Cockpit AC is it worth it $$$ ?Does it make a difference?

Octopus IV

Octopus IV

New Member
Jan 8, 2007
50
North Shore of Chicago
Boat Info
38DA Sundancer
Engines
8.1's
I am thinking about adding cockpit AC to my 2006 38 DA, dealer install $$$. I boat on Lake Michigan, hot summers :cool: and mild/cold fall :smt009
Would a 16,000 BTU reverse cycle unit really make a difference on a hot humid day/afternoon ?
Having the cockpit enclosed would add a lot more of "living space", on rainy, muggy, hot&/cold days.
I also realize that this option makes it more marketable when I sell it, but would it really add any $$ value ?
I survived last season with 2 fans and sky hatch open... alot cheaper but barely comfortable...
 

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Do you already have cabin AC installed on your boat? We explored adding an additional vent to service the cockpit, but our dealer wasn't able to find an easy way to tap into the existing distribution hose/duct which runs from the compressor . I may re-investigate that option next season, as it would be very nice to have some cool air (and heat) flowing into the cockpit.
 
Yes the cabin AC is standard on the 38DA. The AC from the cabin would not be big enough(BTU) to cool the cockpit down as well. Although the idea did sound great :smt038
 
Octopus, unless you have a hardtop your going to have a hard time keeping the cockpit cool. I would imagine the need for a dedicated system for the cockpit(along w/hardtop), and where would you put it. Open the zippered canvas access once and woosh all the cooler air is gone, twice???. I think it would be a bad expenditure.
 
Oh, I see now that you do have a hardtop(nice boat) , if you could find space for the system, it would work. good luck! :smt001
 
The '06 38DA has a similar config to the new40&44DA. Hard top, double companion seat with storage. Dealer install would be same as factory install as a 40/44 DA.
 
Its only money. If you got it and it makes you happy and comfy, do it. Dont think it will help on the resale though.
 
We have cockpit air and like it a lot. I leave it at 80 degrees when we leave the boat in the slip. The AC keeps the cockpit cool and it is easy to get the cockpit cooler when you are underway.

Since the unit will also produce heat, it keeps a lot of the moisture from fogging the windows so you can get underway without trying to dry the windows. Early Spring and late Fall are more comfortable with the heat on in the cockpit.

The unit is installed under the helm seat and does take up most of the storage space.

When underway I sometimes have it on just to feel the flow of cool air on those high humidity days.

Our boat came with the cockpit AC so I didn't look at the cost. It is a luxury, not a necessity. Call it a 'nice to have' feature.
 
One of the SRO alums who never made the transition to CSR ran an 06 44 DA on the great lakes. He and his family spent three weeks abord this past summer and he came away unimpressed by the effectiveness of the cockpit A/C in his boat, but offered no further explanation.

We do not have cockpit heat/air in our 03 420DA. In the late fall we ran in 40 degree weather with the fastback enclsure up, the cockpit door open, and the aft AC/heat unit set to 78 degrees. this combination kept the cockpit area very comfortable. In the summer, when we deal with 90 degree temps and fairly high humidity, I keep the aft ac unit set to 68 degrees and use some small high rpm fans to move air around the cockpit..and we swim a lot, and keep a taylormade anchor shade up over the aft part of the cockpit. This has worked well for us.

My local SR dealer was willing to install cockpit heat and A/C for $6K. Not worth it for our usage of the boat.

regards
Skip
 
Skip, I remember reading that post on the SRO (R.I.P.), that is why I'm trying to get feedback :smt024 , before I take the "cool" plunge :smt043 ...
 
I caucused this subject pretty intensively about a year ago with several other owners of 420da that had cockpit air. The response was mixed about 50/50. 1/2 loved it 1/2 claimed a complete waste of money. There was no middle ground. I have been on several boats with cockpit ac in the dead heat of summer. The degree of satisfaction is highly dependent on the design of the boat. A 48 dancer with glass and a drop curtain is great. A 42 dancer with hard top, isinglass and no drop curtain is marginal at best. Being a relative cheapskate I passed and added u-zips instead. I get plenty of air flow when underway and I head below if i need to cool down when at the dock or anchored.

