My wife and I have decided to purchase a new Hunter 260 within the next year. However based on my experience I will not be spending much time on the boat if cabin comfort is not addressed. What is the best way to keep your family cool and comfortable during a day of sailing and at slip?
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B
Bob
A
Al
keeping cool
Some tips: Get the 6 foot bimini, it helps quite a bit! The further out you sail away from the coast, the cooler it gets. Find a few good places to anchor and swim off the boat (jumping in from atop the cabin is great fun for kids). A "solar shower" (used without letting the heat up) helps to cool hot heads.
Some tips: Get the 6 foot bimini, it helps quite a bit! The further out you sail away from the coast, the cooler it gets. Find a few good places to anchor and swim off the boat (jumping in from atop the cabin is great fun for kids). A "solar shower" (used without letting the heat up) helps to cool hot heads.
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David Foster
Canvas cover, air scoop.
Natural cooling works best at anchor, or moored, so the boat can swing to point into the wind. In addition to the bimini, we rig a tarp over the boom. It complete the shade in the cockpit, and keep the cabin temp down. Then I rig a wind scoop (low cost item at WM) over an open bow hatch. This funnels air through the whole boat. If we are at the dock, and the wind is the wrong direction for the scoop, we run a fan on the shore power. Either solution works fine on Lake Erie. The night air right on the water gets reasonably cool even if the days run up to 90 degrees. We have just bought a 12 volt fan for really hot days - but haven't need it yet. I would permanently mount one in the big aft cabins all of the new models have - otherwise the air can get really dead there. David Lady Lillie
Natural cooling works best at anchor, or moored, so the boat can swing to point into the wind. In addition to the bimini, we rig a tarp over the boom. It complete the shade in the cockpit, and keep the cabin temp down. Then I rig a wind scoop (low cost item at WM) over an open bow hatch. This funnels air through the whole boat. If we are at the dock, and the wind is the wrong direction for the scoop, we run a fan on the shore power. Either solution works fine on Lake Erie. The night air right on the water gets reasonably cool even if the days run up to 90 degrees. We have just bought a 12 volt fan for really hot days - but haven't need it yet. I would permanently mount one in the big aft cabins all of the new models have - otherwise the air can get really dead there. David Lady Lillie
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John Scharer
Get a Cruiseair
All the items mentioned previously are great but we have sailed in Florida for a week at a time for the past 4 years and I would not go without the Cruiseair. We sail during the day and then go various marinas and plug in. You will be very comfortable. We store the Cruiseair in the aft berth bungeed to the stairs when we sail.
All the items mentioned previously are great but we have sailed in Florida for a week at a time for the past 4 years and I would not go without the Cruiseair. We sail during the day and then go various marinas and plug in. You will be very comfortable. We store the Cruiseair in the aft berth bungeed to the stairs when we sail.
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Dave Laing s/v WindSong
Cruiseair
I've checked out the cruiseair at West Marine and it seems to be rather big. I wish they would make a smaller unit that would fit better on my H-23.
I've checked out the cruiseair at West Marine and it seems to be rather big. I wish they would make a smaller unit that would fit better on my H-23.
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Crazy Dave Condon
air
You can go with a major brand like cruise air for the forward hatch that you can get throught the chandlrey (HOW), small window unit built into a single board for the hatch way, or install a 5000 or 6000 BTU unit in the boat which in affect is central air and you can get that with tthe heat aspect. As it gets hotter or you get older, air is something I do like on my boat and those we work on. Crazy Dave Condon
You can go with a major brand like cruise air for the forward hatch that you can get throught the chandlrey (HOW), small window unit built into a single board for the hatch way, or install a 5000 or 6000 BTU unit in the boat which in affect is central air and you can get that with tthe heat aspect. As it gets hotter or you get older, air is something I do like on my boat and those we work on. Crazy Dave Condon
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Michael Bell
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CORKY TROTTER
SUMMER
We sail our 260 all summer in hot Kansas. The number one thing that helps is the bimmi. At least the cocpit is cool. I have mounted 12V fans in the cabin. A cruisair would be nice but I have not used one. When it is hot jump in the water. Corky
We sail our 260 all summer in hot Kansas. The number one thing that helps is the bimmi. At least the cocpit is cool. I have mounted 12V fans in the cabin. A cruisair would be nice but I have not used one. When it is hot jump in the water. Corky
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Frank Ladd
Slurppies
We bring the black and decker blender and plenty of spare batteries. (Hint: don't let the children drink the "adult" Slurppies by misstake. We also take turn draging in the water by hanging onto the stern ladder. Our boat has 12 fans we could not live without. In the summer here there are times with no wind and plenty of heat. Thats when we go canoeing and swimming.
We bring the black and decker blender and plenty of spare batteries. (Hint: don't let the children drink the "adult" Slurppies by misstake. We also take turn draging in the water by hanging onto the stern ladder. Our boat has 12 fans we could not live without. In the summer here there are times with no wind and plenty of heat. Thats when we go canoeing and swimming.
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