I am thinking about making an offer on a Catalina 310. I like everything about the boat except for the air conditioner placement. The unit is mounted in the forward part of the salon underneath the table. There only appears to be one air duct that exhausts directly above the box holding the unit. I am guessing that that this is some sort of aftermarket add on. Has anyone seen this setup before and if so, how well does it work?
Catalina 310 Air Conditioner Installation
- Thread starter Greg_D
- Start date
Did the AC work when you looked at the boat? Did the owner show you the plumbing? On a boat that size I wouldn't really expect an aftermarket system to have more than one cooling vent. But, heck, if it works and is quiet, you'll be pretty popular you'll have plenty of vistors dropping by to cool off.
Hard to tell how well it worked since it was pretty cold outside. That said, I’m not sure much cold air would reach the aft cabin. Where are the units normally mounted on the 310s?Did the AC work when you looked at the boat? Did the owner show you the plumbing? On a boat that size I wouldn't really expect an aftermarket system to have more than one cooling vent. But, heck, if it works and is quiet, you'll be pretty popular you'll have plenty of vistors dropping by to cool off.
Would like to see a picture because I cannot visualize the installation you describe. My AC is in the most forward part of the V-berth and have heard of the port cockpit locker as another possible location.
Here's an article published in Mainsheet quite a while back of a 310 installation. Mine is in the stern port locker with intake in the stern bunk and vents in the stern berth aft wall starboard, the head, and the main saloon through the small storage locker on the port side. vent in the V-berth which I wish I had, but it works well.
I had a Hunter 33.5 that had a reverse cycle AC & heater with only one duct into main cabin; definitely unsatisfactory. The aft cabin & V berth were never comfortable, even when using box fans to circulate the air. It will absolutely be a disappointment in those hot summer months in Kemah. Definitely need ducting to all three cabins with largest duct to main salon. If you purchase you’re going to have to reconfigure it or sleep in main cabin when staying aboard.
Thanks for the photo. Seems like a waste of valuable space in the salon which is already undersized. But as long as it works...
Our boats are similar in size so my application may be relatable to yours. Our older Dometic 12K BTU unit is noisy and it resides in the port-side lazarette. We sleep in the aft cabin and I can't sleep with it running. It's too loud. Fortunately, it's very rare when we need to run the air over night. We usually cool the whole cabin down before sleeping and then shut it off. We have 2 vent ports and they are basically the shortest distance possible. One vents into the aft cabin and the other vents through the galley bulkhead. It's plenty for cooling the entire cabin down. I suspect that I would prefer this arrangement for your v-berth sleeping area. You may want a 16k unit to make sure the v-berth cools down. I suspect that I would not want the unit anywhere close to the sleeping cabin, even with your climate. On the very rare occasion that air c is needed when sleeping, I can sleep in the saloon and not mind the noise volume. Also, if it is really hot, we shut the v-berth door just so we aren't cooling our "garage" unnecessarily. We can also close the vent into the aft cabin, which is what you may want to do, too.
Long story short, if the noise makes it difficult to sleep, I would put the unit in a location that isn't right next to your berth. I think you can get a unit that will cool down the space regardless of the location.
Long story short, if the noise makes it difficult to sleep, I would put the unit in a location that isn't right next to your berth. I think you can get a unit that will cool down the space regardless of the location.
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