Trojan Boat Forum

Anyone have an idea of what size unit AC I should put into my f32? I am looking at the 12000btu Webasto unit. Heat and AC.

Also where do they normally install them? I was looking at under the sink in the Galley to save the engine room space. Any insight would be great.

Also, I tried searching this topic as I guessed there would be something on it from the past but got nothing, is the search working on the site?

Nothing smaller than a 16,000 BTU will cool the boat. If my boat sits in the sun all day, without the glass covered, it's adequate...at best. Otherwise, my 16K Cruisair does okay.

My self contained unit is under the aft sette seat with an a discharge grill on the starboard side, center and below windows. With a 4" outlet in the sette area and a 4" outlet on starboard side v-berth.

My F36 uses 2 12k units and wish it was slightly more on the real hot days .

prowlersfish wrote:My F36 uses 2 12k units and wish it was slightly more on the real hot days .

Paul, is that original? I don't think I've ever seen two units on an F36 FB

Big D wrote:

prowlersfish wrote:My F36 uses 2 12k units and wish it was slightly more on the real hot days .

Paul, is that original? I don't think I've ever seen two units on an F36 FB

Yes thats the the way it came from Trojan .( I have the dealer invoce ) The later years they went to use a 16k and a 10k set up . Of course this was a option as was a single A/C .
I suspect the reason you have not seen the dual units is the area your in, they are prety common in this area .

prowlersfish wrote:

Big D wrote:

prowlersfish wrote:.....I suspect the reason you have not seen the dual units is the area your in, they are prety common in this area .

Makes sense. I'm used to seeing one forward of the strb engine, where is the second one mounted?

Big D wrote: Makes sense. I'm used to seeing one forward of the strb engine, where is the second one mounted?

Both units are forward of the starboard engine (forward of the bulkhead ) . If your at the lower helm your standing almost above them .
They both have remote evaporators one has 3 evaporators, V-berth -dinette - salon , the other unit has one (larger) evaporator in the salon right above the unit.

I believe mine is a 16000BTU unit. Installed under the forward dinette seat. Unfortunately, hoses take up most of the hanging locker on that side, and I have been trying to find a better way of routing things. Mine only vents into the lower cabin, so the salon only gets cooled once everything else is. Would like to route a hose / vent to the salon so that area gets cooling first.

Be aware - most A/Cs are not 'ignition protected'. If not ignition protected, they should not be installed in the engine compartment where there is potential exposure to gas fumes.

Thanks for all the input...I bought the 16k unit today and am going to see if I can fit it under the counter in the gally...lots of wasted space there.

16k next to the fridge under the sink.

Remove small door under the 2 drawers and replace with an intake vent.

Supply vents as follows:
Main line (6 inches I think) goes up thru cabinets to counter top
branch line travels under stove with a vent on the counter near stove
line continues thru into bathroom vanity with vent on counter top
continue thru hanging locker with vent in V birth

condensate line thru into engine room bilge

I put a mermaid system in and was very happy with it.

So no vent in the salon area?

Wasted space? Don't cook much or maybe don't have the oven? I got lots of stuff in that cabinet. I think best place for an A/C is under the aft bench at the dinette along the outboard side. Its a good place to put a thru hull, and its a great place to run ducting from. Ventilating that space would be simple too if desired.

I second what Jamie said about capacity. 1 2/3 to 1 3/4 of a ton minimum. Down the road replacing your headliner and adding some insulation material in the process is a possibility to cut down on heat transfer, and ultimately the need for a massive continuous output of BTU's.

You will be glad you got the 16K, more is better to a point of getting oversized. One of the things an a/c does beside cool the air is remove the moisture making air feel cooler to our skin. If you got too big the air would get cool but not de-humidified and ergo would feel clamy and one would have to keep the actually temp cooler for same effect. That said not very likely in a non insulated boat like ours. An old rule of thumb for houses is 1 ton (12K btu)of ac per 600 square foot of house, 500 is a better figure. To actually know one must do what is called a schedule J heat load calculation and that is for an insulated building. Well all of that said in my opinion one will not over A/C one of our boats with a 16K system.

I will check that out as well...Seems tight there but once the unit is here I will give that a shot as well...What I mean by wasted in the kitchen is the door is small and stuff just rolls around in there...not doing much cooking yet...only on the grill or stove top and I am using my drawers for that storage...easier access for me and the mrs.

larryeddington wrote:.1 ton (12K btu)of ac per 600 square foot of house, 500 is a better figure.

And that might be closer to 400 considering the lack of insulation and the fact the F-32 salon has more glass than a greenhouse.