Adding air con to a H33C

kloudie1 · May 23, 2013

12000 BTU minimum .. 16000 if you can find the room for it. It should be wired with good marine cable to a new, dedicated marine circuit breaker.
Look for good corrosion protection in the base pan. look for low condensate water hold-up, look for an electronic thermostat with an "Away" or dehumidify setting . Before you buy the "Install" kits with ducting and grilles and thru-hulls, price these items at different locations. I thought the duct kits sold with the units were outrageously priced and duplicated their kits from the local Lowes/Home Depot for about half price. I have had mine for many years and know that a good AC unit is worth its weight in gold on a hot, humid night. Or if you want to do work inside in the summertime.. I put a 12000 BTU unit in my 34 because it was the biggest (in that long ago year) that would fit into the space.. When I replace the unit, I will go up to a 16000 BTU unit.. The 12000 works continuously to keep the inside comfortable at 90+ ambient and full sun.. A 12000 in your boat would be pretty good. My buddy with a '78 H-33 uses an 8000 BTU window unit in the companionway to make it comfortable.. works fine but an installed below-deck unit is a lot more convenient..

Bill1565 · May 24, 2013

Anything but an installed below decks marine A/C will cost you at the time you sell the boat. We have a 16000 BTU marine air with the heat option Works fine on our boat. cycles off even in 90 degree full sun. Price differential zero to not much from 10-12,000. Reverse cycle Heat option adds $.

kfleming · May 24, 2013

MickP said:
Thanks for the replies. I am trying to avoid paying more for the air-con than the boat is worth. I think i might go for a window unit and put it over the saloon hatch. Or, to avoid the nuisance of having to remove it when we go out for a sail, could i leave the unit on the dock and just pipe the cool air into the boat? Sorry if this is a daft idea, i am from the UK and we don't often have a problem with excess heat...

We added this unit this year: Frigidaire 5000-BTU Window Air Conditioner. Bought it from Lowes for 109.00 and installed where the lower hatch board was It fitl nicely out of the box due to the way I rebuilt the hatch boards. Cools the cabin nicely and stores easily in the the dock box when out sailing.

H33CRich · May 29, 2013

MickP said:
Starting to get hot down here in Charleston, SC, so thoughts have turned towards getting an air-con unit for the boat (1981 Hunter 33). Not being used to these things, what size unit do i want? Anything i need to look out for?

I will be using it only when attached to shore power, do these plug into my GFCI outlets, or should they be wired directly to the breaker panel?

Thanks

I used a unit similar to the one below last year and it worked quite well for the use intended: used at night to make it more comfortable for sleeping. It also worked well on a few of the hot spells during the day and we stayed in port. However, most of the day time when it was really hot I was in the breeze enjoying a refreshment or swimming. It runs on a 15 amp circuit. A dedicated 15 amp circuit would be best to avoid tripping the breaker while cooling and using any other electrical appliance. It comes with all of the vent hoses and window adapters. You can lash it to the compression post and vent to the forward port on the port side of the salon.
http://www.lowes.com/pd_367199-37610-GL-PAC-08E4_0__?productId=3652601&Ntt=airconditioner&pl=1&currentURL=%3FNtt%3Dairconditioner&facetInfo=http://www.lowes.com/pd_367199-3761...l=1&currentURL=?Ntt=airconditioner&facetInfo=

malyea · Jun 5, 2013

kfleming said:
We added this unit this year: Frigidaire 5000-BTU Window Air Conditioner. Bought it from Lowes for 109.00 and installed where the lower hatch board was It fitl nicely out of the box due to the way I rebuilt the hatch boards. Cools the cabin nicely and stores easily in the the dock box when out sailing.

Do you have any problem with condensation leaking out of the unit and into the cabin or cockpit?

Paul F · Jun 5, 2013

malyea said:
Do you have any problem with condensation leaking out of the unit and into the cabin or cockpit?

Have used a window unit in the companion way. The small threshold at the exit tilts the a/c unit slightly backward and the condensation runs on the outside. The small 5,000 btu unit fits well. The only problem is stepping over it to enter or leave the boat. While this is a good occasional solution, long term it may not work.

Jimmy Jenkins · Jun 6, 2013

I have 1978 H30 in Port St Lucie FL. I bought a 9500 BTU upright portable AC and mounted it behind the nav station in the quarter berth. On 92 degree days, if you don't turn the AC on very early in the morning, 82-84 degrees is a low as the temp gets on the inside. A friend bought a 13500 btu portable(don't remember the brand but it is shorter and wider than most of the portables) for his Watkins 27 and it keeps his boat like a meat locker. The unit he bought was around $500 but really does what it is supposed to do. Considering the volume of your cabin is greater than my H30, I would suggest the 13500 btu. On my boat the exhaust exits at the opening port in the cockpit, just made a filler board for the port.
Good luck,
Jimmy

Jimmy Jenkins · Jun 6, 2013

Found the AC mentioned in above post. It is "Whynter 13000 portable ". Google this and you will see info and prices.
Jimmy

malyea · Jun 6, 2013

jaj63207 said:
mounted it behind the nav station in the quarter berth. On my boat the exhaust exits at the opening port in the cockpit, just made a filler board for the port.
Good luck,
Jimmy

How do you deal with the condensation run-off?

Jimmy Jenkins · Jun 7, 2013

Single exhaust tube(4" diameter) has a small tube inside it that carries condensation to the AC exhaust and it exhausts into the atmosphere. This is the reason you need to exhaust outside rather than into engine compartment or bilge. The exhaust would be very damp.
Jimmy

sailguy40 · Jun 9, 2013

I recently installed a small 6000 BTU window unit in the companionway hatch of my Hunter 33. So far it has been keeping things cool and has a remote so when I am laying down I can just adjust it as I want.

malyea · Jun 9, 2013

sailguy40 said:
I recently installed a small 6000 BTU window unit in the companionway hatch of my Hunter 33. So far it has been keeping things cool and has a remote so when I am laying down I can just adjust it as I want.

....cool...and how do you 'plumb' the unit to route condensation to not drip into the cabin?

sailguy40 · Jun 12, 2013

I have it so it is slightly tilted downward. The condensation just kind of drips into the cockpit.

Adding air con to a H33C

.

.

.

.

.

Attachments

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.