Adding air conditioning to a Cutwater?

[scubabob]

Has anyone ever had air conditioning added to a Cutwater 26 post sale?

 

[elan]

Good evening,
We have a 2012 Cutwater & have pondered the question in considering shipping our boat back east.
Hopefully someone has done the converson & thought how to do It?
We also look forward to some solutions?
Thanks,
Mike & Barbara
M/V Elan
2012 Cutwater 26

 

[knotflying]

Although I do not own a cutwater and own an R-27 I have had to remove the unit for repairs. I suggest you find out what unit cutwater is using and use the same unit. You should be able to install it aftermarket. You will need to get power from your A/C panel, run a wire for your thermostat, run the ductwork, install a thru hull for the intake and one for the discharge. No easy task, but doable. I would estimate a good 24 to 32 man hours to install plus a case of beer. You will probably need to have a qualified marine A/C tech evacuate the system and charge it.

 

[Irish Mist]

An easy fix is a Carry On Air Conditioner http://ac2015.net/posts/carry-on-air-co ... for-boats/
I had one on my two previous boats and they work really well . Simply open up hatch on roof, and set it in place, plug it in and enjoy. Cooled down a 30 ft boat no problem. I was actually able to run it off a 1700 watt inverter as well. Not the perfect thing to look at, but gets the job done for a fraction of the cost, and also works when the boat is on a trailer.

 

[scubabob]

Never realized that portable AC was an option. Lugging 57 pounds is something to factor in.
Thanks for advice so far.

 

[Kaisardog]

when installing a marine AC realize that when the boat is on plane you will lose prime to the raw water pump supplying the AC compressor. most AC water pumps need to be below water line to prime ; when you go up on plane some pumps will get air into the line and the pump won't operate if it lost prime. a good quality pump such as a March has protection for run-dry if it's lost prime and you try to run the AC. ( cheaper $100 pumps don't.) remember to put an easy to access bleed valve into your raw water line so you can bleed air out and put water in with a funnel when you get back to a dock or need to run AC off your gen. a tee with a screw off cap will do, put a funnel in and dribble some water in to restore prime. then run your AC..

 

[SamCook]

Want to recommend you great proven air conditioning and heating service is Dallas http://myairmatics.com sure they can help you to find any air conditioning equipment you need and install it. Hope it will be useful for you. Good luck.

 

[S. Todd]

We have a 2015 R25SC that we ordered without air conditioning (because we never used it in our prior boat). When I was crawling around and removed a few panels for some other reason, I discovered the 110 power line for the air conditioning unit was already run into the compartment where Ranger normally installs it, so that may be the case with your boat too. The water cooling lines, drain line and duct work are not there, just the wiring.

 

[etethan]

Have you considered a portable air conditioner? I installed one on the RV. The portable AC without hose is more convenient. Compared with the previous portable, the current portable has been greatly improved in noise and power. For automatic evaporation systems, only regular drainage is required.

 

[S@LTD]

Yes we added a Dometic 16,000 BTU Reverse cycle AC unit as a condition of sale. Ronnie at Bellingham Yachts installed it. It was a newly designed unit at the time with an integrated soft start to run off a Honda 2000 generator if needed. It works great. We typically use it on shore power although can run it with the gen in the cockpit while underway or at anchor if desired.

 

[BB marine]

We typically use it on shore power although can run it with the gen in the cockpit while underway or at anchor if desired.

The install of a marine air unit is fairly easy in a C26 or C28. The area for the install is located in the 1/4 berth (cave). The raw water cooling plumbing and 120V service is an easy run with the monkey fur panel removed along the port side hull. The air duct runs are short and accessible to install before the air unit is mounted in place. The one issue that I find fault in with the factory install is the air intake as no plenum between the marine air unit and the air vent mounted on the bulkhead in the Cave. Why is this a problem ? The path of least resistance comes into play. If the air vent in the cave gets restricted from dirt, dust, or even a storage bin is blocking the opening. The air movement of the unit will not be compromised it can pull air in from aft the cockpit. There is no sealed bulkhead between the battery compartments, generator compartments and the engine compartments. This is a requirement with gas powered power vessels but not diesel powered vessels. Most manufactures still seal the machinery compartments from the living quarters. For some reason fluid motion doesn't. As I have pointed out before in many of my post's there is no engine compartment ventilation with Fluid Motion diesel powered boats. The compartment ventilation for batteries, generator and engine comes from the gaps between the cockpit liner and the hull. So essentially the cockpit is the machinery ventilation system. There are no sealed bulkheads between the cockpit and the living quarters. So not only can the machinery compartments get air from the cockpit but air can also come from living quarters ( C26 I can reach my hand behind the microwave oven from the port storage compartment in the cockpit, there is a 3" gap between the bulkhead and the hull. Why Am I bringing this up? Any thing stored in the machinery compartments or the cockpit that gives off VOC's, Hydrocarbons, CO and soot can be pulled in to the compartments from the engine, generator or the marine air unit.

Having a portable generator running in a Cockpit of a boat needs to be done with caution. Using a portable generator anywhere on a boat needs to be done with caution. Using a portable generator in a cockpit that uses the cockpit as a ventalation sytem for the machinery below and does not have sealed compartments between the machinery compartments and living quarters could be a bad combination especially if the marine air unit is running. It may work without issue but "if the holes line up in the cheese" it could present a hazardous condition. Remember once the air is pulled into the compartment there is no ventilation system to exhaust the air except the equipment that is consuming it. Shut the main engine off and continue running the generator in the cockpit and continue running the air unit. The holes could get closer to lining up.

I don't recommend to any boater the use of a portable generator. I also don't discourage the use of a portable generator onboard. I do recommend that using a portable generator with caution and zero complacency. Know the risk, know the hazards and have a safe plan of operation. Be safe and stay healthy!