Anyone added (Or have) A/C on their 30?

[OS2Dude]

I have a need to add a marine A/C to our new (to us) 1985 Catalina 30. I can't find a good place for it. (Looking at 12k BTU single unit) The V-Berth and starboard settee bot curve too much. The port lazarette already has a water heater and refrigerator compressor in it.

Does anyone have an A/C on their 30, or has added it? Where did it end up? Does it work well? What capacity is it?

 

[Padrone]

I have AC on my Catalina 30 TR, it is a 12k unit and situated under a seat forward of the table. It works very well up here in the Hudson Valley !

 

[mgandpcbryan]

I have a marine unit on my C 30 MkIl. Sits at the top of the hanging locker and there is one air vent on the locker wall above the settee. Works well except the condensation regularly overflows the tray under the unit and floods the locker and cabin sole.

 

[Padrone]

To prevent the overflow ..............add a drain tube to the tray outlet and lead it to the bilge !

 

[Bob4203]

If your going to install an AC system in the Catalina on Lake Lanier I highly suggest you go to the 16K btu unit. Its not much more expensive or larger, but according to other Catalina 30 owners who have installed AC here in Georgia, the 16K btu is the way to go in this summer heat, which by the way is forecasted to only get worse!!

I have seen AC set ups nested behind the companion way ladder if your out of room elsewhere.

Bob
Mark II

 

[OS2Dude]

Thanks for the replies. Can you be a little more specific, maybe even supply a photo?

What year TR? I have an '85 std rig, and I don't know what you mean by a seat forward of the table. (The head is forward of the [dining] table on mine.) If you meant the nav station, the bottom is already curving up to the side at that point, no room there.

I interpret the second post to mean the A/C is IN the top of the hanging locker? Did it take much space from it? Is it air cooled or water cooled? How did you mount it there?

The quarter berth has the access for the diesel tank and for the pedestal guts (Base, quadrant, cables, etc) It would be a great place except I don't know how we would install anything there without blocking access to the other stuff.

WEST had a sizing guide for marine A/Cs, and even with the multiplier for TROPICAL it only came out as a 10K BTU. That's why I was thinking a 12K. I'm concerned that a 16K may cycle too fast and not pull the humidity out as well as burn out per-maturely. (That can be an issue with a home system that is too large.) I will investigate further as I don't want to have to install a larger one later.

 

[Bob4203]

First, I have yet to hear of anyone with the 16K unit having issues about "burnout". If I was going to install an AC unit in my boat, which is under consideration, I would not hesitate to get the 16K unit for the few extra bucks and more cooling. Keep in mind that huge space in the quarter berth.

The Catalina 30 had two dinette configurations. The standard is the table that hangs and locks onto the bulkhead. The other is the added seating section that attaches along the bulkhead extending the seating and giving the dinette a "U" shaped configuration. This allows a square table to be installed on a pedestal without hanging it on the bulkhead. That added seat for my boat is the perfect place to install an AC unit or store lots of gear.

Go to the classifieds, Catalina Boats for sale section here, type in 30 foot for boat size and you will see about a dozen or two Catalina 30's for sale around the country. Most have photos and several have the "U" dinette. You will see the big difference between both setups. I have seen the AC units installed in the hanging lockers, chart table and under the v-berth.

Bob

 

[Bob4203]

okay........

Check out the 1985 Catalina 30 for sale in New York and the 1981 Catalina 30 for sale in Illinois on the boats for sale site and you can see photos of the "U" shaped dinette configuration. That seat along the bulkhead is a fiberglass shell with access under the cushion that attaches to the bulkhead and the end of the long bench seat. It has a great nice sized compartment perfect for an AC system. I would think that this is still available from Catalina if you want to change your dinette.

 

[The Garbone]

okay........ Check out the 1985 Catalina 30 for sale in New York and the 1981 Catalina 30 for sale in Illinois on the boats for sale site and you can see photos of the "U" shaped dinette configuration. That seat along the bulkhead is a fiberglass shell with access under the cushion that attaches to the bulkhead and the end of the long bench seat. It has a great nice sized compartment perfect for an AC system. I would think that this is still available from Catalina if you want to change your dinette.

Hold on, your saying if I call Catalina Yatchs and ask they may have a modular dinette section I can just screw down in my salon? I was under the impression it was molded into the liner?

