1972 43DC Air condition woes

[TROUBLE]

Hi everyone,
I have a 1972 43DC. The a/c unit that cools the salon is on its last legs and my a/c guy suggested i put a self contained unit in the space that currently holds the air return and the evaporator. That unit is built into the Stbd wall of the salon directly below the salon sliding windows. I was wondering if anyone here has done this, Whats involved and what specific unit you used to fit in the space. It appears there is room behind the box that makes up the return and i am also wondering if that needs to be cut up.

Thanks in Advance
Art

[oscarvan]

Don't know the specifics for your boat, but you will be running cooling water and return as well as possibly a heavier gauge power line into that space. May also have to give it a dedicated pump, unless you can make the thermostat (also new) talk to the existing cooling pump. And, it will be louder.

So what is breaking on the one you have? There's people here that will give you links to places that can rebuild a lot of the parts pieces in the system.

[UNIQUE_NAME]

i did something similar in my 38.
my compressor was only a couple of years old so i stayed with the split and put the handler and new digital controls in the same location.
instead of using the area for the intake and exhaust like it did originally, i had a new wall panel made and cut the intake there.
i cut an exhaust duct hole in the top back of the galley cabinet and ran an insulated flex duct from the unit to it.
then i put a false back in the cabinet with some brass 'L' brackets so i didnt loose the whole cabinet storage.

you could probably do the same thing with a self contained unit. the airflow from where it is now
is night and day from where it was.

the old panel was the template for size and i had a local guy match the stain color.
an intake panel from home depot spray painted the color i wanted finished it off.

[Jammin']

This was an absolute abortion of an installation, but here is where mine is. I am remaking the duct work and making a new front for the cabinet to straighten it all out.

[rob71]

I did exactly that conversion a few years ago. Huge improvement in cooling !
Cutting some plywood to make the 3 sides of the box ( the bulkhead is the forward side) to contain the new unit was the only tricky part. I blocked off the old supply part of the grill and redirected with a Y to 2 4 inch ducks cut into the wall. Much better air distribution. Water supply from engine room below was straight forward and the existing wiring worked fine.
Capt. Rob

[racclarkson@gmail.com]

This was an absolute abortion of an installation, but here is where mine is. I am remaking the duct work and making a new front for the cabinet to straighten it all out.

Wow, what hack job. No doubt that was an August installation.

[oscarvan]

Wow, what hack job. No doubt that was an August installation.

Doesn't even look like the air is being forced through the evaporator.....

[Jammin']

Doesn't even look like the air is being forced through the evaporator.....

The old mass of metal and aluminum tape that passed for the supply duct work has already been removed. The cabinet was acting as the return plenum. I can make it work and I can make it pretty, but now I'm about ready to get out my tape measure and start looking at the gunnel area to see if I could move the thing and eliminate that whole cabinet. Just what I need, another project.

[dottieshusband]

All these boats are a little different and what works on one, won't work on another.. but, I have replaced 3 of seven units with self contained units and have zero regrets. The split systems are water cooled just like the sef contained systems. My self contained units use the existing input and discharge water manifold connections, and the existing power BUS that the air handler had used. The self contained units come with their own thermostats and there is no interface with the old thermostat. The new thermostat is single wire, and most have a remote control. New self contained units are about the same footprint as the existing air handler. I put in 1 Webasto FCF, 1 Webasto S8 Blue cool, and 1 Marinaire... they all work great, quiet, use considerably less power and cool well.

[TROUBLE]

This was an absolute abortion of an installation, but here is where mine is. I am remaking the duct work and making a new front for the cabinet to straighten it all out.

Is that the ice maker cabinet?

Art