AC/Reverse Cycle Heat and Air in a C320

[sail343]

I am considering purchasing a used C320. Need to have heat/ac installed if we get the seal we want and surveys well. Have heard it is a tough install but see several on the market that have it so it obviously it can be done. When I googled I saw a thread from here about an owner installing a 16K BTU Marine Air unit but there were no details where the unit was located and how/where they ran the ductwork. When I looked in here cannot seem to find it. The service guy at my local boat yard thought 12K BTU was enough but I had a 12000 BTU unit in a 34 foot Beneteau several years back and it struggled. The 320 cabin is at least as roomy and SF volume as the 34 FT Beneteau. Can someone please help me with the best install layout and equipment ?

Thanks !
Rob

 

[Solstice]

Hi Rob,
As a former 320 owner, I can say it is very doable to install AC and many owners have done so. I am actually going to help a neighbor 320 owner install one in a couple of weeks.
If you haven't already done so, you should join the 320 owners forum if seriously considering purchasing. In addition to getting feedback on the size of the unit for your area you can get great info for survey questions. A great and very active group!

 

[Benny17441]

We currently run a 12,500 btu unit in an h320 and it is as adequate as a marine unit can be in sweltering Florida. The reason we opted for the 12.5K was to be able to run it with a Honda 2000 portable generator at anchor. During our hot summer days it struggles but at night it permits sleep. The reverse heating function works quite well in our mild winters.

 

[sail343]

Thanks for the reply. So where are you going to put the unit ? Where the ducts/ vents and return ? I see a great install that gets ducts to the aft cabin, head, salon and V-berth but it requires a lot of expensive cabinetry. The simple install I have seen looks like the unit is in the port sail/cockpit locker with vents in the galley and aft cabin only. I haven't determined in that install where the return is located. I will join the C320 owners forum ....thanks

 

[Serenity21306]

The PO installed a MarineAir Passport II 16,000 reverse cycle in my C320. It works well except struggles in hot afternoons in the Mississippi Gulf coast. We need to contrive an awning. My only disappointment is that my 2800 watt Yamaha generator is unable to get it started. It has succeeded on a very few occasions and will continue fine once the compressor is running.

The compressor is located on the starboard side of the lazarette. Inlet through hull is next to the engine coolant inlet. Outlet through hull is above water line adjacent to compressor. The evaporator coil is under the v-birth on the starboard side. Condensate drains into a little sump containing an ordinary bilge pump which pumps out a through hull on the port side. Ductwork runs behind batteries. I can’t count from memory the number of outlets. One of the major ones is under the seat next to the black water tank. The thermostat is mounted in a cutout in the end wall of the galley sink cabinet. Equipment in the v-berth is accessible from above with the boards removed. I am happy with the way the unit is installed. The only cabinetry work is the galley cutout plus a special grill installed at chest level just inside the entrance to the aft berth. I would be glad to provide more ductwork detail if desired.

 

[Serenity21306]

Serenity again. I may have mislead a bit. Of course there were other cutouts about 2 in. OD for the duct outlets. They were fitted with the usual adjustable directional vanes.