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How Do You Keep Cool In This Metal Box?!

Salopgal

By Salopgal
in Living Afloat

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Salopgal Contributor

Salopgal

Posted
Posted

OK, so I'm a newbie and this is my first summer owning a boat, but when she's been shut up all day because I'm at work and no opportunity to give her an airing, it is absolutely unbearably hot when opening up late afternoon.

She's 52 foot long, fully portholed and none of them open. She has fore and aft hatches, one side hatch roughly mid way, one houdini hatch, one pigeon hatch and only two mushroom vents. If there's no breeze at all, it's still staggeringly hot inside and I'm suffering... :(

 

I'd really love to know what nifty ideas folk have found for cooling the boat interior down quick enough to not need 5 cold showers before 7pm!! I'm trying not to be a wimp, but does such a thing exist as aircon for boats, for the rare, but possibly increasing likelihood that we will have 35 degree temperatures in the near and long futures? As this will be my home, I'd like to be a bit more comfortable.

 

Pleasehelp.gif

 

Thank you! K

 

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bizzard Veteran II

bizzard

Posted
Posted (edited)

Turn on a fan and aim it at your face then fill a bucket full of ice cubes, plonk it on your head, your heads heat will cause the ice to slowly melt, the resultant trickle of water running down your face will super-cool your face. Drink cups upon cups of cold tea at the same time.

Or you can cut a hole in your fridges door big enough to poke your head in. A book can be propped up in there for you to read to while away the time until things cool down. If your internal fridge light doesn't work to read by use a torch. When your heads cool enough you can swap around and shove your feet in there to cool them, that will then only leave you with the hot part left in the middle. Hope this help to cool and refresh you. closedeyes.gif

Edited by bizzard
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bizzard Veteran II

bizzard

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According to that they've only sold two. I'd read reviews first and find out their power consumption if your not on a landline.

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Salopgal Contributor

Salopgal

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I've been trying to find reviews of these just now, but no luck at all so far. I'm a bit suspicious, but there seem plenty of them around (which isn't a recommendation, I know). I'm on shore power...

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bizzard Veteran II

bizzard

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Posted

The best method might be to run about outside like mad with winter woolies, overcoat and scarf on to make yourself really incredibly hot, hotter than inside the boat, when hot enough go in and take the things off and swoon in the hot coolness, you'll not notice the heat at all then.

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FidoDido Proficient

FidoDido

Posted
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Looks like it just blows air across water. Probably not that effective... You can get air conditioning systems for large motor homes, but they are much is £££.

 

I would open every hatch and door that you can, get a big desk fan from wilco for 15 quid, and wait an hour for it to cool a bit. I've got normal windows that you can remove the top bits, side hatch, roof hatch etc. not sure it is much easier to ventilate. It's regularly been 32 deg C this week in the boat. Do thigs slowly and you get used to it.

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bizzard Veteran II

bizzard

Posted
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Looks like it just blows air across water. Probably not that effective... You can get air conditioning systems for large motor homes, but they are much is £££.

 

I would open every hatch and door that you can, get a big desk fan from wilco for 15 quid, and wait an hour for it to cool a bit. I've got normal windows that you can remove the top bits, side hatch, roof hatch etc. not sure it is much easier to ventilate. It's regularly been 32 deg C this week in the boat. Do thigs slowly and you get used to it.

Yes it only does what my first post 2 recommendation does only my ice bucket and fan method is more direct and much more effective cooling by evaporation

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Ange Veteran II

AngeDonate to Canal World

Posted
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Just seeing the topic title I was going to say open doors both ends, close curtains on the sunny side and open all windows. Obviously none of those will work in you scenario.

 

My only word of comfort is that there are not many days of the year when this happens - take heart, I'm sure the heatwave will be over soon and won't visit us again for a year or two :)

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lynalldisocvery Collaborator

lynalldisocvery

Posted
Posted

i went to my local scrap yard got a 12v air con unit and vents & switches from a mini bus fitted it in to one of the small cupboards in the bedroom

air con unit cost £70 + £45 to re-gas

Where did you fit the condensor rad and what drove the compressor?

Pics would be real good.

 

To the op not sure on current draw, but if landline ebay inverter split air conditioning, ive got std ones in my house and quite simply brilliant, diy fit and already pregassed, fugly looking things mind!

 

 

 

Lynall

 

 

Lynall

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Burgiesburnin Rising Star

Burgiesburnin

Posted
Posted

The heat is coming through the roof and the sunny side of the boat. Try setting up a submersible pump system on a basic plug timer with a hose that will take water from the canal and spread it over the roof. Maybe an old hose pipe with holes. Should only be about a two metre head so not a very big pump would be required. A cheap Chinese one should be fine for the experiment and can be used for other applications like boat washing in the cooler season.

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GUMPY Veteran II

GUMPYDonate to Canal World

Posted
Posted

Are you on a mooring with power?

If you are and can find one any small portable 230v aircon will do the job.

Having just looked prices have gone up by £100 since I bought mine last year.

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bizzard Veteran II

bizzard

Posted
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Ok Salopgal. . I have a sneekin suspicion that you don't think that the offered suggestions so far are very cool. closedeyes.gif So here is my last offering.

The final solution!!!. First of all nip out and buy a huge roll of oven foil. Take a freezing cold shower or better still a freezing cold bath filled with ice cubes. (An alternative would be to stand for a few hours in your friendly butchers cold store). then dry yourself off and whilst tingling with freezing coldness, grab the roll of oven foil and wrap yourself from head to foot with it ''just like an Egyptian Mummy'' shiny side inwards very thoroughly not missing anywhere, any gaps in it will let the cold out and spoil the whole excercise. The key to its success and very important is the foil being applied shiny side inwards. By carrying out my instructions precisely the Thermos-flask effect will keep you all lovely and cool for a long time exactly the same as a Thermos flask keeps tea hot or cold drinks cold. mellow.png

During the winter if your feeling the cold exactly the same procedure can be done to great effect by firstly heating yourself up instead.

Joke.---- Chap at work during a lunch break suggested to his mate that he got himself a Thermos-flask because he said,.they keep hot things hot and cold things cold. Next day his mate turned up with a Thermos-flask, the other chap asked what he had in it. Well I've got some lovely hot soup and a nice chock-ice in it for afters he replied. smile.png

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Gillie Collaborator

Gillie

Posted
Posted

We have 2 of these fans

http://www.marinescene.co.uk/product/8602/caframo-ultimate-12v-fan/?gclid=CJeVq9XhvbgCFfMbtAodSDQANw

 

Expensive but powerful and we have them on all the time at the moment.

They are made by the same firm that makes the ones everyone has on their fires in winter.

I also have one on every night all night for the last 2 years as I am of a 'certain age' (hot flushes)

So I can certainly say they are lasting very well.

We got one off ebay a bit cheaper.

I guess though the boat needs to be a bit cooler first before they will work as they will just

move the air about but they are great when really hot held 2 inches from your face for instant relief!!

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Guest

Guest

Posted
Posted (edited)

How to keep cool???

 

Move your boat to the North East of England - our heatwave has been temporarily suspended the last couple of days...

 

Very overcast here this morning.

 

ed - and now it is actually ruddy raining (because I watered the lawns yesterday of course!)

Edited by The Dog House
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