No AC in FL summer

[neptunesjester]

Having done this two years in Florida on my own boat, it is miserable. My first year in Florida, I had no AC installed.

After the 2004 hurricane season destroyed every marina in the area, I spent the entire following year living at anchor. By mid September 2015 my wife told me to find a marina or get a divorce.

Here's the deal. Air temp is just part of the equation. You can open all windows / ports, wind scoops, dc fans, etc. None of this matters around 1am when sea breeze dies. The main problem is the boat is sitting in 90 degree water that is constantly radiating into the boat.

Oh and let's not forget the thunderstorms that roll through in the middle of the night resulting in the need to close ports and hatches while you wait it out in the sauna.

Sleeping on deck becomes a regular occurrence, but you are fodder for the bugs until the rain forces you back inside.

Eventually pure exhaustion kicks in and you can get about 3 hrs of sleep a night. This becomes the new norm until night time temps drop back into the low 70's

 

[janice142]

I had no air conditioner for years. I have one now and am very glad of it.

Lots of fellows start with none too. Then a woman comes into their life. In the winter all is well. They become a happy duo. Then comes spring and there's a little less amorous adventures. Summer means zilch. She's too hot.

At that point a small wall banger air conditioner is purchased. The fellow learns how much fuel to pour into the tank of his generator for approximately five hours of run time.

Just prior to dusk and the arrival of blood sucking mosquitoes, flying wings with teeth aka noseeums and their ilk, the boat is closed up and the genny is started.

Women are comfy and cool. Men may not always admit it however I believe they appreciate the comforts too.

 

[Planobilly]

I just spent the day yesterday putting a new autopilot in my boat in Marathon. If the AC would have stopped working in the house I would have gone to a hotel!!

I want to know how to get AC on my 28 foot center console!!!...lol

I am also looking to buy a trawler. I am done with trying to enjoy boating in Florida without AC. Also it is hotter in the Keys than in Miami. Summer time in Marathon is 92 in the day 82 at night.

I have a friend with a big sport fish boat with no AC. I sleep on the fly bridge on his boat, and that is not too bad....till it rains....lol

Best of luck with your ventures.


Billy

 

[BandB]

I want to know how to get AC on my 28 foot center console!!!...lol

Billy

The way most do, open it up. Maybe that's why they have so much power and twins and triples and quads, so the owner can cool off in hot weather.

 

[ERTF]

I sleep on the fly bridge on his boat, and that is not too bad....till it rains

A possible solution might be a screened flybridge (like the attached) with a blowup mattress? If it's too hot in v-berth, sleep on the FB. Too bumpy up on FB, then should be good breeze through the VB hatch. If heavy rain negated both those options, the Europa awnings(?) should still allow open salon windows & aft door (so blowup mattress in main cabin).

I wouldn't mind sleeping on an air mattress at all -- they're really comfortable. (And as a bonus, not susceptible to mold/dampness.) However...as a relatively young/single man, my main concern is (in my experience) they lack the proper backbone required to perform certain extra curricular activities to the best of my ability.

 

[stubones99]

I posted a product here, from a company that recirculated coolant to 30+ feet down where it cooled off, then back through another radiator where a fan blew inside air over the chilled coolant radiator. Apparently, it could compete with an A/C at much less power draw, since all it required to be powered was a small pump and the fan. I don't know where the condensate went, but know it would drip as the humidity condensed on the radiator. I can find a link if anyone was interested.

 

[cardude01]

When I'm alone on the boat I do the cold AC thing first hour or so and then turn it off for some peace and quiet. When the family is aboard they pretty much demand the AC be on all night.

I'm ready for fall weather...

 

[FF]

"However...as a relatively young/single man, my main concern is (in my experience) they lack the proper backbone required to perform certain extra curricular activities to the best of my ability."

Give up the Missionary position.

 

[ranger58sb]

Yeah, the full beam aft cabin trawlers with a screened/hard topped sundeck above, would be an ideal setup space wise. I could even sleep up there in the summer. Problem is most those full beam cabins have nothing more than a couple tiny vents. In FL without ac, I'd probably end up sleeping 10 months on the sundeck and 2 in the actual stateroom.

Sometimes you can change windows. Another owner of our model replaced the fixed front saloon window with a (custom-made) unit that opens. There can be some risk of water intrusion while underway given green water over the bow or storm waters abeam, etc., but may be a capability to consider.

The idea of a screened enclosure -- either on the bridge as illustrated or maybe around the cockpit on the main deck --
might be another way to get there from here, if you can block the no-see-ums...

IOW, the boat as you buy it doesn't have to remain static; you can sometimes "improve" things to suit...

-Chris

 

[Bigsfish]

Stu99

So this system only works while anchored in over 30 feet of water?

 

[diver dave]

Stu99

So this system only works while anchored in over 30 feet of water?

The 30' isn't the big problem; it's the fact you need to be in a lake. The ocean, canals with current, the St Lawrence, etc, etc, and it doesn't work at all.

 

[Seevee]

"However...as a relatively young/single man, my main concern is (in my experience) they lack the proper backbone required to perform certain extra curricular activities to the best of my ability."

Give up the Missionary position.

Agreed, and there's a LOT of air mattresses with supports and can be as hard or soft as you want... and you can do all the gymnastics you want...adjust to suit.

However, I'm sure there's a few ladies out there that can stand it without AC, they are VERY rare.

As a bachelor you may want your alone time without the AC on whatever bedding you figure out to be in the wind... but when the lady comes on board the few bucks for the AC to be on often pays big dividends.

 

[Bigsfish]

DD

Please explain how needing more than 30 feet under your hull while anchored isn't a problem? To me that is a problem.

 

[diver dave]

DD

Please explain how needing more than 30 feet under your hull while anchored isn't a problem? To me that is a problem.

