376 Air Conditioning Question

[robertsapp]

We're having our new to us 1997 H376 delivered next week. I have a question about the dual air conditioning setup. The boat we've purchased has a single 16K A/C unit located under the starboard settee. This being Florida, I'm not sure if that will be enough cooling for a 37 foot boat. The AC breaker panel has a breaker for A/C Unit 2, which I assume was an option on the boat. Can someone with the dual A/C setup tell me where the second unit was located and what size it is? Thanks!

 

[Keith in Punta Gorda]

I love a bit south of you with the same boat , and can say the single unit cools fine. I will say that humidity is more an issue , and then only when the temps are only slightly hot. And , no , I have no idea where compressor 2 normally goes.

 

[Bill Roosa]

also consider sun shades. I made three (foredeck and middeck starboard and port) and they lower the temp about 10 deg F in full sun. Also let you keep the ports open in the rain. Great to help the AC and when anchored out. Used spare sailcloth I had laying around.

 

[Benny17441]

Sun shades will keep the boat closer to ambient temperature as opposed to the oven like temperatures radiated from the deck exposed to the sun. Also you can use the power of evaporation by hosing the deck periodically; it will cool the deck a few degrees. For extra hot and humid days we pack a 5,000 btu window A/C which we will set in the companionway. It is amazing how quick with the aid of this auxiliary unit that the boat cools down.

 

[robertsapp]

I love a bit south of you with the same boat , and can say the single unit cools fine. I will say that humidity is more an issue , and then only when the temps are only slightly hot. And , no , I have no idea where compressor 2 normally goes.

My interest stems primarily from the fact that our current 336 has a single 16K A/C unit, and sometimes it's barely able to keep the ends of the boat (V berth and aft cabin) at comfortable temperatures. Good to know though that your 376 does fine with the single A/C unit.

 

[TFU]

You mentioned that there is a second AC switch in your electrical panel. My experience is that you need a 15 amp feed to run the AC, especially a 16k BTU system (start up of 14-16 amps and run at 6-7 amps). Unless you have a 50 amp service I don't see how you run another AC unit.
I currently own a Legend 37 with a 16k BTU system and it works fine for the area - mind you I'm not in Florida ?.
Another area that I had to consider was to use a larger circulating pump and through hull. I had to increase both since the boat came with a 12k BTU system and when it quit I added the 16k BTU.
Bill

 

[robertsapp]

Our new to us H376 has dual 30 amp service (i.e. two 30 amp shore power connectors). One feeds the "A" bus that handles all the AC loads except air conditioning, the other feeds the "B" bus that has breakers for "A/C FWD" and "A/C AFT". There's also a breaker for the "A/C RELAY" or something like that. I assume this would be a relay that would power on the A/C seawater pump whenever either of the two A/C units was running. We only have a single A/C unit though, located in the salon, so again, I'm wondering where the aft A/C unit would go if I decided to install one, because Florida ain't Canada - you just can't have too much air conditioning here in the summer when the decks get too hot to walk on barefoot without raising blisters. The thru-hull for the seawater pump is 3/4", so I think it's plenty big enough to handle the flow that two A/C units would require.

 

[Chap_W]

We have the same 376 with the single unit. We sail on Lake Texoma (on the OK /TX border). Our single unit just can't keep up with 95'+ days (and wasn't meant to). We try to keep air moving down below with fans and try to block the sun with shadecloths while topside.

That said, I too have been considering a second unit. I have heard of folks putting the second unit in the storage area underneath the bed in the aft berth or at the bottom of the starboard side hanging locker.
C

 

[davjonLegend]

I am on the Texas coast -- can't get much more humid and hot in August.

I have a '93 37.5 Legend. It has a split A/C (and heat) system -- I think it is sized as 16K btu.
It is called a split system since it has one compressor and 2 evaporaters (rather than just one).
- compressor in the stbd cockpit lazarette with the batteries.
- main evaporater in the salon, under stbd settee.
- secondary (smaller) evaporater in the stbd hanging locker in the aft cabin.

We have 2 small fans to help circulate air in the cabins.
In a nutshell, it is sufficient. Takes about 15 minutes to get comfortable when first started at mid-day, but cools down. Night time it can get pretty cold.

Addition of a tarp over the boom while at the marina can help dramatically.

Given that self-contained units can now be bought, I might choose 2 of those if I were to do it completely over again. But that requires additional runs of wiring, cooling sea water hoses, etc. so I wouldn't choose that solution unless it was really needed.