Boom Boom II: 2014

February 2014

The major mod for 2014 has become evident -- Bill is working on installing central air conditioning (also works as central heating). The installation is taking much thinking and planning ... where it will sit, where it will vent. And after the where is determined, there's the how. He's removed the cabin mirror and taken panels apart (I'm kind of afraid to go out and look into the cabin at this point), and plans on drilling holes where most people would not think about drilling holes in a boat. He wants any venting and accompanying tubing not to be unsightly. I will be posting more details and photos in the coming weeks.

At the same time, we have a project going on in the house -- we're renovating the kitchen. For me this is probably the most exciting thing we've ever done in the house. So, Bill's attention is split when I drag him along to the granite warehouse and tile showroom, etc.

March 2014

Bill has been at this project almost daily for weeks now. Here are a bunch of photos showing the A/C kit and steps in installing this on the Boom Boom II (26M).

All the pieces of the "kit" on display

He used oak as mounting pads that he fiberglassed in place under the forward berth.

Fast forward to the unit installed under the starboard V berth.

This was a 9000 BTU unit, which was later replaced by 12,000 BTU unit (next image)..

A splitter is used so ductwork can vent into the head (see next photo), and the other snakes under the floor and back towards the stern berths.

Below shows the main A/C outlet.

Below are return air intake located under the table.

Back underneath is a view of the ductwork. This is another splitter so ductwork snakes up the side of the head, while the other ductwork leads to the stern.

The ductwork snakes under the floor of the head and up the side, exiting at the top into the cabin area over the table.

Another vent, the power panel and thermostat are located over the mirror.

Meanwhile, the "Y" split under the head leads ductwork to another vent into the stern berth

The A/C plumbing

Condensator (Mermaid term) takes water from the A/C condensation pan and directs it into the outlet hose.

Outside under the boat is one of the holes drilled for the water inlet and outlet.

The other hole is off the stern

Now the focus is back inside where we need to cover the ductwork that snakes up the wall in the head. Bill created a form (made from siding insulation) that he fiberglassed and painted to match the beige molding. He'll gel-coat this at a later date.