Air-Conditioning Installation

[depack]

Hello all,
I'm looking to do an air-conditioning installation on my Oday 31. I have some questions.

Has anyone done this by themselves?
If your boat has a previous unit installed where is it located?
Where is the ducting located.

I was entertaining a location in engine compartment and making a box in front of the fuel tank. Another option is over the starboard aft bunk.

Thanks,
Ron

 

[Pat]

Have not installed in O'Day 31, but have installed in my O'Day 272.....big issues in my boat getting ducting run correctly....even with constant communication with Mermaid.
However, we have a friend who installed AC in his O'Day 31...so you could call him. He
name is Mark Reeves and his installation has been very successful. I can have him call
you...he is out a lot as he is a professional jewelry designer here in Wichita...I truthfully
don't know where he put the compressor and I don't know the size or brand of AC but
he and his son installed it in only a very few hours I believe.....My email is pcoulter2@cox.net if you want to send an email w/phone number.....On my boat the
stringers running awthartship (sp) were the issue as I did not want to do anything to
compromise the boats.

 

[Davidasailor26]

We had AC added to our 28 over the winter and it's been great. We had an 8K BTU unit installed which just barely fit under the aft half of the port setee. From there one duct was run toward the galley, and another forward into the head, where it's split into two ducts, one venting into the main part of the salon and another into the v-berth. The 8K unit cools the boat well except during the heat of the hottest days, when it struggles to get below 80. Even then, the reduced humidity makes things comfortable. For your 31 you'll probably need something a little bigger, but you might have just enough extra space to fit it. Our second choice location would've been under the stove, but we would have lost more storage space there. If you try to put the unit outside the main part of the cabin, it will complicate things as you'll need to be sure to seal it in a box ducted into the main cabin to pull return air. Otherwise you'll be pulling hot smelly engine air, trying to cool it, and pumping it into the cabin.