I am looking to install or have installed an AC unit in my 2004 Hunter 36. It currently has a heater but no AC. What unit do people recommend? Is it a hard install? Do I replace the heater with an AC/Heat Pump System? any ideas on cost to do job?
Air Conditioning in a Hunter 2004 36'
- Thread starter Mganasecici
- Start date
I'm not a big fan of heat pumps for boats in cooler areas, since if it goes significantly below freezing you need to winterized and... no heat. Seems ironic, to me, though not in Florida.
Good Old Boat had a big article on installation last issue. I've done several. You can do it, but your DIY skill set better be pretty deep. You can find the installation manuals on-line.
Good Old Boat had a big article on installation last issue. I've done several. You can do it, but your DIY skill set better be pretty deep. You can find the installation manuals on-line.
Biggest problem with AC installation is running the ductwork for the cold air.. Your Hunter may have pre-installed ducts or spaces for them.. If so the job gets straightforward and within the capability of an advanced DIY guy.. Marlow Hunter may be useful for providing the factory recommended installation location for the unit and pump and piping, etc.. I agree with ThinWater.. if you are in a place where the water gets pretty cold, the heat does not work well.. leave the heater in place and get a "cool only" unit..
i've had both reverse cycle in a boat without heat, and heat in a boat w/o ac. save the money on revere cycle if you already have heat. the reverse cycle feature adds to the $$$ and complexity of install. the biggest problem we had retrofitting an old ' 80 30 foot sailboat with reverse cycle AC was that we had to cannibalize half of the head wet locker to install the system. it was easy to run 2 cool air output ducts, 1 into the cabin dinette area , 1 into the v berth. fitting the AC unit itself under a settee cannibalized a lot of locker space. it was so tight a fit that winterizing could best be done by a small child. be sure to leave enough room to install an AC bleed tee into the h 2 0 line between seawater pump and compressor, which our 'professional install' forgot to do. if you have a choice of seawater pump go with a march submersible, a little more money than the technicold but worth it. my best advice is to pick a competent installer, not some fly by night cheap wanna bee mechanic. double check the install data in the manufacturer's install manual. if the mechanic doesn't comply with it it may void your manufacturer warranty... and when we went to s ell the boat on a 90 degree day in july the AC sold it for us at list price.
I installed a Marinaire 6,000 btu heat pump model on my Hunter 335 last year, smartest thing I ever did, this summer (in Lake Ontario/Rochester NY) we are in the 90's every day and are staying on our boat since its cooler than our house! I chose this size because I could fit it under a settee in the main cabin that was not convienient for storage anyways and also when I checked the electrical usage I found I could run anything on the boat (except hot water heater) while the unit is on and still only need the single 30amp service, took 2 solid weekends to install it myself (im no pro) and a little under $2,000 once you included the hoses and fittings and everything, Marinaire was very helpful and quick with responses to my questions. Wife loves it and even if we motor all day to our destination we can cool down the cabin in a couple hours so we can sleep that nite, hot engine or no. Plus in the spring and fall we can heat the cabin!
Deck fill caps for most Hunter sailboats
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