Jon
2004 420DA
 
One question to ask is if the generator is the same size on boats with factory installed cockpit AC. This is a big unit and may require you to load share appliances or even AC units while running. Also, it seems that to be really effective, the rear canvas has to be up. My experience with rear canvas on Sundancers is that it affects your sightlines, must be removed for docking, and can cause station wagon effect. I vote for the shade and frequent swimming idea.
 
the only time i would say that i would need it is when i'm in a no-wake zone in dead air, so there is no breeze. in those cases, it looks like someone is running a hose down my back. coming off plane to barely more than idle creates an instantaneous river down my back.

the other is when it's raining. you have to choose between drowning or suffocating. i usually open things a little, and get some wet and some air.

at dock, we put a fan in the cabin door, which blows cool air from the cabin outward. it can actually get chilly in the cockpit (i sleep up there sometimes when the kids have a lot of friends aboard. they either hog up all the beds, or, more frequently, don't want the old man downstairs while they're 'girl-talkin-slumber-partyin'. the old man doesn't want to be there for it either).

we have toyed with getting a little portable room a/c on wheels so we can lock the kids in the cabin and keep cool up top, but haven't gotten one yet. we'll probably do so this season.
 
A retro-fit seldom works out to suit the owner. THe main reason is that the generator is not sized to handle another 16,000 BUT A/C under wat, so that means it is an at the dock only addition if you are going to keep the cabin cool.

Properly done, it takes a larger boat where you can add 2 - 16,000 btu units in the cockpit and increase the size of the generator where you can then run all 4 a/c's at the same time.

We own the boat to use it, not to sit at the dock. For that reason, even, though I can do it and have the room, a cockpit air unit never made sense to us. If your use is different, and you have shore power a lot of the time, it may be worth while. The cost of the unit is not that much, but the installation can get expensive.
 
We use our cockpit air all the time. As others have noted, the Great Lakes can be pretty cold. We use the heat as much as the air. It's nice to be able to escape the heat of the day without going below. I run it when cruising in bad weather too as your windows don't fog up. Didn't know what I was missing until we bought this boat. I do think you need a hard top to make it work well.
 
Octopus -
I think I have seen you in Chicago before as for I go down there a couple times each year...I think I even looked at the boat you have at our friends at Skipper - but went with the 420 instead (because it had the factory a/c installed uptop already was the reason!!)

Personally, being just north of you in MKE here's my two cents...

The A/C is worthless - you only have a few vents and it really does not do much good. Last summer - Venetian Nights weekend, when it was 100 out on Friday - we went down.. I had all the isene (sp?) glass of and the a/c running - I don't think the A/C did a thing... But, it was nice breeze otherwise..

But, what is more valuable to me is the heater. I can't even tell you how many more days of boating around here I got because of the heater. I pulled my boat out Thanksgiving weekend. We were on the Milwaukee River that saturday night for dinner. Get down to the boat 30 min before anyone else, turn it to 75 - and it will stay 70 degrees or so while you are out - I didn't even wear my jacket while we were out!!!

There are tons of nice days in spring / fall here where late at night the heater is a nice choice to have...

There is plenty of room under the bench - you are right there. The only other thing I would do is add in a couple extra vents to blow on the front wind shield - help keep it from fog'n up.
 
Cuttin' Edge,
Thanks for the input, my 38 was an early production release at the Expo show last year at Merritt Is. I was able to do a few custom interior options that are not available in the line. I had my 38 6mos. before SKIPPY BUDDY had their demo. I am wondering with a custom vent layout w/additional vents and 16000BTU (what size BTU do you have in cockpit) and having a smaller cockpit than yours, if it would make a bigger difference...
 
I have the factory AC Unit - which I believe up there is 16,000 BTU. It isn't that it can't keep up - it's just that it needs more vent blow holes for AC. But, I guess I do enjoy the warmer days when we got them, so I take advantage of it!

Just left my boat - got the washing part done...next is waxing!
 
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