overhead clearance

[Andy]

After lurking the forum for several months I've finally joined. This prompted by the decision to go ahead with a commitment on a used '23  when I find a suitable one. I'm a newbie not only to the forum but boat ownership as well. Past sailing experience has been on friends boats over several years as well as lessons in the past with a refresher just a year ago. Hopefully this will be enough to keep me out of any serious trouble.
My sailing grounds will be mainly the Sea of Cortez in Sonra, Mex. Mostly day sailing, possibly weekends further along as experience dictates. One question that's been nagging me and I probably already know the answer but would like to ask anyway, can I fit a C/P-23 while on it's trailer into my shop at the house (Tucson area)? Width wise I'm fine but its height I'm concerned about. I only have eight feet-- exactly. I'm quite certain it's going to be a miss but how much?  I realize  the highest point of the boat is the bow pulpit but I think that can be modified to be removable so the top of the coach roof would be the determining factor. I don't expect any one to run out and measure their boat but a  ''Really??'' or ''No Way'' or ''Maybe if you flatten the tires on the trailer'',  would suffice.
Meantime, I'd like to give thanks for making this forum available to all the Lurky Lous out there like myself who have found it to be a fabulous source of information, tips and even encouragement to seriously get into the hobby. Hopefully I can give some of it back as my experience expands.

[Bob23]

Andy:
   I believe I measured mine a few months ago...9 feet from the ground to the bow rail sticks in my mind but I can remeasure tomorrow.
Bob23

[Shawn]

" I realize  the highest point of the boat is the bow pulpit but I think that can be modified to be removable so the top of the coach roof would be the determining factor."

The bow pulpit is only a few inches taller than the back edge of the coach roof. Bow pulpit is relatively even with the stern rail too. The height will vary a little based on the trailer but around 9' is in the ballpark. You can see this when the mast is stored on the bow/stearn rails with the mast crutch in the tabernacle.



Shawn

[Andy]

Thanks Bob and Shawn for the input. Drat! at least a foot off. Plan B after modifying the bow and stern rails was to pull the wheels off the trailer and set it on four of those little car dollies from Harbor Freight and scoot the whole rig inside. I think I would only gain about five or six inches though.
If it seems I'm over-thinking this You only have to spend one summer in southern Arizona to realize that outside working in the cabin of a small boat is the last place you need to be. The air conditioned comfort of my shop seems much more convenient.
My wife has already said I can't reconfigure the house to fit around a boat. Some women just don't get it!
Thanks again---Andy.

[Shawn]

Andy,

"You only have to spend one summer in southern Arizona to realize that outside working in the cabin of a small boat is the last place you need to be. The air conditioned comfort of my shop seems much more convenient."

Get a 5 or 8k BTU window unit and install it in the companionway. That will give you AC while you are inside working on the boat. You could also put a portable unit inside the boat (venting out a porthole) but that will take up a fair amount of room inside the 23 and IME they don't cool as well as a window unit as they are constantly pulling in hot outside air due to their using cabin air to blow out the hot air.

If you want to get even more fancy there have been 23s that had a window unit installed in the bulkhead at the rear of the settee berths. You open up the seat lockers to let the heat from the AC out. That would give you convenient AC at the dock and with a smaller generator AC on the water too. You might need to relocate the stove to the other side (nice mod BTW, I put a bigger sink and single burner stove to starboard) to give you more access in the port settee to do this.

Shawn

[Andy]

Thanks again Shawn--A small A/C in the companionway sounds like an idea, I'm also looking at the  possibility of a metal auto canopy (tall) to put the boat under to keep it out of the sun as well.

Andy.

[Salty19]

Here is a companionway A/C on an Eclipse.  Pretty much should work the same way for you with a 23.



Just thinking out loud, but I have in mind a small AC unit enclosed in a wood framed box with carry handle, for easy portability,  with an open rear and a collector box in the front. Drain on bottom.  The collector box would force feed the cold air into 2 or 3 large holes with long flexible tubes attached that would enter the side ports of the boat. You could make the collector box out of wood, fiberglass, etc.

The above picture is for overnighting at marina's with power.  I would think it would be a pain to keep moving it around each time you need to exit/enter the cabin rather than setting it up and tearing it down once during a given project day (or you could leave out there unless you are expecting rain or concerned about theft).

Again, just thinking out loud here...but I don't see why this wouldn't work? Seems easier to deal with, store, and no worries about it scratching up your boat as you move it around, store it, etc.

[Tom L.]

I had to spend one summer on our sailboat in Brunswick Ga. It's hot and muggy. We cruised for several years on the hook most of the time and did not feel the need for AC as long as we could anchor. We followed the seasons similar to Snow birds on land. But this particular summer we were forced to stay at a dock.

Anyway that one summer in Ga. was too hot. I didn't want to spring for a cruise and carry for one summer (expensive) so I made my own. With a 10,000 BTU window unit mounted on the foredeck and a discharge duct fashioned form 1" thick urethane foam insulated panels with foil face (Lowes). The duct was supper simple to carve up with a box cutter and glue together with construction adhesive. The duct discharged into an overhead hatch, cold air falls.  It was a semi permanent install and water tight. I didn't have anyplace to put all that stuff after that summer so it was just trashed. The AC unit we sold.

The nice thing about this type of install is that it leaves the companionway open for in and out.

In your case you could lift all that stuff off and put it in storage in your garage. I think a 8000 or maybe even a 5000 BTU unit would work.

Just a thought. Simple and relatively cheap.

Tom L.

[Salty19]

So it just occurred to me, my plan won't work in AZ..those 110*+ days will draw in that hot air and only cool it to 90.  Gasp!

So to fix this you would make the front of the box with 2-3 top and 2-3 bottom collector boxes. Drill 4" holes on top and bottom of box, short pieces of PVC pipe as output flanges with a divider plate in between fitted flush into the AC divider should isolate warm air supply and cold air output. So now make that 4-6 hoses..2-3 on each series of side ports.  One set in cold air from AC, one set into the AC unit to be re-cooled.

This is all sending like a lot of work, but I can't imagine what an oven Phoenix is like.  A friend lives where I am in OH and has lived in AZ, the stories he tells of oppressive heat make you rethink everything.  You could leave the hoses attached the boat, and just plug them and the AC into the portable AC box when you need.

A swamp cooler might be neat too.  Put two holes and an inlet with hose in a 5 gallon bucket or cooler lid, a fan blowing out of the inlet, and several gallon or two liter frozen bottles of water. Aim the output towards you. Very cheap and easy, but not as refreshing as real AC. Then again your dry hot air will be absorbed quickly into the cold, humid air of a swamp cooler.

[Andy]

Thanks for the suggestion Salty and Tom, it sounds plausible and doable. Certainly small A/C units of all descriptions become available as summer approaches. Swamp boxes not so much. Folks don't like the humidity they produce relative to the amount of cooling they accomplish. I like the portability concept of pumping air into a port or forward hatch too.
Per my first post I'm still looking for THE boat so I'm trying to foresee and solve problems beforehand. Seems more '23s are beginning to pop up on the internet now that the ice is melting in the upper NE states. Com-Pacs seem to be a rare breed West of the Mississippi so I'm a bit challenged with the distance factor. But we'll work it out.

Andy.