Internet access always leads to rabbit holes for idle minds.
I walked Barb up to the office and put her into her cab to Hermasillo Airport. Armed with the WiFi password, I opened the browser and entered the search term "marine air conditioning".
Yes, this apparently exists. I ran the calculator, number of windows, volume of cabin, tropical climate, water temperature and I came up with the magic number, 13,000 BTU for the cabins and about twice that for the pilot house and salon.
I tried so hard to find a marine store in Mexico that carries them but to no avail. International shipping, import duties, blah blah blah. I decided to select one that was 13,000 BTU's by Webasto and I ordered it and had it sent (free shipping) to my brother Gary's house. I'll figure out the rest later!
Side Bar -- Traveling to the US from Mexico:
The least expensive way to travel from Mexico to Texas is to have your brother pick you up in the Tijuana Airport and take you to San Diego. These are not international flights, just domestic flights and a walk across the border. It is easy and cheaper than an international flight. I stayed a night with Gary on my way north and on my way south. It is nice to visit him as well.
This is the beginning of "the air conditioner saga" more to follow! Did I tell you that it weighed 66 Lbs. I also ordered, ducting, lots of brass plumbing, a seawater pump (8 lbs), a cellular antenna, various mounting pieces for the air conditioner, a linear actuator, etc. Ya -- I thought through every facet of the install knowing that getting parts in Mexico would be difficult.
Prior to my departure I rode my bicycle 11 miles each way to home depot (yes, they have one in Guaymas), close to San Carlos. It was 90 degrees out and I was carrying 50 lbs of air condition stuff like 100 feet of hose, wiring, plumbing, conduit etc. I did not think I was going to make it home, so I stopped into an OXXO (Mexican version of a 7/11) and I picked up a half gallon of Gatorade. That felt great to chug down the entire bottle and I got a second wind. I continued peddling but before too long I really had to pee. I really had to pedal fast to get back to the boat then. I was red as a beet for hours, even after a cold shower.
This was stuff I would not have to carry back from the US. I immediately got to work installing the not yet received air conditioning.
I stretched the hose around the boat with the conduit and wiring and wrapped them into a harness that needed to be run from the engine room to the pilot house.
This is the seawater feed and return lines that hook to the pump in the engine room (not yet received) and the electrical feed that the air conditioner uses to turn on the pump at an appropriate time.
I plumbed the harness into the seawater intake and outlet that is used by the watermaker to avoid putting new holes in Coda.
At this point I had gone as far as I could go without the actual unit.
Barbara's return a week later was great, she had a successful trip and was happy to be back to the boat. I left a few days later, went to Tijuana, Gary picked me up and I was off to Texas, the air conditioner arrived a few days later to Gary's house and I told him that I would pack it as baggage and carry it on the airplane back to San Carlos. Just put it away and I'll discuss it with him when I get back.
More to follow.....
Technical Data:
This whole thing is too technical already.
