Labbur
New Member
I will be looking at a new 2008 44 Sedan Bridge. Any suggestions or items you would point out beyond the normal items one would look for. What to check or pros and cons. Powered with QSC 500 Cummins. Thanks
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To my fellow 44DB owners who find the air conditioning insufficient: Here are the steps I have taken to make the A/C in the boat acceptable (i.e. able to cool to 20 degrees below outside temperature).
1. Make better use of the front A/C unit. It has 16,000 BTUs just sitting there idling while the salon unit struggles. How did I do this? I had custom vents made that have full dampers in them so I can reduce the air flow to the master and guest staterooms. I also reduce the flow into the two heads by blocking 2 out of the 3 openings in the vents. These moves have the net effect of: a) forcing more air from the front unit out via the vent in the salon (by the dinette); and b) making the front unit run longer, thus providing more, colder air to the salon via the dinette vent.
I just installed the vents this weekend. It was more than a little disconcerting to take the jigsaw to the cherry wood, but in the end, it looks good (I will take pics if anyone is interested).
2. I also modified the vent box behind the main A/C outlet in the salon. This vent box has an opening in the bottom that the air comes through and then needs to make a 90 degree turn to exit through the register. I used semi-rigid material to make a smooth turn within the vent box to eliminate turbulence. Also, the main vent coming from the unit is 7” in diameter, but the opening to the vent box is much smaller, creating a choke point. If I can find the right kind of saw, I will enlarge that opening as well. This vent cover is also quite restrictive with the ½” wood bars. It is aesthetically pleasing, but aerodynamically, it is a nightmare. Note how much more air comes out when you take that grille off (it comes off easily with four screws). I have some ideas for this too, I will update if they work out.
3. Another thing I just did that seemed to make a big difference was to thermally isolate the cockpit storage locker (the one right by the sliding door) from the interior of the boat. The factory left major holes and gaps between the interior of the boat and this locker, which is outside. The salon A/C unit is right behind this bulkhead, so effectively, the A/C unit is half outside, drawing in hot humid air from the cockpit locker. I did this using vent insulation and HVAC tape. As I said, there were major gaps, so I used the rigid vent insulation to span the big gaps.
4. I also have 90% shade screens for the side windows , a 100% Sunbrella screen for the front windows and a 90% sun shade for the aft cockpit. I only use those when temps go above 95.
So in summary:
- vents with dampers up front
- modify salon vent box to improve airflow
- insulate cockpit locker to cut off outside air intrusion to A/C unit
- use shade screens on really hot days to reduce thermal load from windows.
Yes. I am obsessed. Thanks for noticing.