Has anyone tried a portable room ac ? I have a hunter 23.5 was thinking it might work all they need is ac current and a vent for a 6 inch hose. Was thinking of venting out the front hatch.
Air for boat
- Thread starter timanddebra
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Tim, welcome to the forum. Some will try to use a room ac and leave it inside or vent it down in the V-berth hatch but it's awkward and even if it'd work it's too much air up front and nothing in the back or just in the way.
I use the very smallest 110v window unit($89) I could find and simply set it into the companionway with three carefully fitted slats on the top and sides to fill the gaps of the bottom two hatch boards. I screwed a small aluminum bar across the top to catch the ac on each side of the companion way so it just drops into place. It's 3y/o and still going strong.
I use a swim noodle under it and two rubber stoppers on the cross bar to deaden the vibration noise and tilt the ac aft so moisture drains into the cockpit. It makes hot summer nights bearable(frosty) and I then just leave it on the dock when we go out for the day.
It's also a big help to try and shade the deck during the heat of the day so your AC dosent kill itself trying to keep up.
Good luck, Mike
I use the very smallest 110v window unit($89) I could find and simply set it into the companionway with three carefully fitted slats on the top and sides to fill the gaps of the bottom two hatch boards. I screwed a small aluminum bar across the top to catch the ac on each side of the companion way so it just drops into place. It's 3y/o and still going strong.
I use a swim noodle under it and two rubber stoppers on the cross bar to deaden the vibration noise and tilt the ac aft so moisture drains into the cockpit. It makes hot summer nights bearable(frosty) and I then just leave it on the dock when we go out for the day.
It's also a big help to try and shade the deck during the heat of the day so your AC dosent kill itself trying to keep up.
Good luck, Mike
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We tried one once and it was next to useless. It's sitting in the garage gathering dust and you are welcome to swing by and try it out for a few days.
These units are much different then your typical house and marine AC systems. Your house AC has the compressor outside and is cooled with outside air. The marine systems are cooled with water. These units use the inside air to cool the compressor and that air goes out the exhaust. So, its using the air that you just cooled and because it creates a negative pressure in the cabin it needs to suck in hot air from the outside to operate. At first, I thought I got a defective unit so I called the manufacturer and was told that our unit will only cool the intake air 18 degrees. If you start the unit up in a 100 degree cabin you will never ever reach 82 degrees. That was our experience.
I don't know why I'm talking about AC today because our lake level is down 50% from normal and the docks have been moved out so far the shore power suffers from a huge voltage drop and we can't run the AC. So, we are stuck inside for most of the summer and it kinds of reminds us of the 40 below winter days when we lived in northern Canada. We got cabin fever!
I'll make you great deal for a slightly used 7000 BTU unit.
These units are much different then your typical house and marine AC systems. Your house AC has the compressor outside and is cooled with outside air. The marine systems are cooled with water. These units use the inside air to cool the compressor and that air goes out the exhaust. So, its using the air that you just cooled and because it creates a negative pressure in the cabin it needs to suck in hot air from the outside to operate. At first, I thought I got a defective unit so I called the manufacturer and was told that our unit will only cool the intake air 18 degrees. If you start the unit up in a 100 degree cabin you will never ever reach 82 degrees. That was our experience.
I don't know why I'm talking about AC today because our lake level is down 50% from normal and the docks have been moved out so far the shore power suffers from a huge voltage drop and we can't run the AC. So, we are stuck inside for most of the summer and it kinds of reminds us of the 40 below winter days when we lived in northern Canada. We got cabin fever!
I'll make you great deal for a slightly used 7000 BTU unit.
I've seen one of these in the front hatch of a 30' in my marina. The owner loved it. Seems a little spendy to me.
Carry On Air
Carry On Air
I have a 6,500 btu window unit a friend gave me. I just set it up like Mike does. A pillow on each side and my companion way hatch cover on top. Its no good at 105 in the day time (only brings it down to 80) but after the sun goes down its great for overnighters in the slip.
Window units as well as portable units were not designed to be used in boats but they present an easy and inexpensive way to cool your cabin. Now when you place a window unit in the companionway they work very efficiently. When you place them on a hatch on top of the cabin they provide poor airflow and tend to recirculate cooled air fooling the thermostat into thinking the cabin air has reached the desired temperature. A window unit sitting in the companionway will exauste hot air into the cockpit and it makes it difficult to get in and out of the cabin. A portable A/C unit sits inside the cabin but they are less efficient than a window unit. They exaust the hot air used to cool the compressor out of a 4" hose which tends to act as a heat radiator. Also the hot air exausted is replaced with hot and humid air form the outside. It has been my experience that if you want to experience the cooling power of a 5k window unit you must get at least a 12k portable unit. I have had experience with most types of A/C units in boats includying the water cooled unit the came in a Samsonite suitcase and none of them cool the air fast enough when the cabin temperature is over 100F. It is irrealistic to demand that. We enjoy our A/C unit when the outside ambient temperature is around 80F in the spring and fall but in the summer we just survive with its help. There are a couple of things you can do to help the units work more efficiently; hose the deck and cabin down with water and the evaporation effect will help cool the inside cabin and install a boom or deck awning to keep direct sunlight away and help insulate the heat from the cabin. The A/C unit will work better if it only has to cool 90F air as opposed to 100F+ air. Another problem in boats is the air flow. You may cool the cabin with a window unit but if the air does not reach into the V or Stern berth you are not going to sleep comfortable. This is where a built unit with duct work to the different comparments shine. Fans can help circulate air form a window to those comparments. Window and portable units may not work adequately at mid day but they usually do nicely at night. Use them wisely and if you don't mind a few inconveniences then they can help you enjoy those summer boating months.
I use a window unit in an older 30. I mounted mine in the rear bulkhead of the quarter berth. I then set a fan at he front of the berth and one at the entrance of the v berth. It also helps if you have been out for the day and plan to tie up and run the AC to open the forward hatch and put up the awning prior to motoring in. This allows the forward motion to force out the hottest of the air. A hatch scoop would work better haven't got one. I also hang an awning off the boom.
On the dock I button up the cabin prop open the lazarette as wide as I can and still protect the contents and let it run. It won't do much on a day like today with triple digits but normally it drops the cabin to 70 within two hours.
On the dock I button up the cabin prop open the lazarette as wide as I can and still protect the contents and let it run. It won't do much on a day like today with triple digits but normally it drops the cabin to 70 within two hours.
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