mjbtx

What about running a 2000W Honda generator and leaving it in the bilge w/the
blower on? Good idea or just plain stupid trying to kill yourself w/CO2?

mcollinstn

BOOOOOOOOOOM !!!
CO2 is not the only issue with an open-air rated genset crammed into the bilge. Even if you plumbed a big krinkly exhaust flex hose out of the boat, you're still looking at all of the ignition and fume hazards that are not associated with exhausts. It has an integrated fuel tank with open fuel venting, non marine rated carburetor, etc. It is also an air cooled engine whose exhaust pipe generally runs hot enough to glow a very dim red in low light conditions, especially under a full load. Not exactly USCG approved..

Your choices with an open air genset are: swim platform OR bow.

If you anchor off your stern, you can put a rubber mat on your bow and sit the genset up front where the wind will blow the fumes away. Or if you anchor off the bow, you can sit it on your stern. I honestly prefer the bow mounted genset since it is further away from the swimming and conversation area. If you are sleeping under it, though, it will be more of a nuisance. Either way, a CO detector is necessary - in fact, they are necessary even if you are simply going to be anchoring NEAR another boat with a genset...

The Honda EU2000i is a GREAT generator. Light compact and very quiet. It also speeds up and slows down according to load. This makes it quieter than most when running at partial load (your AC is going to pull around 750 watts, if you run your fridge and onboard charger, you got another 550 watts or so which puts it about right).

BadDog

Wasn't there a thread some time back about a fan unit you placed in a cooler full of ice? Not exactly A/C but it might knock the heat off the cabin a bit. Depending upon the lake depths and where you boat and or spend the night I think a system of plumbing to pull water from 75 feet down and duct it through a air to water heat exchanger could produce some cool air. I know some of the deep lakes in KY are pretty cool at depth. Just a thought, wondered if anyone else has pondered this.

mcollinstn

The ice thing works. Just has no way to recharge other than to dump in another 30 pounds of ice.

The deep lake thing is a neat idea. You'll be able to get a discharge air temp of pretty close to whatever water temp you find.

Just remember that an AC usually gives you a 20 degree drop or better (room air temp versus discharge air temp). And the deep water thing is limited to no cooler than the water you find. Neat idea though.

wwwTOPDJcom

that does work and here in the finger lakes water depth is up to 600 feet
Cornell University Cools the college with water drawn off the bottom
somewhere in the 38 degree range

read this http://www.cnn.com/2000/NATURE/08/03/lake.cooling.ap/

Reckless32

That would be the kooleraire...

www.kooleraire.com

aTX427

..

BadDog

One pound of ice has 144 BTU's of latent heat. Assuming a 25 pound bag of ice at 0 degrees;

25 * 1 * 32 = 800 btu's (25 pounds * 1 btu/pd * differential)
25 * 144 = 3200 btu's (latent heat extracted at 144 btu/lb)
25 * 1 * 18 = 450 btu's (liquid to 50)

Total theoretical amount of BTU's in 25 pounds of ice extracted from 0 to 50 degrees would be 4450 BTU's or about an hour of run time on your AC. Granted this process is going to take well over an hour but it seems it would cool the cabin a bit especially as the sun goes down.

rssteiny

the koolerair system does work i use it, for best results freeze 2 liter soda bottels or something big like that and it will last all nite the first nite out. also dont start it up till the sun goes down and about 1 hour or so before you go to bed and run a fan to move the air around it uses almost no amps or voltage. i cool my 32 active thunder and it does ok.

mcollinstn

Yeah, 5000 BTu/h will cool a 30-ish cig style cabin from 90 to 75 in around 30 minutes, with the doors and hatches closed. That pretty much says that it takes 2500 BTu to cool it. So the Cooler machine will still have 2000 BTu remaining to keep it there. Dunno how much it requires to "keep" it cool, but I've seen figures of 100 BTu/h for each person. The fridge will have to be turned off and let it hold its own so it doesn't pump its heat back into the cabin, and then you have the offset for heat intrusion from outside. With two people and an outside ambient of 85, I'd guess the spare 2000 BTU will hold the 75 degree temp for another 4 hours (500 BTU/h to maintain - guess). Not bad.