anybody had experience adding an inexpensive home window unit ac to a hunter, (to be used at dock with 110)? it's pretty hot here in missouri in august. some other boats made homemade boots to pipe the cool air into a hatch. by the way i just installed a wheel brake for my 28.5' that i bought on this chandlery, it works great. don't know how i did without one for 5 yrs. jon
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I use a cruisair myself
I use a cruiseair myself but I have seen window units in use at my marina. Two choices 1. cut a hole through a board that will fit in your hatch and step over the air conditioner every time or remove to sail. Condensation drains into cockpit and out the scuppers. 2. Place on top and buy a heavy duty large laundry bag made out of canvas. cut the bottom and slip over open hatch and tie the other end around the air conditioner. You will need to figure out what to do with the condensation water, tube it overboard. My recomendation is shop e-bay for used unit. You are coming to the end of the season up north so units will start showing up in September. Good luck
I use a cruiseair myself but I have seen window units in use at my marina. Two choices 1. cut a hole through a board that will fit in your hatch and step over the air conditioner every time or remove to sail. Condensation drains into cockpit and out the scuppers. 2. Place on top and buy a heavy duty large laundry bag made out of canvas. cut the bottom and slip over open hatch and tie the other end around the air conditioner. You will need to figure out what to do with the condensation water, tube it overboard. My recomendation is shop e-bay for used unit. You are coming to the end of the season up north so units will start showing up in September. Good luck
I purchased a GE 5500 btu unit that
just sits in the companionway of my 33' Hunter (1982) and starting from a hot boat in the middle of the afternoon it is much improved after 1 hour. After 2-3 hours, its wonderful. I used from early morning the boat stays very cool. Its a pain to take it on and off, but worth it if you are at the dock overnight or for a day or two. At anchor, our boat is cooler since there is usually a breeze. But for staying at the dock... 100 bucks is cheap comfort.
just sits in the companionway of my 33' Hunter (1982) and starting from a hot boat in the middle of the afternoon it is much improved after 1 hour. After 2-3 hours, its wonderful. I used from early morning the boat stays very cool. Its a pain to take it on and off, but worth it if you are at the dock overnight or for a day or two. At anchor, our boat is cooler since there is usually a breeze. But for staying at the dock... 100 bucks is cheap comfort.
I have
I use a window airconditioner that i bought at Sam's club it even has a remote control which makes using it easy. I just set it on the deck and ease my hatch down onto it with a couple side covers to close off the sides and a little duct tape. I intended to make a more permanent structure for it but haven't yet. Hard to describe here i will try to get some pictures. It works very well cools the whole boat nicely, Hunter 31. Jim
I use a window airconditioner that i bought at Sam's club it even has a remote control which makes using it easy. I just set it on the deck and ease my hatch down onto it with a couple side covers to close off the sides and a little duct tape. I intended to make a more permanent structure for it but haven't yet. Hard to describe here i will try to get some pictures. It works very well cools the whole boat nicely, Hunter 31. Jim
thanx, jim, david, and ian
i appreciate the info. will look into your recommendations. sure will make summers more fun. take care. jon
i appreciate the info. will look into your recommendations. sure will make summers more fun. take care. jon
Watch Your Step!
I have a Hunter H260 and live aboard it here on Lake Conroe, Texas. I started out with a 5000 btu house unit I picked up at Walmart and set in the companionway. It worked great and kept the whole boat cool even in 100 degrees. The only problem I had was stepping over it to enter the cabin, especially after enjoying a few beers. I finally broke down and purchased a Marine Carry-on 5000btu and put it in the forward hatch which I enjoy much more. It cools great after I installed curtains over the portholes and is much easier to come and go as needed.
I have a Hunter H260 and live aboard it here on Lake Conroe, Texas. I started out with a 5000 btu house unit I picked up at Walmart and set in the companionway. It worked great and kept the whole boat cool even in 100 degrees. The only problem I had was stepping over it to enter the cabin, especially after enjoying a few beers. I finally broke down and purchased a Marine Carry-on 5000btu and put it in the forward hatch which I enjoy much more. It cools great after I installed curtains over the portholes and is much easier to come and go as needed.
A/C for H28.5
I just added an in -house A/C on my 1988, H28.5. and it works great. The unit is an Artic Marine Air and sits just forward of the compression post. I had a H25.5 prior to this and used a window unit in the companion way. Not a bad option. However, did not like crawling out or back in the boat. If you need additional information on the in-house A/C let me know and we can talk real time. Jim
I just added an in -house A/C on my 1988, H28.5. and it works great. The unit is an Artic Marine Air and sits just forward of the compression post. I had a H25.5 prior to this and used a window unit in the companion way. Not a bad option. However, did not like crawling out or back in the boat. If you need additional information on the in-house A/C let me know and we can talk real time. Jim
Install of AC
Clay Thaxton installed an unit below the vbirth in his H260. Real slick install. VEry professional looking. Go to http://www.sailboatowners.com/upload/display.tpl?folder=73133472596&fno=17
Clay Thaxton installed an unit below the vbirth in his H260. Real slick install. VEry professional looking. Go to http://www.sailboatowners.com/upload/display.tpl?folder=73133472596&fno=17
Can't Find This #2....
