500/520 DB official thread

rlynch03 said:
Wonder what the MPG are at your 1800RPM's?
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Never really considered that but the math says 0.73
There are many variables like wind and waves than have a large effect.
And, don't forget that running in fresh water vs salt water is a factor (your boat is a bit more buoyant in salt water).
 
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ttmott said:
Never really considered that but the math says 0.73
There are many variables like wind and waves than have a large effect.
And, don't forget that running in fresh water vs salt water is a factor (your boat is a bit more buoyant in salt water).
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Yes, I have noticed a considerable difference with GPH and MPG depending on those factors.

Salt water factor; wonder how much difference in makes in our boats. That said you being in Florida I would think you have a very high salt content versus our brackish water on the Upper Chesapeake Bay.
 
rlynch03 said:
Yes, I have noticed a considerable difference with GPH and MPG depending on those factors.

Salt water factor; wonder how much difference in makes in our boats. That said you being in Florida I would think you have a very high salt content versus our brackish water on the Upper Chesapeake Bay.
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And don't forget that water density at 40 Deg F is 62.42 Lb/Ft3 and at 90 Deg F is 62.12 Lb/Ft3; so the colder the water the more buoyant the boat. So many variables that I don't really concern myself too much with the plus or minus fuel consumption; the big thing is, for example, crossing to the Abaco from Cape Canaveral, the wind, current, and waves which have the greatest impact to the fuel budgeting.
 
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Mac Magic said:
Mike,
The door wouldn’t stay open in the open position which as you can imagine if that door slides across the opening and slams shut on someone’s fingers, bye bye fingers. It was like that when I bought the boat. So I took the door off and realized that all the guts for the stopper were missing. Contacted Taylor made they had the parts and sent them.
To take the door off it’s pretty simple take the top rail off and lean the door outward from the top and lift it off the bottom rail. Don’t take the bottom rail off. To reinstall, take the top rail and slide it into the rollers just like it would be if in place and press down the rollers with the rail and pop it back in. Screw a few of the screws in place and bang she’s ready to have all the screws installed. I replaced all the rail mounting screws because the original ones are short. I bought longer ones to prevent any failure.
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Mac:
Took the door off today. Followed your advice of removing the top Trim, which is double faced taped and caulked in place. Then unscrewed the Top Track. My son and I easily leaned the door out from there and removed it.

I had several issues going on...

  1. The trucks needed some TLC and rust preventer.
  2. The Rod that ties to the Door Handle and catches the Door Stop when fully opened was stripped and brackets are bent.
  3. Will contact Taylor Made tomorrow and try to get a new Rod and the screw on Bronze/Brass end.
Put the door back together without the top trim for now. I might try Velcro to secure the Top Trim for future door maintenance.

The door rolls much smother now and is properly aligned.


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AF522437-C9F2-4AD3-8967-884D294A71C1.jpeg
 
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rlynch03 said:
  1. Will contact Taylor Made tomorrow and try to get a new Rod and the screw on Bronze/Brass end.
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  1. Good luck - I contacted them a couple of weeks ago and asked about a new lockset - $3500 and it wasn't even available...I wrote them back and said I don't need the whole door! They said that's what it is...and not available!!
 
I have a 12,000 BTU Cruisair turbo unit on the shelf in the shop. I'm thinking of installing it on the bridge to supplement the 27,000 BTU unit that exists. There appears room in the cabinet where the sink is. Obviously, I'd have to run the power, raw water, and ductwork...
Has anyone else supplemented the bridge air conditioning?
 
ttmott said:
I have a 12,000 BTU Cruisair turbo unit on the shelf in the shop. I'm thinking of installing it on the bridge to supplement the 27,000 BTU unit that exists. There appears room in the cabinet where the sink is. Obviously, I'd have to run the power, raw water, and ductwork...
Has anyone else supplemented the bridge air conditioning?
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Now you are just teasing us northerners by saying you need MORE AC on the bridge. At the temps today up here I would have the heat turned on.
 
ttmott said:
I have a 12,000 BTU Cruisair turbo unit on the shelf in the shop. I'm thinking of installing it on the bridge to supplement the 27,000 BTU unit that exists. There appears room in the cabinet where the sink is. Obviously, I'd have to run the power, raw water, and ductwork...
Has anyone else supplemented the bridge air conditioning?
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Tom - Can your genny carry the extra load? Or will you have to "load shed" (airplane talk!)?
 
carterchapman said:
Tom - Can your genny carry the extra load? Or will you have to "load shed" (airplane talk!)?
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My gut is no problem - It's the AC starting loads that are the issue; the running loads are actually fairly low.
If everything on the boat decided to start at the same time then it would probably trip the circuit breaker.
But good observation; I'll run the numbers.

It's a big job to install and was wondering if anyone else has done it and if it's worth it (Florida speaking).
 
ttmott said:
My gut is no problem - It's the AC starting loads that are the issue; the running loads are actually fairly low.
If everything on the boat decided to start at the same time then it would probably trip the circuit breaker.
But good observation; I'll run the numbers.

It's a big job to install and was wondering if anyone else has done it and if it's worth it (Florida speaking).
Click to expand...

