Air Conditioning for 1986 Mariner 32

I

imspacemancraig

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Anyone have any pictures or information where the factory air conditioner was mounted on a 1986 Mariner 32? Or any suggestions where you installed one after market? I would like to put one in and trying to come up with ideas on where and how to do this. Looks like this will be a pricey enhancement so I would like to do it the best way possible the first time.

Are there conditioners for boats that do not need to draw in water from the outside? I have seen those portable port hole models, but too clunky and I am looking for something more permanent.

Thoughts?
 
The ones that use water for cooling are the most efficient and smallest you can buy related to BTU output.
Marine AC units can go in very small places pretty much anywhere on the boat. Air cooled units have to be mounted on deck or thru a hatch or window and are much larger. Occasionally, I see boats with RV units mounted on deck. They are big and detract from the looks of the boat but not nearly as bad as a home AC unit sticking out a window.
 
Apples and oranges. In 1986 it took a ton of interior space per BTU. Today, the same BTU can be fit in a dashboard. It's like comparing an 8 track to an iPod.

You can put what you want where you want now. The only thing that has not changed is the number of BTU's per cubic foot required to cool said cubic foot. When in doubt, go to the next larger size.
 
I have an '86 Mariner 32. The unit is mounted underneath in the galley sink cabinet. You have to remove the cabinet front and the half-partition to gain access to the space where the unit mounts. The main discharge vent is a teak box vent mounted on the counter-look up 32-33 Mariners on yachtworld or boattrader. The return vent is intalled in the cabinet panel that you removed to gain access. There is a 3-4" vent that goes forward to the stateroom underneath the countertop, thru the hanging locker to a wall vent located under the interior light in the stateroom. You need a 16K unit to properly cool that boat. I installed a 16,500 Mermaid unit in mine 5 years ago-best investment I ever made. If you have any questions, feel free to ask. Total cost for installing mine (DIY) was around $2000 with pump, ductwork and vents and hoses.
 
confirmed on cmariner32's excellent description - exactly the same arrangement in my 32 - one thing I have noticed lately is some water accumulation in the bilge after running the A/C for awhile and I'm suspecting that the intake thru hull might be causing this as I've located a prior survey that noted the intake not being brass but plastic - one item you also want to make sure of is that you've the electric to handle the draw - on mine there is a second 15 AMP shore line that primarily feeds the A/C unit. Great boat, enjoy it! Ed
 
quote:
Originally posted by ecmark

confirmed on cmariner32's excellent description - exactly the same arrangement in my 32 - one thing I have noticed lately is some water accumulation in the bilge after running the A/C for awhile.

Click to expand...


Dumb question...do you have a sump pump for the condensation to drain into or is it just draining into the bilge?
 
I installed a shower sump box in my bilge, eliminated the old shower diaphram pump and plumbed the shower and condensate drains to the shower box. Works great.
 
All of this awesome information! Thanks for the great responses. Not sure when I am going to tackle this project yet, but I want to do all the research first.

cmariner32, do you have any pictures you could share? What was the model/brand of unit that you bought? Approximately, how long did it take you to install? Seems like this could turn into a couple of days type of thing. My biggest worry is drilling a hole in the hull to install the intake. Did you need to make a drain hole too or did you attach to the sink drain or some other method?

As for power, I didn't even think about that, but what should I be looking for to see if I have enough power? For temporary use, I bought one of those portable units that you can keep inside a room and periodically empty the water. I have it sitting on top of the stove in the galley with the exhaust going out the port side window. I don't seem to have any power issues with that. Just plugged into the wall.

Thanks again for all the help!!
 
I bought the 16,500 BTU unit from Mermaid. They have a digital t-stat standard and were cheaper than Dometic/Marine Air units. I kinda wish I had spent the extra $200 for the reverse cycle unit now. Even here in sunny Florida, we get cool days and the reverse cycle allows for operation even in the cooler months when A/C isn't necessary. Mildew sometimes forms on the sanitas (sp) and woodwork because of lack of air movement. It prolly took me a couple of weekends to install but I take my time with everything trying to make sure its done right. I drilled the discharge outlet thru the side-no big deal-hull fitting is less than1 ft from the unit. The first year, I Tee'd off the raw water head seacock for the A/C water source but found the A/C pump would eventurally suck the water out of the line to the head, become airbound and then lose prime and burn out the pump-always happened during the week when the boat was unattended. After 2 pump replacements-Teel pumps are crap-spend the extra money and get the March pump. When I had the boat on the hard, I had a dedicated thru-hull put in for the A/C. I bought the Rule shower sump/pump and installed it in the bilge area between the water tanks and holding tank. Power-wise, my boat fortunately has a propane stove but was wired for electric stove. I just utilized the existing stove power line and breaker I believe you need 20 amp breaker. Everything is in the cabinets and behind bulkheads so pics would not help much-the only thing visible is the teak box vent on the galley countertop and the round vent in the front stateroom. If you have any specific questions, I'm more than happy to share what I know. You've got a great boat and you'll find its actually designed pretty well to work on. I've had mine for 8 yrs. now and still love it.
 
Thank you once again cmariner32! I am up in Wisconsin, so I may contemplate the reverse cycle too now that you mention it. The stove in mine is also electric and no propane but we don't use it at all (except the wife uses it as extra storage). So that may be a good place to hook it up. I was also looking at the area under the wet bar behind the fridge. I was thinking I could hook up the drainage to the sink drain on that but not sure on the water intake as it looks harder to get underneath that area.

Why did you install the sump pump in there? Do you get leaking from the installation?

Separate topic, I seem to get water in the center area bilge underneath the galley floor right in front of the fridge. I cannot figure out how or why. It just kind of happens. Doesn't seem to come in while underway out on the water, doesn't seem to come in during a nice rain storm, but all of a sudden one day there is water. I take a shop vac and suck it out and it remains dry for a month and half, and one day I see water again... Driving me nuts. Seems to get to certain level and no more when it's there. Only thing I can come up with is that maybe coming in from the windows somehow and it takes the right wind/rain combination to get in, but just doesn't make sense...
 
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