air conditioning

as i get older the Cleveland summer heat and humidity are getting to me more each year, so I m beginning to think seriously about putting in an air conditioning system. Im driving a 1985 e-38 with a forward water tank, another on the starborard side and a fordward head on the port side. so acess [ from under and forward of the vee berth where I think the condenser might fit ]seems that it may be a problem when it comes to getting the ductwork from the unit to the main cabin, Im also thinking of installing a 16000 btu system. I looking for some good advice on the installation. Maybe there is a better place for this insallation? Also what brand has worked well ? Looking forward to your imput. bill spencer

In my '89 E-38 I have a Mermaid Air system. It is installed on the port side under the aft setee. It is a 16k BTU system the has 3 output vents. One under the sink blowing into the aft cabin, one in the port salon and one in the v-berth. I have an aft head model and the unit displaced the 40 gallon water tank on the port side. Still have the starboard tank and the bow tank. Rarely miss the extra freshwater and this unit quickly heats and cools the boat. It came with the boat 5 years ago and has never missed a beat.

16K MarineAir Forward

A MarineAir 16K unit was installed forward of the forward water tank on our '84 E381 by previous owners. It fits fine and the ducts exit into the V Berth, head and main cabin. Main cabin ducts route through the hanging locker. Air inlet is at the foot of the entry to the V berth. The unit died this summer and I replaced I replaced it myself with little difficulty. Of course, the plumbing and duct work was already done.

We are very happy with the unit.

Ted and Bill thanks for your reply. I appreciate your info. Ted I thought about the port side location under the setee but the previous owner [ Ive owned Circe for about 6 years] installed 2 starting batteries there. For some reason I have 5 batteries., three just ahead of the aft portside fuel tank and two as I described. So there is very little room left there unless I remove those batteries. A couple of questions for you both. Where is your sea water inlet located? I have a inlet for my deck wash and another for the head fresh water under the portside forward head. I was thinking I could tap off the deck wash and eliminate another thru hull. I hardly ever use the deck wash pump and when I do I am usually at anchor and wouldnt use the a/c anyway since I have no generator. Second question is where is your return air duct located? Bill , does the noise from the unit disturb your sleep since it is under the vee berth? And last, how is the unit condensate gotten rid of ? Guys thanks for your help. Bill spencer

Bill Can you tell us what killed your marine air unit? Spencer I will try and answer your questions. On my unit the return is on the unit itself. It mounts with a big grill on one side that supplies the air. Not sure about Bills. As for batteries on my 38 I run 2 group 31 gels with a 27 starting battery. Even with the fridge I never touch 50% discharge on the 31's in a 24 hour cycle. Not sure what a starting bank the size of yours buys you but reserve is always good I guess. I would be leery locating the AC unit in the bow as with that water tank up there and your ground tackle there is already too much weight in the bow of the 38 IMHO. There is also the greater risk of moisture up there depending on how your anchor line is set up. I have a separate t-hull for the AC. I thought about trying to T it into maybe the engine intake which is close but was concerned about the engine sucking air through the AC line. I would be similarly concerned about this if T'ed into the head lline. Have you ever had a boat whose head intake was tied into the sink drain and sucked air through the drain of the sink while trying to pump the head? Similar issue here. You could install some valves to get over that problem you would just need to operate them when using the system. Probably doable and easier than another t-hull. My mermaid unit is pretty quiet and does not keep us up at night, certainly sleep better than if it was 85 degrees in the cabin... My unit condensate discharges to the bilge. There are other methods though to handle condensate.

A/c

The replaced unit was nearly twenty years old and the compressor was becoming worn and inefficient. It would run hot and the over temp sensor would trip it off line. After a couple of service calls where successively higher temp sensors were installed the tech said that the money would be better spent on a new unit if it were to go out again. I may not have identified the problem part properly, but you get the idea. Anyone with real A/C expererience can feel free to set us straight. The newer version of the system is lighter and more efficient. Other than an electrical harness that was a little too short the replacement was pretty straight forward and I did it in a day.

The air return is through a grill at the foot of the V berth. A hole is cut in the interior bulkhead and the A/C unit fits up against that hole. The water intake and strainer are in the small area immediately behind the return screen. I had that through hull installed at the surveyor's suggestion. Airlocks were forming in the line when it shared the head intake through hull. Condensate exits to bilge.

No problem sleeping with the A/C going. It is a real comfort in the Florida heat and humidity.

I think you are right about the thru hull. I think that when I get organized to do the a/c install I will make a separate thru hull some where away fom the head fresh water intake. About the weight problem upfront, I rarely use the forward water tank. My anchor is in a bow deck locker . I use 300ft of nylon and 30ft on chain. I have thought many times that I should use more chain and lower the chain so that the weight is lower in the boat to help lower the center of gravity, but am concerned about the fact that the water etc would have to drain into the bilge. Some years ago I replaced the floor of my boat after parts of it [one just aft of the vee berth] rotted out. When I ripped out the old floor I was dissapointed to find that not all of the grid formed chambers had limber holes to drain them, thus trapping water which caused the floor to rot. I think this was an oversight during the construction of the boat. Anyway this makes me very leary of introducing more water into these chambers which may not be connected to the bilge. As to the a/c condensate when I get that far I will direct pipe it into the bilge. I presume there is a condensate pan under your a /c units. The only problem with my idea Ithink is that the inlet may get clogged up causing the pan to over flow into the grid system which may or may not be connected to the bilge . I do think that a place othe than the bow would be a better install but am reluctant to remove the batteries. I appreciate all your help. I guess now it is wait till mid March to pull the cover off and get started. Thanks Bill Spencer