B331 Air Conditioning Install Help?

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Cwoody

Cwoody

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Aug 10, 2010
87
Beneteau 423 Galesville, MD
Held off for a year, but before it gets too hot on the Chesapeake Bay....
Looking to install a Flagship A/C system in my 2002 B331.
Wanted to get some input from someone who has the factory air installed on this boat design and how Beneteau thought it best done.

How many BTU's ?
Location of main unit?
Location of air ducts, vents and return air?
Location of through hulls?
Condensation drain?

Thanks in advance....!

cw
 
cymeyer

cymeyer

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Jul 8, 2005
522
Jeanneau 389 Grosse Pointe Farms, MI
CW,
A couple thoughts.
Find someone in your marina with this in their boat and maybe just copy it.
If that faiils, go to the Annapolis Sailboat Show in Oct. You can learn there for sure!

Chris
 
Mystic51

Mystic51

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Sep 23, 2004
72
- - Stockton Lake
Cwoody said:
Held off for a year, but before it gets too hot on the Chesapeake Bay....
Looking to install a Flagship A/C system in my 2002 B331.
Wanted to get some input from someone who has the factory air installed on this boat design and how Beneteau thought it best done.

How many BTU's ?
Location of main unit?
Location of air ducts, vents and return air?
Location of through hulls?
Condensation drain?

Thanks in advance....!

cw
Click to expand
On my 2004 beneteau 331 the Crusair unit is 12000 btu. It is behind the fridge/cooler. The access panel is located on the forward bulkhead in the lazerett. (sp). When you open the hatch look straight down past the shelf. The access door is in the plywood bulkhead and is about 18" or more wide. The water intake thru hull is on the port side well aft of the stuffing box seacock and closer to the side of the boat. The exit is above the waterline and closer to the air unit. The cold air return is a register at feet level under the fridge in the galley. There are three vents. One in the aft birth well forward on the port side. One on the ledge facing up and forward of the navigation station. The third in the v birth on the forward facing wood panel of the cabinet. The condensation is not well thought out. I think there is a drain in the drip pan and it just runs into the bilge. I will be up at my boat Wednesday. Do you need some pictures. I will actually be taking my self contained unit out to be repaired.
 
Cwoody

Cwoody

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Aug 10, 2010
87
Beneteau 423 Galesville, MD
Thanks Chris, No one in my marina w/ a B331 w/air. Looked at the B34 at the boat show last year, but inside design has changed. Can't really compare the two.
 
Cwoody

Cwoody

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Aug 10, 2010
87
Beneteau 423 Galesville, MD
Mystic51 said:
On my 2004 beneteau 331 the Crusair unit is 12000 btu. It is behind the fridge/cooler.
Click to expand
This is great info.
Trying to keep the intake fitting where I can get to it easily so back behind the engine with the others will work. Probably exit the discharge fitting from the lazarette. How did they run the air ducts to the front? Is it one or two separate air ducts? My unit will require three separate flexible ducts. Any pics you could take of unit, filter, pump, ductwork locations would be great.

Thanks, Chuck
 
Mystic51

Mystic51

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Sep 23, 2004
72
- - Stockton Lake
Believe it or not I just took my Crusair unit out for service. I plan to be up to the boat sometime in the next week and will take some photos. The duct comes out of the unit and next to the ports side of the hull it splits. One run doubles back and comes into the laz and goes into the aft birth. The other run must go behind the stove and cabinets and under the port side salon ledge. It feeds a register on the forward side of the port side ledge. It must split because it travels up through the cabinet in the v birth and exits through the forward panel of that cabinet.

I was on a beneteau 321 sometime back that had added air. They built a shelf in the forward section of the laz and mounted it there. I do not know if they had room under or behind the fridge like on my 331.
 
Cwoody

Cwoody

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Aug 10, 2010
87
Beneteau 423 Galesville, MD
Mystic51 said:
Believe it or not I just took my Crusair unit out for service.
Click to expand
I am counting on the space behind the fridge.

The Flagship A/C system (12-16k) has (requires) 3 separate ducts coming off the main unit. Guess I will run (1) up the port side to the vberth. Thinking about the salon venting (2) from under the galley sink and (3) back to aft cabin. Return air like OEM from under the refer.

I see I have one slot available in the OEM 120 breaker box. Is that where you installed the breaker for the A/C?

Thanks, Chuck
 
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joker460

joker460

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Apr 27, 2010
970
Beneteau 352 Hull #276 Ontario
Cwoody

You will probably have to add a new 120vac dist panel and shore power receptacle. The manual for the 323 states that the A/C should not be hooked to the existing 120vac dist panel.

My friend has a 323 and has 2 receptacles for dock shore power.One is specifically for A/C

My 352 also has 2 receptacles for shore power.
 

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Mystic51

Mystic51

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Sep 23, 2004
72
- - Stockton Lake
I will be gone for awhile but can still photo my system and location for you but not until after July 22. Would this help?
 
Bum

Bum

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Mar 18, 2008
33
Beneteau 331 w/swing keel New Gretna, NJ, Bass River
Hello Chuck, I added a shower sump pump under the aft berth on the port side where the pump and strainer are located for the A/C, on our 2004 331. I did this, our first summer with the boat. We thought that we had a leak somewhere, the sump pump fixed the problem. Let me know if you want pics of this, will try to do it over the weekend. bumsrest@aol.com
 
Cwoody

Cwoody

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Aug 10, 2010
87
Beneteau 423 Galesville, MD
Bum said:
I added a shower sump pump under the aft berth on the port side . bumsrest@aol.com
Click to expand
Hey Wayne, Been following your blog for some time especially when we were trying to decide on the B331 purchase. Great stuff.

Why did you need the shower sump? Was it to handle the condensation from the AC?

Pics of AC system components in position would be great.

Thanks
 
Bum

Bum

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Mar 18, 2008
33
Beneteau 331 w/swing keel New Gretna, NJ, Bass River
Yes, there was a lot of condensation under the floor boards. While sailing, we were heeled over pretty far and Patti came up from down below to let me know that water was sloshing around above the floor boards.The bilge pump was useless for this.It works well,just one more thing to winterize though.Take Care, Wayne
 
Bum

Bum

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Mar 18, 2008
33
Beneteau 331 w/swing keel New Gretna, NJ, Bass River
I took 15 pics of our factory install and sent them to Chuck. Did not want to put all of the pics on here. Not sure how to do that anyway. If anyone is interested in seeing them, you may e-mail me at bumsrest@aol.com and I will send them to you. Take Care, Bum
 
Cwoody

Cwoody

.
Aug 10, 2010
87
Beneteau 423 Galesville, MD
EdThompson3 said:
Bum: I'm considering buying a B331 and will have to install AC. Can you send me the pictures of your unit?

edthompson3@verizon.net
Click to expand

Ed,

Been asking questions about this for a year. The pics BUM sent were a great help. I still have them on file. Just had my Flagship 16K AC delivered and will start the install next week. Been digging around in my B331 and pretty much have it figured out. Got installed est from Cruise Air at $8000. DIYS will come in around $3000. Feel free to email me cwoody00@hotmail.com for more infor.
 
H

henryD

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Jun 11, 2012
7
Beneteau 331 Jersey City
I have been researching this and went to the boat yesterday to measure the dimensions of the cabinet as I wanted to purchase the Webasto unit. But it doesn't looking it will fit nor will any of the other units. I don think they make the Cruiseair anymore. What other units will fit without cutting out plywood bulkheads. Help is much appreciated.
 
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