Cooling the Cabin of a Sailboat

[hellosailor]

Zeehag, of course I trust you. Most boaters are unaware of the profiles in the water below them though. Scuba guides for Mazatlan indicate "All year the diving here is ideal because the water temperature ranges from a low of 78°F to a high of 89°F, with thermoclines with temperatures as low as 65°F. "

While they don't mention depth, it is often 10-20' down that a diver hits the first thermocline and rarely 30-40' down. But boaters & surface swimmers? Just never know it is there.

Add a mesh bag add a stout line, and it makes a great place to cool drinks, too.<G>

[zeehag]

if you enjoy melted butter and hot drinks, the water here will maintain the warmth of everything even 10-15 ft deep.....

[nwdiver]

I have a kerosene powered frig in my off grid cabin, it doesn’t burn very much daily, ½ litre or so, why not use kero or propane (outside the boat, same issue as propane refrigeration on boats) to produce the cooling then transfer it into the boat somehow. The frig is full sized and I crank it up to turn it into a freezer when catching allot of fish that I vacuum pack then freeze. I think you have to think outside the boat so to speak.

[Matt sachs]

Has anyone toyed with a mist system? It works well for hogs. It seems like a solar cell could power a dc pump to mist the deck. That and a canvas across the boom for shade might make a difference...just thinking out loud.

[Fishman_Tx]

We're using the a/c off my old chevy s-10. Works good on a limited basis (need engine running). Great for after sundown.

[avb3]

Originally Posted by Matt sachs

Has anyone toyed with a mist system? It works well for hogs. It seems like a solar cell could power a dc pump to mist the deck. That and a canvas across the boom for shade might make a difference...just thinking out loud.

That is an interesting thought, but I think it works best when the humidity is not high.

I have seen, but don't remember the use of, the old canvas water coolers and were put outside of vehicles. The evaporation cooled the water inside.

Just googled them, and guess one can still get them... suprise!

I would think mist sprayed over a suitable substrate (Sunbrella?) could work well.

[ssanzone]

ummmm, a really interesting discussion. a related question comes to mind.

how do liveaboards prevent their pets (puppies) from slow roasting during the day (especially while off the boat at work 8+ hours)?

-steve

[zeehag]

Originally Posted by ssanzone

ummmm, a really interesting discussion. a related question comes to mind.

how do liveaboards prevent their pets (puppies) from slow roasting during the day (especially while off the boat at work 8+ hours)?

-steve

AIR CONDITIONING!!!!!! they get a window unit for cheepo and use that in unique and wondrous ways. mine was 140 dollars brand new with warrantee by LG. makes a huge difference. cat is happy.

[nwdiver]

Try one of these:

Products - Southwest Solar

[James S]

Originally Posted by nwdiver

I have a kerosene powered frig in my off grid cabin, it doesn’t burn very much daily, ½ litre or so, why not use kero or propane (outside the boat, same issue as propane refrigeration on boats) to produce the cooling then transfer it into the boat somehow. The frig is full sized and I crank it up to turn it into a freezer when catching allot of fish that I vacuum pack then freeze. I think you have to think outside the boat so to speak.

This is a system I'd like to learn more about.

[Duke 48]

Any evaporation type system will be limited by the relative humidity. I was introduced to swamp coolers in Utah where humidity was routinely below 5o%. However, when the humidity came up the effectiveness of the system went down. Even so, why not wet down a deck tent. I would think any evaporation cooling would be felt on the underside of the tent and enhance the effects of the shade.

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by Matt sachs

Has anyone toyed with a mist system?...

Mist system A/Cs generally only work under very low relative humidities.

[Wavewacker]

Great ideas!

Do you think wetting the deck down could be as easy as using a soaker hose coiled around the area? Solar and low voltage pump?

I can see where the line for a cooler might need to go deeper in tropical areas, maybe 50', may not be efficient ??? Problems too hauling all that tubing or hose around.

In slow moving rivers and lakes such a cooler might be more practicle, where temps may change at 6 or 8 feet.

Humidity kills me and a water cooler may not even work in really humid areas.

A propane fridge sounds great, for a fridge that retains its temp for awhile and kicks on as needed. My car (yes, with more glass) heats up immediately if the air is turned off, I would think a cabin would only retain cooler air for a few minutes if the ac was off. I would think what ever was used it would need to be continously operated in really hot weather.

[hellosailor]

Flame-powered fridges have to be kept LEVEL to work properly. Boats don't sit flat and level all the time, so those are useless. And, the open flame in a boat is outright dangerous.

An evaporation/mist system will work, IF it is dry enough to allow evaporation, and IF you can pump the water without a problem of clogging or salt deposits.

All being real stoppers for most folks.

If you're sitting in one place, dropping a loop below the thermocline and using the colder water to chill cooling water, just like a geothermal system, can work. Assuming you can deal with the rest of the system, needing fans and pumps, etc.

[jm21]

Thought I would ask her instead of starting my own thread....

I have bene reading this thread and looking at some different Aircon systems....I'm wondering if I'm doing my math right...I think I must be terribly wrong...

A 12,000 BTU aircon in the USA running an 115v AC power with an EER of 10 would use about 1.2 kilowatts per hour. That would be 10.43 amp hours? A 100W solar panel produces about 7.7 amp hours at peak output? So, disregarding the probably inefficient conversion from DC to AC with an inverter to be able to run the aircon, it would take a 100W solar panel about 1.5 peak hours to generate the electricity required to power a 12,000 BTU aircon for an hour?