Installing a small window air conditioner

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Apr 2, 2013
12
Catalina 30 MK II STD Mandeville, LA
Hi. Im new to the forum, and have a survey scheduled on a C 27 in a couple of weeks. Ive owned a C 30. Im thinking to put a small window unit air conditioner aboard, and think the opening trash door to the port lazarette would be a great place for it. Drainage into bilge, I guess. Thoughts? I can't really afford a marine unit plus installation, and this way there is no thru hull, strainer, etc? Thanks
 

goblin

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Sep 4, 2006
28
Catalina 310 Pottsboro Tx
Hi. Im new to the forum, and have a survey scheduled on a C 27 in a couple of weeks. Ive owned a C 30. Im thinking to put a small window unit air conditioner aboard, and think the opening trash door to the port lazarette would be a great place for it. Drainage into bilge, I guess. Thoughts? I can't really afford a marine unit plus installation, and this way there is no thru hull, strainer, etc? Thanks
I installed a 5000 btu 120 v. window unit in the aft bulkhead of my CAT 310 several years ago. It does a terrific job of cooling that under cockpit bunk area but doesn't do a thing for the rest of the cabin. I sleep in comfort & sail in the heat. WorKS for me.
 
Dec 11, 2008
1,338
catalina C27 stillwater
Congrats! We own a M-18 powered 27 and absolutely love it!

The garbage door location is a very popular place for an A/C unit. Check this thread, near the end, he got an 8000 BTU job to fit. Model number is there.

http://forums.catalina.sailboatowners.com/showthread.php?t=123450&page=15
Know that the installation shown in my thread is quite custom. For my boat interior I rebuilt the galley and lowered it, a lot... Probably seven inches. that gave me a much larger bulkhead heighth-wise to fit the AC through.

I can tell you that sitting inside my un-insulated shop in 100 degree weather, (it is probably 115-120 inside the shop up at cockpit height) the 5K BTU unit I currently have installed, ($99.00 at Walmart) strains to keep up in the heat of the afternoon, but it cools the whole boat down nicely in the evening once the infrared heating from full sunlight beating down on the roof of the shop goes away. Sunday morning when I went out there and crawled up and in it was VERY comfortable.

I am adding the 8K BTU unit which is only slightly taller, a little wider, and a lot deeper to try to win in the full sun of the hot afternoon.

Know that with the 5K BTU unit I have no condensation; it is carried out as vapor by the air coming off the hotside of hte AC unit.

Hope that helps!
 
Nov 7, 2012
678
1978 Catalina 30 Wilbur-by-the-Sea
Know that the installation shown in my thread is quite custom. For my boat interior I rebuilt the galley and lowered it, a lot... Probably seven inches. that gave me a much larger bulkhead heighth-wise to fit the AC through.

I can tell you that sitting inside my un-insulated shop in 100 degree weather, (it is probably 115-120 inside the shop up at cockpit height) the 5K BTU unit I currently have installed, ($99.00 at Walmart) strains to keep up in the heat of the afternoon, but it cools the whole boat down nicely in the evening once the infrared heating from full sunlight beating down on the roof of the shop goes away. Sunday morning when I went out there and crawled up and in it was VERY comfortable.

I am adding the 8K BTU unit which is only slightly taller, a little wider, and a lot deeper to try to win in the full sun of the hot afternoon.

Know that with the 5K BTU unit I have no condensation; it is carried out as vapor by the air coming off the hotside of hte AC unit.

Hope that helps!
Very nice.

Hmm, I am mulling over doing this exact type of upgrade to my interior as I have been thinking of a galley redo anyway.

Maybe a box in the lazarette with venting via a fan and cowl vent would be a good addition, as it rains here everyday in the summer and leaving the locker open for ventilation would be a no go.
 
Dec 11, 2008
1,338
catalina C27 stillwater
Very nice.

Hmm, I am mulling over doing this exact type of upgrade to my interior as I have been thinking of a galley redo anyway.

Maybe a box in the lazarette with venting via a fan and cowl vent would be a good addition, as it rains here everyday in the summer and leaving the locker open for ventilation would be a no go.
I would think that a ventilation setup that was basically built just like a bilge blower would work... Take air in from a forward facing clamshell vent and exhauset it out an aft-facing vent...
 
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