 

[Eric_KC]

I have a 1983 Catalina 30 MKI, located on Stockton Lake in the Missouri Ozarks. The P.O. installed it, and it's located in the hanging locker. (This is a Mermaid 12K BTU unit.)

It does take up most of the hanging locker, and has a vent out one side of the locker into the V berth, and another out of the locker into the salon.

Last year was my first with the boat, but it kept the boat very comfortable on the hottest days we had.

 

[Bob4203]

Gary...........

Yes, its a separate piece that attaches to the floor, bulkhead and is nested up against the bench seat. I have seen the same pedestal and table set up in many Catalina 30's (ads and owners photos), indicating that when ordered this was the set up (square laminated table, pedestal (removable post to support the table), and seat extension with access wood board similar to other locker boards. It extends over part of the bilge, so the access board is shorter. For me a great set up as it provides a lot more space for gear or in this case an AC unit.

Bob

 

[The Garbone]

Well called and left a VM with the parts folks. When I get a response I will post it here.

Sorry for the thread jacking, but the additional seating and space for a/C would be great.

 

[OS2Dude]

This is why I said too large a unit can burn out:

(From the MarinAir web site)

If the marine air conditioner is substantially oversized, following negative consequences will occur;
1) The energy will be wasted unnecessarily.
2) Cost of the unit will be higher than required.
3) Cost of installation will be higher since a bigger unit will need a bigger ductwork, a bigger pump, and a thicker power cables etc.
4) The compressor will interval (will be switched on an off) very frequently and this will result a shorter life expectancy.
5) The humidity removal function will not work as expected. The humidity level may even be increased.
6) The users will be disturbed because of the temperature level is changing up and down very fast (especially during sleeping). They may even get sick.

 

[jimmcgee]

I have a 10K Webasto unit installed under the v-berth on the port side.

To install it I glassed in a mahogany cleat along the curved outer hull section and bolted in a cleat on the u-shaped cutout in the center.

A shelf screws down to these cleats and holds the AC unit. I cut an inlet vent into the inner wall to allow air into the unit. I made mounting feed out of 1 inch closed cell foam (cut from a set of quality kneepads) and placed between the unit and the shelf to dampen vibrations. This also makes the unit quieter.

The outlet is a four inch flex tube run under the settee that comes up to an outlet on the back wall of the galley. This keeps air moving through the boat (back to front).

The seacock for the AC cooling water is located under the unit near the seacock for the head sink drain. Don't try and T off the sink drain for your water inlet or you'll suck air into the system (I learned the hard way).

The pump and strainer are mounted on a mahogany panel on the front of the v-berth cutout. I'm enclosing this area for a storage bin so they'll be hidden. The controls are mounted above the drawers opposite the head door.

A couple of things I'd do differently. I wouldn't go with Webasto again. The unit works well once installed but their documentation and support are just horrendous. So bad that their tech support acknowledged the unit will not work if installed per their manual.

I'm redoing the 4" duct run to make it a straighter run and ease some of the bends for better flow. I may replace some of the straight runs with solid duct to help the flow.

I'd go with 12K over 10K - especially since we're heading to Florida in a year or so. 10K keeps up until you get above 98 degrees outside, then you really need more capacity. Pulling the shades and covering the glass in our companionway doors makes a BIG difference in how quickly the boat cools down when you're in the mid to high 90's. I'm really not sure if 16K would be too much.

One of the problems is our boats don't have headliners. When midday temps get up around 100 degrees the headliner is hot to the touch from the inside of the boat. I've often thought that a layer of Reflectix hidden by a headliner would make a significant difference in trying to keep the boat cool.

 

[mytime]

Ac Under Stearn bunk

http://forums.catalina.sailboatowners.com/showthread.php?t=167396

 

[OS2Dude]

In this post I described what we decided to do for our A/C installation.

To summarize, Batteries were moved to Aft Lazarette and we re-purposed the Nav Station to hold the A/C.

 

[Bahaba0]

We put 16 btu in locker across from head

 

[Mike S]

Installed a 12,000 BTU unit under the V-berth of a 1977 Catalina. I had to install a shelf in the compartment to hold the unit. Ran the duct work thru the hanging locker and under the vanity in the head.

 

[mytime]

Mike do you sleep in V berth?
Is it loud?