Drop in Ac

[Pblais]

For a 36 ft boat you need more BTU's than the portables can deliver. Tthe crusiair portable seems to work OK around in VA during the summer up to about a 28 ft boat.

For water cooled units colored hulls, solid glass decks, dark colored decks, or not using an awning quickly increases the BTU load. Our white CSY 33 with solid gloss decks can drop 10 degrees F just by putting up the awning. In 100 F degree weather, when the water is also hot, without the awning 90 degrees is as good as it gets inside in full sun running the A/C all the time in the day. With the awning it gets to 80 with only 9,000 BTU's, then drops to 68 F later in the evening.

Now, if we could find a nice shady anchorage

[AnchorageGuy]

We have used a drop in for years in the Florida Keys, the Chesapeake in the summer and now in south Texas. WE use a 6K window unit and it cools our mariner 40 just fine in temps in the upper 90s. It fits in the companionway and is set up so we can step over it when coming and going. It can stay in place when sailing and we can lock the companionway at night and when leaving. I will try and find a photo and post it.

[Sonny]

I tried sending photos of the drop in I use in the galley hatch;but the file is to big and won't accept it.

Do you want me to send it to you directly?

[AnchorageGuy]

OK, Found the photos and will try to post. this is inside.

[AnchorageGuy]

OK so that worked. Here is the outside.

[Sonny]

Chuck,

I had trouble posting my pictures because it was too large. Can you tell me the size of your file and anything special you may have done to post the pics.

[Pblais]

OK so that worked. Here is the outside.

Is there a blank hatch board above the unit or is it all one hatch board with a hole for the A/C unit?

[AnchorageGuy]

Sonny, I used my picture viewer (Irfanview) to reduce the size from about 500 to 45kb.

Pblais, It is two pieces so the top can be lifted off to make access easier.

[AnchorageGuy]

A small piece of weather strip keeps tha rain out.

[AnchorageGuy]

everything you need.

[Pblais]

everything you need.

All you need is a box and shipping instructions! It's a nice set of photos on how to do it.

You can also load photo's to your gallery and have links to them here as well. It would be nice if we could collect more of these projects that people can see how it all goes together.

[Sonny]

Just posted the pic's of the R/V Carrier A/C in the Life on Board section and the Equipment section. I think I put it into the Photo Galley.

[vonnwonder]

Great thread everyone.Now I have alot to think about and I hope so do many other people.The pictures were very helpful.I would never thought of putting an AC in the companionway.Any more ideas-keep them coming.

[Pura Vida]

Screw handles to the top of the AC unit to make it easier to move. My neighbors did this on the AC for their Triton.