This is the info (picture) I can't find: Install of AC Submitted by George Kobernus of Traverse City MI on 08/26 at 05:43AM regarding Hunter 260 Clay Thaxton installed an unit below the vbirth in his H260. Real slick install. VEry professional looking. Go to http://www.sailboatowners.com/upload/display.tpl?folder=73133472596andfno=17
This is the info (picture) I can't find: Install of AC Submitted by George Kobernus of Traverse City MI on 08/26 at 05:43AM regarding Hunter 260 Clay Thaxton installed an unit below the vbirth in his H260. Real slick install. VEry professional looking. Go to http://www.sailboatowners.com/upload/display.tpl?folder=73133472596andfno=17
Summer Heat
Gee, July, and August can be very hot for sleeping. Last year I purchased a Krusin Kool form West Marine. It seems to do a pretty good job in keeping the cabin at comfortable. I'll admit with the heat sometimes I could easly stay home...But with the cooling system it's hard to stay away! I would prefer to throw the hook in a bay for the night, so it has to be pretty darn hot to keep me at the dock!! Smooth Sailing!!
Gee, July, and August can be very hot for sleeping. Last year I purchased a Krusin Kool form West Marine. It seems to do a pretty good job in keeping the cabin at comfortable. I'll admit with the heat sometimes I could easly stay home...But with the cooling system it's hard to stay away! I would prefer to throw the hook in a bay for the night, so it has to be pretty darn hot to keep me at the dock!! Smooth Sailing!!
Window Unit on inverter power
I recently started using a 5200 btu window unit in the companionway also. Works fine. Cool in about 45 min, freeze you out by morning! My question is has anyone run a unit like this, which just draws 5 amps, on the hook with an inverter? If so, how do you calculate how long it will take to run down a battery? Just divide the batteries rated amp hours by 5, or is it more complicated than that? Ernie Rogers
I recently started using a 5200 btu window unit in the companionway also. Works fine. Cool in about 45 min, freeze you out by morning! My question is has anyone run a unit like this, which just draws 5 amps, on the hook with an inverter? If so, how do you calculate how long it will take to run down a battery? Just divide the batteries rated amp hours by 5, or is it more complicated than that? Ernie Rogers
how about 50 amps an hour?
The inverter is 110 volt where you battery is 12. If the A/C uses 5 amps at 110ac, it is going to use 10 times that from the battery or about 50 amps/hour. If you did have the battery capacity to handle it, it still may not work unless you have a "true sin wave" inverter. Brian Crew Rest
The inverter is 110 volt where you battery is 12. If the A/C uses 5 amps at 110ac, it is going to use 10 times that from the battery or about 50 amps/hour. If you did have the battery capacity to handle it, it still may not work unless you have a "true sin wave" inverter. Brian Crew Rest
companionway air
I have used a portable window unit also,that fits right in the companion way. I cost 99. and has provided dock side air for 10 yrs. Yes you do have to climb over it but at nite it is very much worth it. It is very cheap.The same units can be bought now in the fall for 125.00
I have used a portable window unit also,that fits right in the companion way. I cost 99. and has provided dock side air for 10 yrs. Yes you do have to climb over it but at nite it is very much worth it. It is very cheap.The same units can be bought now in the fall for 125.00
It is possible
Don't have all the answers however this link (http://www.mmair.com/product/5200.html) proves it can be done. Smallest footprint on the market and weighs in at 31.5 lbs. for the unit, and 4.7 lbs for the electrical box! This unit has a rotatable blower and tapers down to a "V" shape for those odd angle discharge installations. We use 4” ducting and recommend a minimum of 2, 4” round supply grills with this installation. This unit will run off the new Honda eu1000i 1,000 watt portable generator, while in cool mode. Another option is to use a Statpower 1,000 Watt Inverter and 400 amp hours of battery power and you can anchor out (one average) for one night. Due to the construction of this unit, electric heat is not an option with this unit. Running amperage: Cool = 4.4amps, R/C = 5.5amps. Add one amp for the standard seawater pump. Start up amperage is calculated by running amperage multiplied by 1.8. On average, This unit is designed to cool cruisers up to 26' and sailboats up to 28'.
Don't have all the answers however this link (http://www.mmair.com/product/5200.html) proves it can be done. Smallest footprint on the market and weighs in at 31.5 lbs. for the unit, and 4.7 lbs for the electrical box! This unit has a rotatable blower and tapers down to a "V" shape for those odd angle discharge installations. We use 4” ducting and recommend a minimum of 2, 4” round supply grills with this installation. This unit will run off the new Honda eu1000i 1,000 watt portable generator, while in cool mode. Another option is to use a Statpower 1,000 Watt Inverter and 400 amp hours of battery power and you can anchor out (one average) for one night. Due to the construction of this unit, electric heat is not an option with this unit. Running amperage: Cool = 4.4amps, R/C = 5.5amps. Add one amp for the standard seawater pump. Start up amperage is calculated by running amperage multiplied by 1.8. On average, This unit is designed to cool cruisers up to 26' and sailboats up to 28'.
