Wasn't sure where to put this, but decided to share. Please move to appropriate forum if needed.
I logged some pictures and videos of our 1981 30' Hunter Cherubini project about a year and a half ago here. We have been living on her about 70% of the time since, going into our second summer now. We're on Ocracoke Island in a slip for now, working out here. Anyway, I tried a couple of AC configurations last summer and ended up just hanging a window unit out of the companion way. I mean, it works, but you have to crawl over the thing getting in and out and our boat that we worked so hard on looked a little like the marine version of Cousin Eddie's RV parked in Clark Griswolds driveway. So over last winter I sent some time devising a new plan. It has performed so well, I thought I would share.
First, during our rehab we had removed the water heater from the space under the cockpit, between the engine compartment and the fuel tank, and installed an on demand gas unit mounted on the wall, in the head. This is the perfect space for an AC unit.
Now, leaving out the more mundane parts of boxing in the return and feed with HVAC foiled foam board and foil tape, the big question I had seen kicked around was how to build a water condenser and replace the air cooled condenser. And the answer is super simple. a three and a half inch section of PVC pipe with 20 feet of copper tubing coiled inside. Install fittings on each end to pump water through the PVC pipe. It's that simple. Solder the tubing back in where the old condenser tubing was cut out, vacuum the system down and recharge. It's done.
I used an old R-22, 5,000 BTU unit that was junked because the condenser had a leak. So it cost me $100 for the R-22, and yes, I am EPA certified to buy. But most window ACs are now R-134, so anyone can buy and it's cheap. Instead of $100, it will cost $15 to recharge. I used an old West Marine water pump I had on hand to begin with, but once the system proved to be awesome at cooling my boat, I spent another $150 on a Seaflo raw water circulation pump. It's rated for continuous cycle and designed to pump seawater.
A couple videos I will get posted up and be happy to answer questions. This is a pretty darn simple AC solution that has cost me about $300, a junked window unit and a little time in the shop. Even if you bought a new 5,000 BTU unit, you'd still have less than $500 in a great AC.....
I logged some pictures and videos of our 1981 30' Hunter Cherubini project about a year and a half ago here. We have been living on her about 70% of the time since, going into our second summer now. We're on Ocracoke Island in a slip for now, working out here. Anyway, I tried a couple of AC configurations last summer and ended up just hanging a window unit out of the companion way. I mean, it works, but you have to crawl over the thing getting in and out and our boat that we worked so hard on looked a little like the marine version of Cousin Eddie's RV parked in Clark Griswolds driveway. So over last winter I sent some time devising a new plan. It has performed so well, I thought I would share.
First, during our rehab we had removed the water heater from the space under the cockpit, between the engine compartment and the fuel tank, and installed an on demand gas unit mounted on the wall, in the head. This is the perfect space for an AC unit.
Now, leaving out the more mundane parts of boxing in the return and feed with HVAC foiled foam board and foil tape, the big question I had seen kicked around was how to build a water condenser and replace the air cooled condenser. And the answer is super simple. a three and a half inch section of PVC pipe with 20 feet of copper tubing coiled inside. Install fittings on each end to pump water through the PVC pipe. It's that simple. Solder the tubing back in where the old condenser tubing was cut out, vacuum the system down and recharge. It's done.
I used an old R-22, 5,000 BTU unit that was junked because the condenser had a leak. So it cost me $100 for the R-22, and yes, I am EPA certified to buy. But most window ACs are now R-134, so anyone can buy and it's cheap. Instead of $100, it will cost $15 to recharge. I used an old West Marine water pump I had on hand to begin with, but once the system proved to be awesome at cooling my boat, I spent another $150 on a Seaflo raw water circulation pump. It's rated for continuous cycle and designed to pump seawater.
A couple videos I will get posted up and be happy to answer questions. This is a pretty darn simple AC solution that has cost me about $300, a junked window unit and a little time in the shop. Even if you bought a new 5,000 BTU unit, you'd still have less than $500 in a great AC.....
