Bahia 46: Bahia 46 A /C and Generator

[edowen]

Is there anyone out here that has a Bahia 46 with A/C and gen and can recommend what to install and where?
Thank you!

[Kiwikat]

Hi Edowen,

We have air con, heat and cool, one compressor under the main saloon settee at the front, another compressor under the master bed in starboard hull (maestro), don't know where the third one was but it's not there anymore.
The main workings, valve thingies etc (I not know what to call them) are under the settee in the starboard hull. Genset is in the port man-cave.

We are leaving it for a year but are fairly certain that we will eventually biff out the whole lot and take advantage of extra storage space, (not that we really need that either ).

[tpoffen]

We have five AC units on our Bahia 46 (used charter version, 4 cabins & 4 heads).

There is a 16000 BTU compressor in the salon, behind the back rest and under the window/hatch. The intake is just in front of it at the foot of the salon seating. The cooling vent sits at an angle on the counter storage space between backrest and window. The control panel is mounted just below the metal countertop (behind galley sinks) at the end of the salon seating.

Each cabin has a 5000 BTU compressor under the bunk. Each bunk has basically two storage spaces with a wall separating them. The compressor sits in the smaller storage space, furthest away from where you stand in the cabins. The intake and cool air outflow vent are mounted one on each side of the storage access door at the 'foot' of the beds. This means there is a vent running along each side of the larger storage space but it is not too limiting. The control panel is mounted just above the light switch on the closet wall.

Hope this helps!

[edowen]

Dear Tpoffen,

Thank you...great help!

What gen do you use to run that A/C ?..is that enough for the tropics?

Are you happy with it?

Thank you again, bets regards,

[edowen]

Dear Kiwikat,

thank you as well!!

[tpoffen]

We have an 8K Northern Lights generator. We bought the boat used in November and have not used the AC much. Assume the genset is plenty to run this as it has 8900 hours on it already. We used the salon AC unit only at night in Nov at working dock in St. Maarten. It was sufficient for our family just to take the humidity out of the air and let the cool air drift down into the hulls. Dec/Jan in the windward islands have been averaging 70F degrees so we haven't needed the AC. Even when it was hot in November the breeze was enough to keep us cool as long as we were out in the bay. It's just really needed when at a marina where there's rarely a breeze.

s/v Compass Rose

[Full Sail]

hi Edowen-

Have 3 AC units on an owners verion. One is under the forward setee in the salon like kiwikat. The other 2 are in the "upstairs" section of each engine compartment. All 3 are water cooled so they work great as long as the water isn't over 80. The generator is also in the upstairs part of the port engine room. The previous owner removed one of the life raft compartments to accomodate it. Its huge a northern lights 15kw. Never have shortage of juice though

[edowen]

Thank you Full Sail !!...:-)

What size are the a/c units?

Thx again!

[Full Sail]

The hulls each have an 8000 BTU unit and the salon has a 12000 btu unit. I should clarify the setup for the hulls though. The compressors are out in the engine compartments and the fan units are under the aft bunks.

[edowen]

Thank you Full Sail.....is that enough?

Do you live in Florida as well?

Thank you again,

[Full Sail]

Yes Ft Lauderdale City Docks. The only times I have problems is in the summer when the New River temp gets up around 90. I plan on moving away from the river this summer. The water temp should be cooler (I hope).

[edowen]

Thank you!...is there any solution for that?, placing bigger units does the job?

Thx again,

[Full Sail]

bigger units won't change anything. It s a heat exchange problem.

[DotDun]

Originally Posted by Full Sail

bigger units won't change anything. It s a heat exchange problem.

I haven't noticed any problem with my Marine Air units. It's quite possible the efficiency goes down when the water is 90+, but it still kicks out cool air so I don't notice any difference.

Do you have enough water flow?

[Full Sail]

It still kicks out cooler air, but when the water is almost as warm as the air there is not much heat exchange. I used to run into the same problem when I got up north in the early spring..the water was in the 40's and the hvac produced little to no heat. These are marine air units also. This time of year both ac and heat work spectacularly