Maybe increase the size of the bridge unit... mine does struggle to keep up on a 95 degree day
 
rlynch03 said:
Maybe increase the size of the bridge unit... mine does struggle to keep up on a 95 degree day
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There is a 27K BTU unit under the helm - nothing larger can fit in there and I think that is the biggest they make until you go to separate condenser and air handler arrangements. This picture is that beast.
IMG_3224.JPG
 
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Tom, That's what I have on the '58, but I'm not in FL June - Sept, so, so far, mine is OK - but I have no experience on 95° days other than in TN and I bet the humidity is a lot less! I do have a circulating fan on the stbd bar above the fridge and icemaker and that helps.
 
ttmott said:
I have a 12,000 BTU Cruisair turbo unit on the shelf in the shop. I'm thinking of installing it on the bridge to supplement the 27,000 BTU unit that exists. There appears room in the cabinet where the sink is. Obviously, I'd have to run the power, raw water, and ductwork...
Has anyone else supplemented the bridge air conditioning?
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Tom,
Regarding your concern about the power draw, the driving factor/question is your 12K unit 110 or 240VAC? If it's 240V, then your draw most likely be insignificant.

Going from the memory, I think you have dedicated water pump for bridge AC. If so, I'd verify the specs to see if it'll be good enough to supply the water for both. It's possible that you'll need to upgrade the pump.

I'd recommend adding a manifold with shutoff valves, which will make maintenance and troubleshooting so much easier. That's what I did when installing my bridge AC. It was a great idea and I'm using those valves all the time.

A control box should have a slot for another trigger.

Lastly, I'm afraid that after going through all the trouble, you won't be very happy with the results, due to the fact that you're adding 12K unit. Considering that you're in tropical climate, you need all the BTUs you can get in that "green house", to cool it off. Point being, It's obviously tempting to use that 12K, since it's sitting on the shelf. But I'd be looking to invest into a new and much larger unit for the project to be a success.

One question that will help solve the puzzle is how many degrees do you need to knock off to get to comfortable temp? I'm not an expert, but IMO, if it's anything over 7-10* I don't think 12K has enough juice. Since you have the unit, I'd do a proof of concept test before drilling any holes and changing anything. Just plumb some hoses temporary and let that 12K unit run free standing and see how it performs. Pick a hot day for your test.

Just my 0.02c.
 
Alex F said:
Tom,
Regarding your concern about the power draw, the driving factor/question is your 12K unit 110 or 240VAC? If it's 240V, then your draw most likely be insignificant.

Going from the memory, I think you have dedicated water pump for bridge AC. If so, I'd verify the specs to see if it'll be good enough to supply the water for both. It's possible that you'll need to upgrade the pump.

I'd recommend adding a manifold with shutoff valves, which will make maintenance and troubleshooting so much easier. That's what I did when installing my bridge AC. It was a great idea and I'm using those valves all the time.

A control box should have a slot for another trigger.

Lastly, I'm afraid that after going through all the trouble, you won't be very happy with the results, due to the fact that you're adding 12K unit. Considering that you're in tropical climate, you need all the BTUs you can get in that "green house", to cool it off. Point being, It's obviously tempting to use that 12K, since it's sitting on the shelf. But I'd be looking to invest into a new and much larger unit for the project to be a success.

One question that will help solve the puzzle is how many degrees do you need to knock off to get to comfortable temp? I'm not an expert, but IMO, if it's anything over 7-10* I don't think 12K has enough juice. Since you have the unit, I'd do a proof of concept test before drilling any holes and changing anything. Just plumb some hoses temporary and let that 12K unit run free standing and see how it performs. Pick a hot day for your test.

Just my 0.02c.
Click to expand...
Good points and thanks.
The voltage is 240 on that unit but I'll still run the numbers.
I've already replaced the bridge raw water pump with a larger Baldor/March pump so we are good on raw water flow. It's going to be a real pain snaking another water supply hose down to that pump however. The water discharge hose will tie into the bridge sink drain line which is plenty large enough.
Agree on the service disconnects or valves; I already have such a setup for the house AC units.
I didn't consider the pump control box; I'll have to add that as the existing bridge AC doesn't have one.
The 27K unit will drop the temperature from a baking 106 degrees (it can actually get hotter up there) to 89 degrees after an hour of running with the bridge door closed. I'd like to get to the mid to high 70's. My thought is I'm adding another 40 percent of cooling and should easily accommodate plus the benefit of the added air flow, but, I like the test idea.
The better solution is to install a split system with the condenser in the engine room and expansion unit on the bridge or even better a chilled water system with the chiller plant in the engine room and a couple of air handlers on the bridge. The problem with the chilled water systems is sweating and condensate on the water lines. Dometic makes all of these types of systems.
So, I pulled that unit off the shelf and it's not 12K BTU but actually 10K BTU....
Back to the drawing board...
IMG_4891.jpg
 
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Gary B said:
Rich, I have the same office view
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That’s great Gary! I have worked at the boat just about every day since March.

It really works well for me...
 
Can one of you guys that added valves to your AC raw water distribution manifold take a picture and post here, please. I've thought of doing that but haven't figured out exactly what valves to use to prevent a significant reduction in water flow during normal operation. Thanks.
 
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