Prepping for Next Leg of Great Loop - Makeshift AC - Pictures!

[wahoo33417]

First trip in new-to-me 282. Will pick up Tombigbee River in northern Alabama. Tombigbee runs into Mobile Bay. Then decision to make, largely on weather. Could turn west through Mississippi Sound towards New Orleans and visit family. Or, could turn east towards Carabelle, FL and the end of the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway. It is unlikely that I can make any long open Gulf crossings in November to where the Gulf ICW picks up again in Tarpon Springs; FL.

Today I installed a portable AC. May not be necessary for this trip, but this is also the shakedown cruise before a bigger Great Lakes trip next summer. So gotta find out what works and what doesn’t.

Ran AC exhaust out pie plate in aft berth. Opened pie plate outside, below fish box lid, to vent exhaust outside. The two pie plates are pretty close to each other, about the width of the livewell.



Cut away most of box, but left bottom few inches which is reinforced. This, I hope, adds some stability and keeps the wheels of the AC from being a problem.



Added some bungees and straps for more stability over a long trailer ride over the road. Note the C-clamp as an attachment point for the strap. Not too many other options without drilling holes.



Finally, the power cord reaches an outlet - yay! Causes a small tripping hazard, but maybe I’ll get used to it after a few falls.

Powered it to a115v outlet with a 50’, 14 gauge extension cord and it works! It is 8,000 BTU, so I hope it is sufficient to cool the cabin in full sun. These single hose units are not terribly efficient. And I went with the smallest 8,000 BTU I could find.

 

[Ky Grady]

I see a roll of duck tape on the counter,,,, you can fix anything that ails you!!

So where are you exhausting it to the outside? Cool idea!!

 

[HTHM]

Did you consider a rooftop A/C like they have on campers?

 

[magicalbill]

Funny: I was just contemplating sending you a message to get an update and; voila!

Questions & Observations:

Questions:

1.) With the bigger Sailfish, will you sleep aboard more than with the Journey? I know you prefer shoreside lodging, but was wondering...
2.) Will you work the same trailering arrangement with your hauler that you used before? He'll need overwide permits to be legal towing your Sailfish.

Observations:

1.) Don't count out an open Gulf crossing to Tarpon Springs. It is true the winds start ramping up in Nov thru the winter months, but there are days where you could do it safely. The number of good days indeed diminish as the cold fronts start punching all the way thru Fla with N to NE winds behind them. Remember, any forecast more than 24-48 hrs out is a glorified crapshoot as far as localized precip. Winds they can do a bit better at further out as NWS can accurately track frontal passages & HI & Low Pressure Systems. You might draw an Ace one day and get 10K winds for your trip.Just watch...

2.) Your days of 2-3 MPG are over...but you know that.

3.) The A/C setup looks neat; It's still mid to upper 80's down here with lows in the low 70's. I'll bet you'll get to try it out....

I want to mention again that it's neat for us to be able to follow your trip thru your thoughts & pics. It's like taking a boat trip without commitment.

 

[seasick]

Where does the condensate go?
Secondly, if the input air hose is open to the bilge, even with the outside deck plate removed, I would worry that the unit may pull in bilge moisture that may be salty. That might eat up the unit.
Finally, can you get a better looking box to use as a base

Good luck, safe sailing

 

[wahoo33417]

Wow, a number a of good thoughts already. Where to begin.

The hot air has a pretty straight shot from the aft berth pie plate to the outside live well pie plate. Both pie plates provide access to the inline shut-off valve to the live well drain that makes it truly dry storage. My only concern is freshwater lines lie in between. Surely this does not put out enough heat to melt those lines?

Seasick raises a good point: With these single hose units, there has to be replacement air (hence their inefficiency), and that is likely to come into the cabin from the bilge which will be salty air, thereby shortening the life of the unit. Other than spraying the whole thing with Boeshield T9, not sure what I can do? It will only be on the boat for a few weeks and next trip will be Great Lakes. Seasick, I am not lifting that damn thing again for appearance!

I did see posts here and on THT about roof-top AC units. I'm limited by the height of my storage rack. Even a radar wont fit. And I like that this is (relatively) easily taken off the boat since it is not needed for most of the year. I may even put it to use in the house.

