A/C solution

M

mailman

Member
exMember
Joined
Jul 7, 2001
RO Number
5226
Messages
16
I had been wanting to add a/c to my Four Winns 258 Vista for a number of years, but did not want the expense & hassle of installing a marine air water cooled system. I had previously tried a cruise-air over the hatch unit that did not perform well and was also very bulky & hard to store. I have just put in a compact "portable air conditioner" that vents out the back thru a dryer type hose. It took the cabin from 89 down to 71 in 20 minutes last weekend under full sun in 101 degree heat at 2 pm. Cost about $300, weight about 50lb., preety quiet. About 25" high by 18 wide by 13" deep. Runs easily with my eu2000 honda gen, along with charger etc. Not sure if I could use the microwave at the same time yet but not an issue for me. I have it vented thru a porthole using the provided hose & "window" kit. The other benefit over marine air is that I can use it on the trailer as we usually get to the boat late at night & overnight in the parking lot. It also vents the condensate out with the exhaust.
 
Mailman, been doing that for the past 5 years,(except not on the trailer) all good so far. I use CO detectors, common sense, understand the dangers, be aware of the wind direction, refuel carefully, and enjoy the cool cabin in 90-105 weather.
Bonus, take it back home in the winter, and use it to save the perishables and provide light and heat when the power goes out, also run the computer to keep up with BE, and the anti portable generator threads.
Also has a humidifier setting, can use it when the boat is at the dock while we are away, and the boat is on shore power.
Love my ac and gen, great additions to the boat. Good for you. Enjoy the cool air.
 
Marathon Man, good points , I have had the Honda for 4 years, only use it when beached & gen sets on shore at least 30' from the boat , shore power cords bungee up the cord to make sure it does not get close to the water. I won't ever run it all night or when I'm otherwise not able to keep an eye on everything. The gen comes off the boat at the end of the year as will the a/c when it starts to cool down in Oct. Mid June through mid Sept at Lake Powell gets pretty toasty & often won't cool down at night , but if I can get cooled down for awhile I'll enjoy the lake more in the summer. I've got the o2 detectors & GFI's as well.
 
Since we've got all the "mans" posting, I thought I'd join in. I got lucky about 8 years ago and snagged a Krusin' Kool "marine a/c in a suitcase":

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7000 BTU, 5.5 amps. It runs great with our Honda 2k and does a great job cooling our 30 footer. But I too just bought a portable like yours for the house. Our central a/c isn't run to our basement and I needed to cool our exercise room. It's doing the job quite well. We only trailer once a year (1,000 miles each way), and I might just do what you do and take it along for the rest stops. We usually sleep for about 4 hours midway through the trip, and it's usually pretty darn warm. Good idea.
 
Mailman where do you have the a/c unit set up in the cabin? Even a portable unit at 25" high can take up a lot of space in a typical boat cabin.
I assume you have the usual layout with a vee berth...galley on the port side...head on starboard and a mid cabin.
 
Norman, I have it set up in the mid cabin berth right now, as we seldom use it for anything but storing gear & the dog sleeps there. It could also be placed either side of the v berth without interfering much. The only "limitations" are you need a porthole for exhaust and have to route the power cord. The exhaust/condensate hose should also be kept as short and with as few bends as possible.
 
Coincedently, several BASS elite pro anglers have begun using portable generators in their boats when they are in spring time tournaments, where they travel so far and fast with their trolling motors looking for fish, that their battery systems can not keep up. BASS, which has a very large membership, has accepted their use.
They look at it as another technological advancement which allows their members to be more productive anglers.
They also have the backing of their insurance providers.
This would seem to point to a growing acceptance of safely utilized portable generators. Admittedly, these are in open boats without cabins, but they have still been accepted by the ruling sanction.
 
Mailman, I recently got a Honda Eu2000 and made my own power cable for it. When I did I stripped the wiring insulation back far enough to get an amp meter on a wire. I then checked every AC item one at a time and wrote down the amp draw for both start up and run. I then shortened the cable down a couple inches to get the insulation into the plug so all is neat and proper. I now have a reference to what I can run off the EU2000.
 
Mailman...curious to know how your portable a/c performed this summer? Any issues?
 
Norman,
It worked great, it was perfect for cooling the cabin down to about 75 for an afternoon siesta as well as pre-cooling at night. I never ran it overnight but it cooked things down enough to get to sleep at night although temps got over 100 many times during the day. Just brought it back yesterday as temps are perfect now. it took up a little room in the mid cabin but was well worth it.
 
Just in case anyone has a Krusin Kool unit and does not have a manual, I have it in PDF form and will send a copy to anyone that needs one. Just e-mail a request to lanbuilder at cox dot net.
 
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