It can be done
Here is some more info and link (http://www.powerandmotoryacht.com/features/0103cool/index2.html) I took startup readings (with the unit fully operational) at 2:45 p.m. with the sun beating down mercilessly on the flush foredeck of the Harley and an outside temp of 93°F. An astonishingly small amount of power was entering the inverter from the battery bank: 12.4 volts x 40 amps = 496 watts (watts = volts x amps). And an equally astonishing amount of power was exiting the inverter, bound for the air-conditioner: 117 volts x 4 amps = 468 watts. No doubt about it, the amperage draw of the Avi-Air unit was considerably less than the draw reported for most off-the-shelf production A/Cs in the 6,000-Btu size range—just 4 amps. Kehren grinned happily when we checked the boat again at 4:45 p.m. The temperature inside was 75°F, according to our thermometer, and the unit was off, an excellent state of affairs that turned out to be the pattern for the rest of the night. Each and every time I ventured forth from the house to check the boat (at two-hour intervals, more or less), the temperature inside was 75°F and the unit was off. The final readings Kehren and I recorded the next morning at 7 a.m. were just as astonishing as the ones we’d taken the previous afternoon. The same amount of power was entering the inverter from the batteries, more or less: 11.9 volts x 38 amps = 452 watts. And pretty much the same amount of power was exiting, bound for the air conditioner: 117 volts x 3.6 amps = 421 watts. There was one more piece of good news: While my final readings indicated the interior temperature of the boat had held steady at a cool 75°F all night, an “energy monitoring device” Kehren had modified for A/C work showed that the system, despite its small size, had actually run just five hours during the total elapsed time of the experiment. The implication here was obvious. Since it was reasonable to assume that operating our air-conditioner for just five hours had used up just 200 AH (40 amps x 5 hours) of our total 610-AH battery-bank capacity, it was also reasonable to assume that there was plenty of juice left in the batteries for continued cooling. In fact, if Kehren’s energy monitor was right, there were nearly 100 AH left before our batteries were even half-discharged. “So I think the experiment proves my point,” Kehren concluded confidently as we helped Motro shut the system down. “With or without a genset onboard, you can run a high-efficiency marine A/C all night and be comfortable. No problem!” “Cool!” I replied. Avi-Air Marine A/C Phone: (305)940-1996 Next page > Cool, Part 2 > Page 1, 2, 3
Here is some more info and link (http://www.powerandmotoryacht.com/features/0103cool/index2.html) I took startup readings (with the unit fully operational) at 2:45 p.m. with the sun beating down mercilessly on the flush foredeck of the Harley and an outside temp of 93°F. An astonishingly small amount of power was entering the inverter from the battery bank: 12.4 volts x 40 amps = 496 watts (watts = volts x amps). And an equally astonishing amount of power was exiting the inverter, bound for the air-conditioner: 117 volts x 4 amps = 468 watts. No doubt about it, the amperage draw of the Avi-Air unit was considerably less than the draw reported for most off-the-shelf production A/Cs in the 6,000-Btu size range—just 4 amps. Kehren grinned happily when we checked the boat again at 4:45 p.m. The temperature inside was 75°F, according to our thermometer, and the unit was off, an excellent state of affairs that turned out to be the pattern for the rest of the night. Each and every time I ventured forth from the house to check the boat (at two-hour intervals, more or less), the temperature inside was 75°F and the unit was off. The final readings Kehren and I recorded the next morning at 7 a.m. were just as astonishing as the ones we’d taken the previous afternoon. The same amount of power was entering the inverter from the batteries, more or less: 11.9 volts x 38 amps = 452 watts. And pretty much the same amount of power was exiting, bound for the air conditioner: 117 volts x 3.6 amps = 421 watts. There was one more piece of good news: While my final readings indicated the interior temperature of the boat had held steady at a cool 75°F all night, an “energy monitoring device” Kehren had modified for A/C work showed that the system, despite its small size, had actually run just five hours during the total elapsed time of the experiment. The implication here was obvious. Since it was reasonable to assume that operating our air-conditioner for just five hours had used up just 200 AH (40 amps x 5 hours) of our total 610-AH battery-bank capacity, it was also reasonable to assume that there was plenty of juice left in the batteries for continued cooling. In fact, if Kehren’s energy monitor was right, there were nearly 100 AH left before our batteries were even half-discharged. “So I think the experiment proves my point,” Kehren concluded confidently as we helped Motro shut the system down. “With or without a genset onboard, you can run a high-efficiency marine A/C all night and be comfortable. No problem!” “Cool!” I replied. Avi-Air Marine A/C Phone: (305)940-1996 Next page > Cool, Part 2 > Page 1, 2, 3
thanx for all the feedback!
good info folks. thanx to all who took the time to reply. my neighbor gave me a window ac unit, and i did the easy install in the companionway while at dock.. will do for the rest of the season. good sailing all. jon
good info folks. thanx to all who took the time to reply. my neighbor gave me a window ac unit, and i did the easy install in the companionway while at dock.. will do for the rest of the season. good sailing all. jon
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