Marine air

[Sunset]

Does anyone have any experiences with the Mermaid or Webasto marine air conditioners that Defender sells? The 9000 btu units use very little space. I have been resisting the wife about installing one of these, but the bottom line is she's half owner and I may not have a choice.
I am totally convinced that it wont be needed during our 6 months cruising south in the winter. But the other 6 months at Kentucky lake in the summer may be a different story.

[Captain Smollett]

Does anyone have any experiences with the Mermaid or Webasto marine air conditioners that Defender sells? The 9000 btu units use very little space. I have been resisting the wife about installing one of these, but the bottom line is she's half owner and I may not have a choice.
I am totally convinced that it wont be needed during our 6 months cruising south in the winter. But the other 6 months at Kentucky lake in the summer may be a different story.

Holy poop!

I looked at the prices of those things and, well, HOLY poop.

When we were living aboard, 90 degree nights with zero wind became an issue for getting a good night's sleep.  Keep in mind that this is a major down side to being in a marina (at anchor, the boat can shift to get what wind there is, and you are usually farther from shore).

A good hatch wind scoop can work wonders.  It is truly amazing how well these work if there is ANY wind at all.  The first time I installed one, a VERY hot eastern North Carolina summer day, my children asked me to take it down because it was cooling them off too much in the fore cabin (v-berth).

That said, we did finally go with A/C due to the sleep issue.  90 degrees and 90+% RH was just too much, and work schedules demanding a good night's sleep.

Marine Air?

No.  Freaking.  Way.

For less than $100, we got a 5000 BTU unit from Lowe's and made it work. 

Gaelic Sea Gets A/C

Our slip mates, with numerous ocean crossings, three Panama Canal Crossings, and cruising full time since leaving South Africa in 1992, did similar.  They did not have an over-priced 'marine air' unit.  They had a regular A/C window unit fitted into the main companionway hatch via a dedicated hatch board.

If you need A/C, you need it....there are times it makes a HUGE difference.  You WON'T need it for the occasional hot night anchored out.  3 months over 90 degrees?  Yes.  Occasionally hot, no.

Be very careful with this one...it's one of those traps, and you pay the piper in one way or another.  That is, better to get off the boat during the hot part of the day (exploring or whatever) if it's only a few hours of "hot."  If it cools off at all at night, the boat will cool off, too.

My two cents....

[Sunset]

My brother made this sun shade he would use when stay in one place for a day or longer. He said it took about ten minutes to set up. He said it made a big difference inside the boat. On rainy days he could leave the companion way open or when they where exploring around town.

[tomwatt]

My brother made this sun shade he would use when stay in one place for a day or longer. He said it took about ten minutes to set up. He said it made a big difference inside the boat. On rainy days he could leave the companion way open or when they where exploring around town.

I have been thinking about a similar arrangement... only my plan was going to be a two-piece arrangement: one section forward of the mast, the second section picking up the rest of the boat. 2 pieces just seemed easier for canvas handling & fastening/unfastening/stowage to me. The net affect should be about the same.
I like what your brother did... pass him a grog from me!

[CharlieJ]

Yep- kinda like this

[David_Old_Jersey]

Obviously our weather not the same as some of you guys - but nonetheless we do have our hot and airless days, and especially when somewhere built up (like in a Marina) the heat is very unpleasant. I have spent a lot of time in SE Asia and I love Aircon - not always being in it 24/7, but knowing you have somewhere to retreat to is (for me) very nice.

But I doubt I will ever install aircon on a boat (certainly not around here - and would probably avoid anywhere that really needed it). +1 on the Awning, IME it's what makes the biggest difference down below - to avoid creating a boat shaped Radiator, which you are then living in!

Obviously Airflow is also very important (Hatches and Fans). I also find that sun blinds make a decent difference - I have them fitted on the inside (off cuts of foam backed vinyl) , as well as some insulation. This year I hope to experiment with a few buckets of water over the deck (especially the side decks) - to see if that makes the effort (?!) worthwhile, but days hot enough to bother not so common around here! (am not in a Marina). Depending on how that goes was wondering whether a low powered sprinkler system on deck might make a useful difference - but that one for the future, if at all! I also definately plan on adding a couple of opening portholes to aid in airflow. My view is that a lot of little things do add up to a worthwhile difference......the biggest being not getting stuck in a concrete Marina - in somewhere like Florida!

[Sunset]

The marine air that Defender sells is about $2000 for the Webasto 9000 btu. It comes with sea-pump, bronze water strainer, hoses, ductwork and a few other necessary items. I know it seams pricey, but I'm not going to build another boat and I want this one to be the best I can build and afford. Heck the nine NFM ports and the three roof hatches are going to cost around $3900. I got to pricing the SS life line stanchions and every thing to go with them, that will be another $2000. The bottom line it's just going to cost a lot of money to build this tub the way we want it with some of the best materials available. No way around it. I already have about $8000 in the hull and the Beta 20. Still have epoxy and a 200 lb roll of glass I havent used yet.
Just think there's still the interior to do, stove, tanks, exhaust system, batteries, 110 and 12v wiring, cushions, pumps, strainers, fuel system, plumping, lighting, masts, sails, running rigging, ground tackle, Bimini and dodger, it just goes on and on.
So in the grand picture the $2000 for the marine air just doesn't seem that bad.
But I have this bad feeling that I could have bought that 1985 Island packet 31 cheaper and be using it now. I had a budget of $30,000 for this build hope we can stay within that.
May have to sell the house sooner than we were planning ;) ;) ;)

[CapnK]

One effect of the all-over boat shade that rarely gets mention is that in addition to keeping the boat a bit cooler during the day, this also allows everything to *cool down faster* as the sun drops.

My first summer living aboard I had only a small shade at the companionway, and 90%+ of the boat absorbed sunshine all day. Sometimes it would be after midnight before you _finally_ stopped feeling residual heat emanating from the hull/deck. Ugh.

Whereas the next year, with full coverage (a 2 piece, similar to what CJ's image demonstrates, tho' not as nicely done of course ;) ), the boat was well on the way to being ambient temps by the time darkness fell. Much better living! :)

That's a huge difference, when you don't have AC. Also, the dark window coverings that David mentions, do make a difference.

Watering the deck does somewhat, but if it is really "baking weather" (that is: August in the SE US, w/little to no wind, temps in the 100F/38C range, humidity above 90%), better is to have a fabric shade, and soak that down, top and underside. The cooling effect of the water lasts longer. If there is no hose handy, it's enough of a chore that I am not sure it really is worth the effort, though.

I do like my "po'mans AC". It consists of a fan, a thin cotton rag, and a pump-up sprayer filled with H20 and the nozzle spraying a fine mist. That gets me by - unless the little lady is in town: then it's a clunky whirring AC in the companionway.

Which, on occasion, is indeed a nice luxury. :)