Roof Top Self Contained Air Conditioning for R-23

I am looking to add a roof top AC unit. I would like to know if anyone else has done this, and their results. I have found several units that will give me both AC and Heat in an air-cooled 10,000 BTU range. They can be purchased on Amazon between $500 and $900 with remote control and are suitable for the R-23 cabin space. They are direrct battery connected and not needing the inverter and are marine grade. "Countrymod" and "OutEquip" are 2 that meet my specification. If possible I'd like to speak with anyone who has experience with this AC type of installation. Scott Grier 941-724-9610

scottgrierc3 said:

I am looking to add a roof top AC unit. I would like to know if anyone else has done this, and their results. I have found several units that will give me both AC and Heat in an air-cooled 10,000 BTU range. They can be purchased on Amazon between $500 and $900 with remote control and are suitable for the R-23 cabin space. They are direrct battery connected and not needing the inverter and are marine grade. "Countrymod" and "OutEquip" are 2 that meet my specification. If possible I'd like to speak with anyone who has experience with this AC type of installation. Scott Grier 941-724-9610

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I've been looking at the OutEquip and at the higher end portable 12v ones (put it in the helm chair when moored or trailered). Would be nice to be comfortable for trailer camping while enroute.

I finally found a generator for $700 on Amazon called the MXR4000 that fits in the cockpit locker, using a 1" ID SS flexible hose to exhaust through the transom on the port side away from the swim ladder. Runs for 4 hours on 1 gallon of gas, also can take propane. Only 54 decibels, and doesn't shake or vibrate. 3,200 watts continuous power. The Webasto AC only requires 600 per hour so AC even while we are running or sleeping! I'm in Florida.

Has anyone actually done a rooftop one? I know there’s a couple of alternative trailer trawlers that have rooftop ones to cut down on the number of thru-holes below the waterline and that’s very attractive to me. However, the caveat of course is that you’re cutting into the roof in some form of fashion. My water cooled AC unit died last year and I’m weighing the need to replace it or maybe I just rip it out and use a portable one. I don’t like portable units because the exhaust hose never has a good place to go, but they sure are cheap. The advances in 12 volt air-conditioning have been truly impressive over the last couple of years and the Vanlife folks have pushed that art to an incredible frontier.

matt_m said:

Has anyone actually done a rooftop one? I know there’s a couple of alternative trailer trawlers that have rooftop ones to cut down on the number of thru-holes below the waterline and that’s very attractive to me. However, the caveat of course is that you’re cutting into the roof in some form of fashion. My water cooled AC unit died last year and I’m weighing the need to replace it or maybe I just rip it out and use a portable one. I don’t like portable units because the exhaust hose never has a good place to go, but they sure are cheap. The advances in 12 volt air-conditioning have been truly impressive over the last couple of years and the Vanlife folks have pushed that art to an incredible frontier.

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I have given a lot of consideration to a portable unit. If I go that route I would build a template that fits in the helm sliding window to attach the heat exchange hoses and set the a/c unit in the helm chair. I don’t feel like I need a/c when underway or at anchor. So I can set it up when dockside and either leave it in a dock box or the truck when underway. One of the reasons I bought the 23 was so I can take the boat to milder climates rather than bake in the summer sun of the south.

Buy a MXR4000 generator from Amazon and hook it up to your existing Webasto AC system.it can go in the aft large cockpit locker, it's quiet, puts out 3,200 watts continuous, (Webasto only uses 600 watts), so you can use the rest of the power for a TV, 120 volt lights, hot water heater. It runs 4 hours on less than 1 gallon, and complete with oil and gas weighs only 54 lbs... It has Blue Tooth remote starting with and onboard battery, and you can also see the stats on your phone. On sale now Oct 19, 2026 for $449.009. Why ruin the looks of the boat and and damage the window in the process. I am hooking mine into the 110 volt charging system alongside the shore power with a "flip-switch" so only one can BE USED AT A TIME.

I don’t have an ac. That’s why I’m shopping.

Ranger supplies a Webasto which is a Cadillac AC systerm 10,000 BTU

M

scottgrierc3 said:

Ranger supplies a Webasto which is a Cadillac AC systerm 10,000 BTU

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My guy - to whom are you responding? The Webasto fluid motion equipped some boats with is great, I’m sure, but in a boat not equipped from the factory, there is a deal of work to be done to retrofit. The question is whether or not air to air A/C units are worthwhile, either via Portable units or rooftop.

matt_m said:

M

My guy - to whom are you responding? The Webasto fluid motion equipped some boats with is great, I’m sure, but in a boat not equipped from the factory, there is a deal of work to be done to retrofit. The question is whether or not air to air A/C units are worthwhile, either via Portable units or rooftop.

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Whether to a/c or not a/c….on the R23, space and weight is at a premium, particularly for extended cruising. Again, the reason I bought the 23 was for mobility, go north in the summer and south in the winter. I have a Webasto diesel heater and I value that more than an AC. I have some experience (in a van) with the portable 12v a/c units. They work pretty well in a relatively confined space. The key for me on the portable is hose management. I’ve found that a plate that you can fit in the window to mount the air exchange hoses works really well. In the early 90’s we lived on a sailboat in Puerto Rico. We had a slip and a cruiseair that was basically a window unit that fit in the deck hatch. We got tired of being closed up in a cave and the noseeums were awful so we ditched the ac, moved out to a mooring, and put up a wind scoop. We were soooo much more comfortable. That was my lesson around the necessity of ac.