniesmith@home.com
On a boat your size a much smaller unit would work. A 5,000 might be on the small size but certainly a 7,000 or 8,000 btu would work well. I know you will say NC is hot and humid but it isn't as much so as South Louisiana where we are. Incidentally, we have a Pearson Triton (we sold the W32 since we didn't want to keep up 2 boats and really found the Triton better for our needs). It's 28.6', 8500#s, 8+ bean, 4' draft, full keel. Same designer as yours. Since it's old and "cheap" in terms of replacement and such (although stouter than a W32--same size hull thickness and much stouter than a C28), I installed a window unit permanently in it in a way that I don't have to remove it or do anything with it when I go sail. And I did so for under $200 rather than $1,000. I cut a hole in the vertical part of the bridge deck and installed a 5,000 btu window unit it in a manner similar to how someone might do in the side of a house. It works fine. Is quite secure. Its top is 3 inches or so below the horizontal piece of the bridge deck and it's about an inch above the cockpit sole. The condensate drains off into the sole and thru the drains in it. If I want it to look really shippy, I could install a teak box over the top of it. The unit protudes into the cockpit 8 inches or so and on the inside looks built in since it's in a recessed space above the engine area. Totally satisfied. Price (with a 2 year extended warranty--which I generally disapprove of but got since I run it 10-11 months a year 24/7 so the boat gets no mildew while we're not there) was under $200. A few years previously I A/Ced the boat by sticking a similar sized unit in the companionway but had to install baffles since the A/C confused the return air with the cool air. On this installation in the bridge deck, however, it works fine w/o a baffle. I set it on 5 (at the halfway point on its scale of 1 to 10)and forget it.
Totally satisfied.
Mike
John Nuttall wrote: Hello Everyone....Hope you are enjoying the season !!!
"Aimless" is tired of the heat, and her deck ape (me) is tired of lugging the Cruisaire around. So the Commander (my wife) has agreed to "let" me install an onboard A/C system. Lucky me........
I am just now collecting printed material from any and all mfgs., but I know that the collective knowledge available on this board is going to be ALOT more valuable than the marketing material I am getting. So please your comments about brands, installation, btu ratings, dealers, whatever..............
Any gem of wisdom that will spare me some headache, heartache and depletion of the ole beer fund will be greatly appreciated !!!
Fair Winds,
John Nuttall
s/v "Aimless"
CD31 #28
Oriental, NC
michaelconniesmith@home.com