The best and cheapest air conditoner for a 37C -82.I know that this seems silly to the real sailors,but I think I may need it soon.Has anyone done this recently with all the new tech.out there,and how do you like it. L lloyd
- Status
The terms "best" and "cheapest" are usually
mutually exclusive. Are you looking for a marine central unit or do you just want something to cool the cabin seating area. Window units and portable units work quite well from shore power. To use at anchor with a generator get one with a manual on/off switch. When the compressor cycles there is a short lag for the generator to accelerate and meet the increased load of restarting the compressor. Those units with push button electronic switches can shut down in this short interval.
mutually exclusive. Are you looking for a marine central unit or do you just want something to cool the cabin seating area. Window units and portable units work quite well from shore power. To use at anchor with a generator get one with a manual on/off switch. When the compressor cycles there is a short lag for the generator to accelerate and meet the increased load of restarting the compressor. Those units with push button electronic switches can shut down in this short interval.
A/C units
You failed to mention your location and climate but here is my experience. I have a hunter 30 with less volume to cool than you and have tried both the carry on units over the hatch, and the portable units as above. Neithewr did the job except at night. The cary on unit over the hatch would run all night and drip water on the v-berth while you try to sleep. The portable unit as above couldnt keep up with the heat here on the gulf coast. Then there was the drain issue to deal with. After spending over $1,000.00 trying to cut corners, i wound up talking to many people on the forums like this and EVERYONE recommended a central unit. For $1600.00 I installed a 16,500 BTU Central system and it has worked very well. Installation was straight forward and i did it myself in 2 days. With temps over 95 outside at my marina, I sit in a 73 degree salon and watch tv or take a nap " under covers i might add ". There are others like mermaid etc but i bought mine from theses people strictly on talking to satisfied customers. They are in stuart florida and have been designing systems for 30 yrs. Give them a call. They are very customer oriented and very knowledgable. if you want to call me send me an e-mail and i,ll give you my cell number. If your colse to Mobile,Al. you can come over and see it yourself.
You failed to mention your location and climate but here is my experience. I have a hunter 30 with less volume to cool than you and have tried both the carry on units over the hatch, and the portable units as above. Neithewr did the job except at night. The cary on unit over the hatch would run all night and drip water on the v-berth while you try to sleep. The portable unit as above couldnt keep up with the heat here on the gulf coast. Then there was the drain issue to deal with. After spending over $1,000.00 trying to cut corners, i wound up talking to many people on the forums like this and EVERYONE recommended a central unit. For $1600.00 I installed a 16,500 BTU Central system and it has worked very well. Installation was straight forward and i did it myself in 2 days. With temps over 95 outside at my marina, I sit in a 73 degree salon and watch tv or take a nap " under covers i might add ". There are others like mermaid etc but i bought mine from theses people strictly on talking to satisfied customers. They are in stuart florida and have been designing systems for 30 yrs. Give them a call. They are very customer oriented and very knowledgable. if you want to call me send me an e-mail and i,ll give you my cell number. If your colse to Mobile,Al. you can come over and see it yourself.
A/C for the H37C.
About eight years ago I installed a Mermaid 12K unit in the bottom of the aft cabin's cabinet. This worked very well on Lake Erie where the water temp rarely gets above 72. Even on 90+ days in the marina I was comfortably at 72 degrees in the salon. This option has become more expensive over the years but I still think it is worth the investment. Steve Dion would say its real cost is about $150 a year or three nights out on the town. He figures everything over ten years. And I like that analysis.
Now that my boat is in NC and heading farther south I will wish that I had installed a 16K unit which was the same dimensions but one inch taller. The nice thing about the 12K is that it will run off of my 2000W Honda generator. But only because I have a 2000W inverter which lets it ride over that startup surge. I believe in the KISS principle. The inlet water is from a T-valve off of the engine water thru-hull. There are no plenums, it blows out right under the nav table. Those four inch hoses take up too much storage room in my opinion. And I have no condensation running into the bilge. Mermaid makes a device called the "condensator" that sucks the water out of the pan into the outlet hose. Another option that I like is a window unit mounted on top of the icebox in the starboard locker. Seal the outlet against that bulkhead over the galley icebox. A friend has done this on his H28.5 and it works well. He leaves the starboard cover ajar for better ventilation at night. I couldn't do that because my A/B refer unit is mounted there. Let us know how you proceed.
About eight years ago I installed a Mermaid 12K unit in the bottom of the aft cabin's cabinet. This worked very well on Lake Erie where the water temp rarely gets above 72. Even on 90+ days in the marina I was comfortably at 72 degrees in the salon. This option has become more expensive over the years but I still think it is worth the investment. Steve Dion would say its real cost is about $150 a year or three nights out on the town. He figures everything over ten years. And I like that analysis.
Now that my boat is in NC and heading farther south I will wish that I had installed a 16K unit which was the same dimensions but one inch taller. The nice thing about the 12K is that it will run off of my 2000W Honda generator. But only because I have a 2000W inverter which lets it ride over that startup surge. I believe in the KISS principle. The inlet water is from a T-valve off of the engine water thru-hull. There are no plenums, it blows out right under the nav table. Those four inch hoses take up too much storage room in my opinion. And I have no condensation running into the bilge. Mermaid makes a device called the "condensator" that sucks the water out of the pan into the outlet hose. Another option that I like is a window unit mounted on top of the icebox in the starboard locker. Seal the outlet against that bulkhead over the galley icebox. A friend has done this on his H28.5 and it works well. He leaves the starboard cover ajar for better ventilation at night. I couldn't do that because my A/B refer unit is mounted there. Let us know how you proceed.- Status