31 Sonic AC Install
 

Just bought new 4800BTU Mermaid AC Unit. Anyone have any tips for install. Also pictures would be helpful. You can e-mail me at [email protected]. Thanks Michael

I put one in a 31 Formula a couple years ago. Search the Formula section for the thread.

Go Fast, where are you planning on placing the compressor unit? I had thought about doing this install as well, but backed off. Would appreciate you keeping us posted on your install. Do you have shore power already in the boat?

I installed AC on my 35. I put the unit under the V-berth.

It was a big install ! took me about a week.

I cut a piece of 1" marine plywood to the shape of the compartment. I resined the wood, the used resin to hold the wood to the bottom of the compartment. I then laged the unit to the wood. I had to drill alot of holes in that compartment. you have the water hose coming in, the hose going out, the electric, the condensation hose, the air duct, and then holes for the return air to come in.

I ran the water hoses up the stbd side of the boat, and the electric/drain hose up the port side. There are bulkheads every foot or so under the cabin seats....So I had to drill through all of them to run everything. make sure you resin the bare wood after you drill to seal it before running your hoses/electric.

I mounted the contol panel next to where the outlet is in the cabin. Only problem with this was that the fridge is in that compartment, and the back of the control would heat up from the fridge giving it a false stat reading. I had to buy an remote temp sensor to correct that problem

heres a drawing of where i put the vents and retun.

Thanks T500hps and HiPerf2000!!

We will let you know how things go East Coast B!!

We are looking to install the compressor unit in a closet we have under the sink and do the return in the door and the vent above the sink on the wall. We'll see :eek:

i have what i think is a factory unit in my 1993 31' twin 525sc ss and it is in the V birth in center of the cabin what was probley stoage towards the nose of the boat. i do not have any pics but i will try to get some for you as im in the midle of a restore right now with this boat.this boat also came with a central vac witch i wander how many like this there were?im am just in the learning prosess with this boat so if any body has any info on production numbers with this combination would be great.

Ok just finished most of the install but i wanted to know if any one ever tried to use the hose from your outdrive water pick up for the ac pump water instead of driling a hole in the bottom of my boat???

Sonicss93. That's where I was thinking of putting the unit, so to keep the weight up in the nose. I just wasn't sure of how long of a run you could go from the unit to the water pickup. And I wasn't sure of the noise coming from the compressor while trying to sleep. I really didn't want to lose the storage room under the sink and I never use the forward storage under the vberth as it's tough to get at.

Where is your water pickup and pump located at?

GoFast... good idea, i don't like drilling holes through the boat either! Does it say how long that hose run can be?

The AC circ-pumps are much better pushers than they are pullers. Mount the pump & strainer below the waterline(so it will self-prime) somewhere aft, and plumb it forward to the unit. Exhaust the water as close to the unit as possible, but where you can look over to see if it's still pumping. Also; put a sea-cock on the intake for when you are running(and shut it), unless you want the water exhaust spewing while you're running along.

East Coast B!! After taking the ice box out to see what we would have to do to run the hose and wire to the back of the boat, we decided to install the unit there instead of loosing storage space!! We did not have a real frig and we never used the ice box. We made a platform for the unit to sit on with 2 by four screwed to the front and to the stringer then screwed the 3/4 marine plywood to them. We then ran the power line and hose to the back throught the side compartment - port side (there are holes along the bottom, so it lays nice). We starting in the compartment and feed the wire up and then feed the rest back to the engine compartment. We are hooking up a shore power cable direct to the AC, so we ran that from the side compartment up and will keep the extra cable in the side compartment for when we need to plug in at the marina. Mounted the thermostat above the ice box and cabinett, next to the radio. We are putting a vent on the wall above the sink facing into the cabin and another on the wall next to the couch facing into the cabin. Will give more info and send pictures when done if you would like.