Magical: With all the rain Alabama just got, I'm expecting good down-bound flow. I'm gonna get a picture of 2.5 mpg and forever claim that is what my 282 gets!

I had some custom cushions made for the 258 that I had re-cut for the 282. Turns out, the 282 V-berth is quite a bit smaller than the 258. But yes, I do plan to take advantage of the greater cabin amenities more frequently. I will have to coming down the Tombigbee. And then again in areas like Panama City, FL. They are still rebuilding from Hurricane Michael last year. The custom cushions are much better on my spine than the factory cushions.

This little unit says it catches and burns off condensate - unless its really humid. (Like anyplace its worth carrying that thing on a boat.) "Otherwise, expect the little catch basin to last about six hours before the unit shuts itself off." That little basin is so small, I just ran a drain hose to the forward bilge. That thing could run for a week before there would be enough water to even trip the float switch. I'll just keep an eye on it. I'm paranoid about watching bilges on these trips anyway...

Will use same hauler I've used for eleven years now. He moves boats much bigger than mine, so I know he knows all the rules.

I have all the routes laid into my Garmin to get from Carabelle to St. Marks, Steinhatchee, Suwanee, etc., all the way down to Tarpon Springs just in case I do get that favorable window...

By the way, huge kudos to the mods of this site to provide ability to copy/paste photos directly into a post, even from an iPad. How great is that!?

Tx, Rob

 

[DennisG01]

Not the prettiest of installations... but hey, if it works, it works! Function can often times be more important than form. I anticipate that you'll probably make minor adjustements to this setup as you go along - that's usually how these "working ideas" go... but good on you for finding a solution to a problem!

A couple thoughts to pass along...

-- The wheels may be easily removable.
-- What is stopping the unit from moving/tipping over to the port or forward? Either while trailering or under way (generator?)? Or, will you be securing it better during trailering/underway and really only be using it when at anchor?
-- Currently, the unit is going to naturally slide to the port - the straps are actually going to help that happen.
-- You know how that unit sits into a piece of styrofoam? Sort of a "custom sized" piece of styrofoam? And you know how you have that yellow floor mat custom sized to your galley floor? That yellow mat can't really go anywhere because it's "captured" by the shape of the steps. If you took the wheels off, you could cut a hole in the yellow mat to perfectly match the bottom of the unit. You might need to use two or three pieces and glue them together. But once you had that, the unit would sit down inside the hole and the base would be totally prevented from sliding around. You'd still need to address the tipping over issue, though.
-- I suspect that vibration is going to be an issue for the unit - it's probably not designed to be jostled around the way it is going to be during travelling. If, on the other hand, this is only going to be used in a slip with shorepower, or at anchor in a calm location, then maybe just find a better way to secure it/protect it during travelling and then just sit it on the floor overnight.

 

[Fishtales]

I guess it would work for helm air, just think with space in the cabin being a premium there could be another way. I like the roof top install but much more costly and permanent.

 

[wahoo33417]

More good thoughts.

Dennis, I recognize that it still needs more opposing straps. Will work on that tomorrow. Hate to drill holes, but not coming up with a more secure idea. Cutting into rubber pad is good idea once I’m certain that this is where it stays.

No generator, so only used, at least on this trip, while in a marina slip.

My alternative thought is to place it in the head and vent out the window. It’s small enough that the head is still useable without acrobatics. Would be easier to stuff sleeping bags around for cushioning while trailering.

I suspect that I will learn quite a bit on this shakedown.

 

[Fishtales]

If only using on a slip, you can pretty much move around as you need. Should work for you fine.

 

[DennisG01]

OK, so this just needs to be shored up for travelling. That makes things easier. Sleeping bags are a good idea. Pillows, foam, etc, too. Here's what you can do pretty easily, without drilling any holes...

-- Use your sleeping bag between the unit and that opened cubby (under the steps). Forget the bunge and that black strap. Use a ratchet strap attached roughly where the bungee currently is. Ratchet it nice and snug into the sleeping bag. The ratchet will be in the middle of the unit so that's all you will need there.
-- Next, make the following out of lumber (see pic). Make it so the 2x's extend about 6" past each edge of the midberth opening (dashed lines are your midberth opening). Put another sleeping bag or foam between the lumber (add another piece of lumber in the middle, if needed) and the unit. Use a ratchet strap around the unit from the upper piece of lumber (which should be roughly the height of the middle of the unit).
-- Once those two ratchet straps are there, that should keep the unit from moving in any direction as you essentially have it "cornered".
-- Might as well just leave it in the styrofoam.

