Well MrsWildHorses and I are contemplating another month long adventure in Florida in the April / May timeframe and have no intention of doing it again without air. What are the recommended portable hatch units that will lock down in place? Do you require an upgrade to the shore power for a new fuse and outlet? What is the power requirement? What do the basic units cost? This will be used in the F311.

Thanks in advance.

Trevor

They tend to fly off when you get big air.
AND
They don't float.

Your shorepower will carry any AC unit you can fit on the boat. A 6000 BTu unit won't pull but 900 watts or so when running (startup surges to triple but just for a second). Your house plug in the cabin should be breakered to 10 or 15 amps.

The Carry-on with the hood works well and will fit under the passenger bolster when running (I think it is too wide to sit in the floor of the cabin).

Other options are the "suitcase" which works well. You gotta run the water pickup hose outside to make it work, but you can either add a thruhull just like your sink drain to stick the hose out of or I guess you could zigzag it out the cabin door overboard (it drains out your sink). It will sit nicely on one couch and will fit on the floor when running (or it will also fit in the crapper closet fairly well).

All of these units are in the 500-800 range.

Mermaid Marine makes a 5000 Btu unit with reverse cycle heat that will fit in your storage space in the center of your couches. It will freeze you out (or so the MM guy promises). 35 pound weight. Been pondering the kit for my 311 (It'll also run just fine off the Honda EU1000i micro-generator). It runs around 1200 bucks and is considered a permanent install.

I wasn't able to get it to run on a 1000 but a 2000 works real well and is almost as small and light. That is a hatch unit or a 5000 BTU Cruisair built in.

I have a Cruise-air 5000btu. Works like a champ and is very quiet operating. Like mccoliinstn said it fits under the pass. bolster real nice. The real PIA part is getting it from the cockpit to the deck. Two people are a big help. One to pass it to someone on the dock , then back to the same person who has moved to the deck.
OR...one person to pass it over the windsheild to the other. Trying it alone is looking for trouble

Mermaid is the ONLY one that will run on a Honda 1000. He staggers all the motors on timers and uses a huge start capacitor and a low-amp scroll compressor.

Any other unit will require a 2000, but it isnt much bigger than the 1000 and is a better bargain for what you can do with it. (It'll run the air, the fridge, and your batt charger)