Has anyone put A/C on a boat this size? We would only be using it with shore power. My dilemma is whether to bite the expensive bullet and install a built in unit or lug a less expensive 60 pound portable on deck each time I need it. I sail just outside of Saint Louis and the summer nights get somewhat sticky. I dread the though of thru hulls in my DRY DUSTY bilge. What size unit would be adequate? Any help out there?
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Alan Long
Cruiseair
I sail in Virginia and it gets miserably hot/humid here in the summer too. I bought a 4000 btu (approx) Cruiseair portable for my 23.5 and it works reasonably well. So much sunlight and heat come through the plentiful windows (ports?) in my boat that the AC can only create a little pocket of cool dryness in the v berth. It does, however drip just a little into the boat from condensation. That small spot of refuge is plenty welcome in the summer. It is a major pain to lug the thing up to the forward hatch and install it on a 98 degree August afternoon, but all in all worth it. The hatch isn't big enough to drop the unit through, so it has to be dragged out of the cabin, into the cockpit and from there up to the bow. I too have considered a built in and based on my experience with the 4000 btu unit, I'd say it would take at least 5,000 to 7000 btus to get the entire boat cool. Remember that these boats have no insulation like a house would to maintain temperature inside. I've casually looked at a couple of built in units in the West Marine and Boat US catalogs, but that's the extent of my knowledge. Please let me know if you uncover any good information. Keep cool Alan Long S/V Random Access
I sail in Virginia and it gets miserably hot/humid here in the summer too. I bought a 4000 btu (approx) Cruiseair portable for my 23.5 and it works reasonably well. So much sunlight and heat come through the plentiful windows (ports?) in my boat that the AC can only create a little pocket of cool dryness in the v berth. It does, however drip just a little into the boat from condensation. That small spot of refuge is plenty welcome in the summer. It is a major pain to lug the thing up to the forward hatch and install it on a 98 degree August afternoon, but all in all worth it. The hatch isn't big enough to drop the unit through, so it has to be dragged out of the cabin, into the cockpit and from there up to the bow. I too have considered a built in and based on my experience with the 4000 btu unit, I'd say it would take at least 5,000 to 7000 btus to get the entire boat cool. Remember that these boats have no insulation like a house would to maintain temperature inside. I've casually looked at a couple of built in units in the West Marine and Boat US catalogs, but that's the extent of my knowledge. Please let me know if you uncover any good information. Keep cool Alan Long S/V Random Access
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Steve Wright
Quick Insulation
One day last summer I was in my H-26 with the A/C running, when I found the top hatch was hot to the touch, so I put the cockpit cusions on top of the boat and within minutes it was much cooler inside. I am going to make something with that milar bubble stuff this winter.
One day last summer I was in my H-26 with the A/C running, when I found the top hatch was hot to the touch, so I put the cockpit cusions on top of the boat and within minutes it was much cooler inside. I am going to make something with that milar bubble stuff this winter.
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John Scharer
Cruiseair Too
We have a H260 and most recently used our Cruiseair at this summer's Hunter Rendezous at the Solomons Islands for the week of July 4th. The weather was hot, really hot 95 to 105 degrees each day. We stayed cool at night with our Cruieair. A little work but well worth a good nights sleep.
We have a H260 and most recently used our Cruiseair at this summer's Hunter Rendezous at the Solomons Islands for the week of July 4th. The weather was hot, really hot 95 to 105 degrees each day. We stayed cool at night with our Cruieair. A little work but well worth a good nights sleep.
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Bruce
Easy Cool Down Assist
We had the heat build up problem when we lived in Florida, and my wife used some fabric (velcro'd on each corner) that we covered the inside of the windows and hatch with. It was very easy, quick, allowed diffuse light in during the day, and cooled the inside of the boat significantly both sailing and at the dock.
We had the heat build up problem when we lived in Florida, and my wife used some fabric (velcro'd on each corner) that we covered the inside of the windows and hatch with. It was very easy, quick, allowed diffuse light in during the day, and cooled the inside of the boat significantly both sailing and at the dock.
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Dan Ebert
Permanent ?
Got a new H260 and wife, for what reason I don't know, wants AC. Question is can you mount the Cruiseair permanent during real hot weather instead of humping the unit every time you need to use it?
Got a new H260 and wife, for what reason I don't know, wants AC. Question is can you mount the Cruiseair permanent during real hot weather instead of humping the unit every time you need to use it?
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Ralph C. Regar
Cruisair Installation on H260
The Cruiseair unit has worked well for us, even during last summer's heat in southern Delaware. It will keep the boat reasonably cool, but not cold, during a really hot day, but that is when you should be outside having FUN. When the sun goes down, it does a good job, even in the hottest weather. Moving the Cruiseair each time you wish to use it or go sailing can be inconvenient as well as a safety hazard with so many things to trip over on a sailboat. We keep ours on the sea hood under the boom where it does not interfere with anything and where it can be easily removed from the boat, if we wish to do so. To use the unit, we open the companionway hatch all the way and direct the air over the edge into the cabin. I cut two pieces of plywood to fill the hatch opening. One U-shaped piece goes around the edge of the unit and the other fills in the rest of the opening usually covered by the hatch and allows us to easily negotiate the companionway. This arrangement has the added advantage of directing the cool air into the galley and aft sleeping area where we want it the most. The plywood also eliminates the greenhouse effect of the plastic hatch cover and so helps to keep things cooler. Ralph and Connie Regar Shambala Lewes, DE
The Cruiseair unit has worked well for us, even during last summer's heat in southern Delaware. It will keep the boat reasonably cool, but not cold, during a really hot day, but that is when you should be outside having FUN. When the sun goes down, it does a good job, even in the hottest weather. Moving the Cruiseair each time you wish to use it or go sailing can be inconvenient as well as a safety hazard with so many things to trip over on a sailboat. We keep ours on the sea hood under the boom where it does not interfere with anything and where it can be easily removed from the boat, if we wish to do so. To use the unit, we open the companionway hatch all the way and direct the air over the edge into the cabin. I cut two pieces of plywood to fill the hatch opening. One U-shaped piece goes around the edge of the unit and the other fills in the rest of the opening usually covered by the hatch and allows us to easily negotiate the companionway. This arrangement has the added advantage of directing the cool air into the galley and aft sleeping area where we want it the most. The plywood also eliminates the greenhouse effect of the plastic hatch cover and so helps to keep things cooler. Ralph and Connie Regar Shambala Lewes, DE
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