 

[jtselios10]

I run mine only when at the dock. Unit fits perfect on the galley countertop drains into the sink and vents out the window. While running we store it in the head with a rug on floor. Keeps cabin of our 282 a nice 68 degrees.

 

[DennisG01]

Another quick thought... I don't know anything about those AC units, but... do they have to remain upright during transporation. If not, that makes it easier as you can toss it in the midberth and just make sure it doesn't start rolling around.

 

[wahoo33417]

I never thought this topic would generate this much discussion! Dennis, your idea is brilliant - I wish I would have started this thread a week ago. I did do more reinforcing today, and i believe it will stay in place in normal driving. But Dennis' idea would add a lot. I'll need to stow things like boat hooks that could probably do double duty for the ride.

I like placing it on the counter top and drain overboard via the sink. But my discs are not going to let me lift it up and down each day. Once in place, its staying there. Jstelios, how many BTUs is your unit and have you ever had it trip a fuse for your outlet?

These units have to be upright for 12 - 24 hours before use, depending on brand. I thought about just laying the box in the aft berth for the road trip, but I thought it more important to get the stability and exhaust figured out before I'm on the water.

I can't remember who, but someone told me that, after a long ride on a trailer, something has vibrated loose. And you need to find it before it finds you. So when the boat gets dunked at my destination, I spend a good two hours getting the boat ready to run and looking for that loose screw(s). I usually find it. A pin backed out of a hinge (I now tape over the hinges) or screws backed out of the cabin windows, etc. So I try not to add too much else to what I must do to make the boat ready to go. I undue all the duct tape that I put all over the boat, securing electronic covers, VHF antennas down against the hard top with pool noodles over them, all the cushions, fenders, dock lines, burgees that get moved out of the cabin and put in place. And then all my safety gear, water and snacks for the day put within reach.

Okay enough rambling, getting excited...

 

[magicalbill]

Where will you put in first if your headed South on the Tombigbee? I recall you went s far as Pickwick Landing/Aqua Yacht Harbor at the top end of the waterway previously.

 

[wahoo33417]

I loved Pick Landing State Park. Stayed there several days. Pickwick is near the start of the Tenn-Tom and I went down it for two days before back tracking to Muscle Shoals, AL for a good pull out point.

So this time I’ll put in Demopolis, AL which is a 'must stop' on the Loop. More importantly, it is the only facility in the area that I’m confident can get a Grady 282 in the water. Either by ramp or hoist, depending on water level.

Technically, Demopolis is the end of the Tenn-Tom and the start of the Tom Bigbee.

I’ll have to head north for a day to connect the dots. That will be hard for me because I really don’t care for the series of closely spaced inland locks I’ll encounter heading north, on a long day without many overnighting options. One backlogged lock and I could be on the River in the dark. Yikes.

That said, every lock-master I have encountered has been great. And I intend to make every effort to keep it that way. But the rule is, pleasure boats are lowest priority of every vessel type when it comes to locking through.

Sorry for the long, rambling answer.

 

[jtselios10]

Mine is a 8000btu it tripped the gfi in the bathroom once but I had 2 other fans plugged in trying to see what all I could run. The fan on ours runs all the time it tripped when the condenser kicked on, other wise it ran 36 hours strait in 2 different trips and worked perfect.

 

[wahoo33417]

Thanks for the confidence boost. Mine is also 8000 BTU. But it is Amazon's own brand, so I don’t know who actually makes it. Hopefully, it works near as well as yours.

Thanks, Rob

 

[magicalbill]

I forgot you went down toward Bay Springs and points South before. Should I start a separate thread for my trip questions? I'm not really interested in A/C installation and I don't want to keeping butting in. Looking forward to hearing about the "next leg."

 

[wahoo33417]

Magical: Sure. I'm loading the boat with 'stuff' today and will put it on boat hauler's trailer late this afternoon. Then boat is on the road for a 12-hour (assuming no stops) drive tomorrow.