Airconditioning a C-22

[Aldo]

Has anyone airconditioned their C-22? I’m not talking about a Cruise and Carry, or sticking a room airconditioner in the hatchway, but actually installing airconditioning with ducts. If so, how many outlets do you have, and where did you locate them? Are your ducts insulated? Where did you put the return? (I’m talking about a pre ’86 C-22).Last week it was hot, humid, and buggy enough on the Chesapeake to make me consider this idea very seriously. Even with screens and a fan (powered by shore power), it was too hot and humid in the boat to sleep (with 3 people in it). We usually cruise our C-22 with 4 people.Has anyone ever looked at a 5000 BTU room airconditioner and considered taking it apart to get the pieces to make the air conditioning for the boat? This size air conditioner is available at Wal-Mart for only $80. I have access to HVAC people, who could recharge the unit, after I modify the condenser. I am proposing using water to cool the condenser, the way that it is usually done for boats. Thanks, Aldo

 

[Randy]

An alternative

Aldo, I can sympathize with the discomfort your crew had in the hot humid weather. Adding AC seems complex, though, and would add weight that isn't needed all the time. Would it be possible to take a small window AC unit and use sheet metal to force the cool flow into a tube such as a dryer hose? You could have the AC on the dock or in the cockpit and run the hose into the cabin through some sort of fitting. I would think it would cool down the small interior of a C22 pretty quickly and then maintain the cool temperature. Randy 13227

 

[Bayard Gross]

Discussion about this on the Sailnet list

Apparently some people have already installed these 5,000 BTU $80 units in their C-22s.They seem to mount them into the crib board area and then exit by climbing up and out through the slid back hatch, although you could go through the bow hatch. Natch they use AC shore power.As you have an older boat, these C-22's with AC drain the condesation by tapping into the scupper tubes, just as is done with the gally drain. A simple solution which would be very difficult to resolve on a newer boat which has it cockpit drains aft of the transom and does not have the scupper tubes.