What systems can I run while on a lift?

H

Heckjo

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Jan 17, 2018
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34020
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I recently purchased a SeaRay Sundancer 280 that will be kept on a covered lift behind my house. My question is what systems can I run and what systems can I NOT run? This is my 4th boat, but first I/O and first with a cabin. I live in the panhandle of FL (LA - Lower Alabama) and the humidity is ferocious.

A/C?
Fridge?
Water/Sewer?

It will be hooked up to shore power and water. I know that the cooling system for the A/C is raw water cooled, so I assume that I can't run the A/C while out of the water. But what about mold?

Sorry if this is a rookie question, but well, I'm a rookie. [:-blindfold]

I appreciate all the feedback I can get. Thanks.
 
No A/C since no seawater cooling. Sewer into the holding tank as usual so that's OK if you have fresh water flush. fridge is electric so thats OK. get a dehumidifier and small fan for mold and to keep things dry.
Don't run the engine.
You will need a way to charge the batteries but NOT a cheap automotive charger.
 
Thank you Bruce. I've installed marine trickle chargers on every boat I've had. That's an easy one. I think the boat already has one. If not, should install the battery charger to run when the shore power is connected?

I have an onboard 5kw generator to be used at anchor. should I have that run the battery charger as well? I guess I can run the battery charger to the 120v panel in the cabin and it should work whether on shore power or generator?

Thanks for the advice. I plan to contribute to the cruising section of the board (Gulf Coast) once the wife and I head out this spring.
 
quote:
Originally posted by pdecat

You will need a way to charge the batteries but NOT a cheap automotive charger.

Click to expand...


I would hope a Sundancer 280 will have a factory installed marine battery charger.

Simple...anything that needs seawater, don't run. Everything else, you are good to go.
 
Thank you Bruce. I've installed marine trickle chargers on every boat I've had. That's an easy one. I think the boat already has one. If not, should install the battery charger to run when the shore power is connected?

I have an onboard 5kw generator to be used at anchor. should I have that run the battery charger as well? I guess I can run the battery charger to the 120v panel in the cabin and it should work whether on shore power or generator?

Thanks for the advice. I plan to contribute to the cruising section of the board (Gulf Coast) once the wife and I head out this spring.
 
No reason AC can't be run out of water. When ever we had a power outage at Marina & it was hot as hell; I would hook up dockside water to AC Pump & let it run using genny for power.
BOB J
 
quote:
Originally posted by Bob J

No reason AC can't be run out of water. When ever we had a power outage at Marina & it was hot as hell; I would hook up dockside water to AC Pump & let it run using genny for power.
BOB J

Click to expand...


Get caught doing that at our marina and you're in deep doo-doo
 
quote:
Originally posted by Heckjo

I have an onboard 5kw generator to be used at anchor. should I have that run the battery charger as well? I guess I can run the battery charger to the 120v panel in the cabin and it should work whether on shore power or generator?

Click to expand...


That's another item that needs sea water to run, so, no, you do not run that on the lift.
 
Since I won’t be living on it, my main concern is warm weather humidity and subsequent mold. I’m on Amazon now looking for a dehumidifier to hopefully solve that problem.

Again, rookie question, but why is it a no-no to hook up city water to A/C pump? Too much wasting water? Since I’m at home not at marina, seems like I would be paying for that one....thus the dehumidifier option seems like the most cost efficient?
 
Our marina, around 175 slips, is very rural and on a well. Need I say more.
Your house, your city water, go for it, but yes, it is a big waste of water.

Dehumidifier is the way to go
 
quote:
Originally posted by Bob J

No reason AC can't be run out of water. When ever we had a power outage at Marina & it was hot as hell; I would hook up dockside water to AC Pump & let it run using genny for power.
BOB J

Click to expand...


Really, run a generator with the boat on a lift? Funny...

You dont neesd to run th AC on a boat that small, if you really wanted to you could setup a shallow well pump on the dock to pull sea water and feed that to a Y valve downsteam of the air con pump...

Using fresh water is just a big waste... you re going to be dumping 5000 gallons a day. I m not tree hugger but nowadays when people are forced to use low flow appliances it seems like a lousy idea.
 
I wonder if the A/C pump if primed would have enough power to pull raw water up to a boat on a lift. Put some kind of Y valve in and run a long hose from one side of the valve in to the water.
 
Air con pumps are NEVER self priming, they need to be placed below water line. Even primed, they will NEVER pull water from above waterline.

And how the heck would you run a suction hose from inisde the boat anyway... it would have to have a high point...
 
We've seen 80 footers that are on the hard and livable because they have a cooling system set up on the hard. It is a closed fresh water system that pumps water up to the boat and catches the return. It cools it in a small tower something like an outdoor AC system except the coils cool the water not Freon.

If you were really hard up to have the boat cooled you could probably hook up a pump that fed the raw water up from under the boat up to the AC pump on your boat that was switched on with the raw water pump on the boat. In fact you would not need the raw water pump on the boat. Running a hose from dock side water to you AC pump is a great way to get thrown out of the marina and that will happen after you P.O. everyone that has no water pressure.

Overkill IMHO. Get the large Damp-rid buckets at Lowes.
 
Just to be clear, I may be a rookie but I would never suggest running the generator...while on the lift...
 
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