The basic premise of the product is to collect water that is significanly colder than surface water. All I am saying is that for many of us, there is no thermocline easily available.
I mentioned lakes. In the summer, most lakes have a distinct thermocline, and a continuing thermal gradient as you descend.
I"ve dove Lake Michigan in Feb, where the water was 33 deg from surface to 100' deep. But then, I've dove the finger lakes where the surface was 74 and 60 feet down it was 40. Last week, I dove the FL keys and could not find any water below 86 degrees to 60 feet deep.
bottom line; its not a product that works for me.

 

[john61ct]

However, I'm sure there's a few ladies out there that can stand it without AC, they are VERY rare.

That statement reflects an incredibly narrow perception of reality.

The vast majority of the world lives in very hot conditions, and has never set foot in an air conditioned space.

Maybe 10% of the world lives in conditions you would call "normally civilised", and out of those, only a small fraction regularly spend time in air conditioning.

And a greater part of the world doing so will simply accelerate our destruction of Earth's ability to support human life.

Please try to be aware of our incredible levels of privilege here, be grateful for any level of ease and comfort in our lives, and realize that would not be possible without historical and ongoing huge crimes of oppression against the rest of humanity.

Not to mention the whole "ladies" slant and the sexual context the thread has turned to.

[rant off]

 

[Bigsfish]

DD

I agree that it's not for me either, I usually anchor is 20 feet or less, I don't see it working in a boat traveling at 7 knots or more.

What you found diving is Florida waters is why I love diving here, I use my Florida dive wear (suit and t-shirt) down to 140.

 

[Bigsfish]

John 61

Wow, where did that come from. A humorous remark and nothing more.

 

[Vashon_Trawler]

I have lived in Florida all my life--my wife and I love and tolerate the heat very well. We have a 5000 BTU AC on board but no generator. Summer life at anchor is not for the timid. We are active, fit, and generally manage well. Fans and a wind scoop make it tolerable; but with the summer we are presently having, it has been hotter than the hinges of Hell. I have been exploring small generator options.

 

[psneeld]

Anyone here stupid enough to think cruising on yachts is underoriveledged? Or that saying what is abailable to them and their ladies when put into perspective is narrow thinking instead of saying...."thankfully we didnt get mslaria this weekend"?.

Anyone here purposely make their boat less comfortable when they can? Other than budget or outrageous costs or complexity when not really warranted....

Anyone here think that stating "averages" is out of the ordinary, when most know that stereotypes come from someplace but don't fit every person or situation?

Sure some love camping in tents and can accept similar on their boats. I am one of those. But I do livesboard and think every luxury that I would have ashore should be brought on board if possible.

If I wasnt living aboard, not sure how "kiss" my boat would be.

 

[stubones99]

PolarProd Cabin Cooler

here is one link on youtube:

The link I had went to a dead link, so you might have to make one...

All it would take is a bus heater (box with fan, radiator) 60+ feet of hose and a small pump to circulate cooler water down through the lower radiator (coil of copper or bronze pipe), and back up through the bus heater box. Just drop the coil overboard and put the bus heater box inside.

It will use the cooler (not 50 degree) water below to cool your cabin. You'll have to do something with the condensate water like drain it into the kitchen sink or lav somewhere.

Remember to retrieve the in-the-water loop before you cast off

 

[janice142]

I have lived in Florida all my life--my wife and I love and tolerate the heat very well. We have a 5000 BTU AC on board but no generator. Summer life at anchor is not for the timid. We are active, fit, and generally manage well. Fans and a wind scoop make it tolerable; but with the summer we are presently having, it has been hotter than the hinges of Hell. I have been exploring small generator options.

Hello. Like you I have a 5k BTU room air-conditioning unit. My Haier is mounted topside using a Moby-Cool cover.
Website for Moby-Cool cover Moby-Cool.com

I believe it looks okay up there.

I power it with a Yamaha 1000.

Reason for blue over red: The Yamaha has a fuel shut off valve and Honda does not. I shut off the fuel and four minutes later the generator quits leaving me a clean dry carburetor. That, and I found not pull start a Honda2k unless it was warm. I can start Bluebell in three pulls, or four. It takes that many to get the fuel up again.

The article on my install can be found here: http://janice142.com/Articles/Moby-CoolInstalled.html

 

[Nimble1]

Great pic of your boat Janice...have always loved Shuckers.
As to the water temps in the summer in Fla...yesterday the temp in Pine Island Sound was 92.8! No hull cooling from that...LOL

 

[stubones99]

It may have been 92.8 degrees ambient air temp, but what would the temp have been at 20'-40' down?

I am not saying this method would compete against a well sized compressor based air conditioning system, but the power draw would be minimal in comparison.

 

[Nimble1]

92.8 was the water temp and you would be hard pressed to find anything deeper than 20' feet in the Sound..LOL

 

[what_barnacles]

My 2 ton mini-split pulls 7 amps @ 240V during the heat of the day, and a measly 2 amps after the sun goes down (houston, tx area). Its amazingly efficient and even more amazingly quiet. I keep the boat at 75 degrees.

I am going to use the 2 ton unit to cool the salon and the front kitchen area, and will put in a separate 9K btu unit for the bedroom. It will be a simple feat to run the bedroom unit off the inverter over night.

I grew up on terrazzo floors and no heat or a/c in miami. I dont have any desire to live like that as an adult.

 

[ljk]

I had to sleep in my v berth this summer without ac a couple of times. I did it, no problem, but I had a 10 inch electric fan in there with me. I can see why you wouldnt want a genny running all night if you are on the hook. Maybe an inverter would work for you?

 

[Simi 60]

100f and 80% humidity in summer regularly where we are.
Never had a/c in a house and never wanted it in the boat either.
Ventilation and shading is the key.