Just sayin’ … when the humidity is up and the temps are high even a few degrees drop and a bit less humidity feel REAL nice!
So while there are no perfect answers there are valid options out there to be explored.
Duration of anything battery operated depends upon the capacity of the battery or batteries involved as we all know.
Best if one runs auxiliary items off of an isolated house battery arrangement keeping the start battery protected.
These currently available nice lithium portable power stations have a lot of different capacity sizes, come with a plug-in 115VAC charger and generally have a reasonably capable inverter output(s) along with USB outlet(s). One of the bigger ones might be able to drive one (or more) portable A/C unit(s) nearly all night independent of the boat’s system.
There are various solar array charging options available as well to allow for recharging of the power station pack independently from hooking into the outboard engine generator output. That could allow one to replenishment during the day when out traveling.
As a baseline the little portable A/C unit(s) could provide a nice break from the heat and humidity for a nice bit of time.
We went through the modification to install a single hose portable A/C stand up unit in Over Easy.
While plugged into shore power it does a great job of dehumidifying and cooling the cabin area …. (At times it’s been more than too cold!).
For when we get to traveling further afield and overnighting on the hook we have a small Honda 2200 watt generator we can sling under the aft seat or place up on one of the benches on a section of isolation foam to dampen the vibration noise somewhat. So we get cool and comfortable with a modicum of noise… good thing we use the fwd berth and dinette area for sleeping. (It would be a bit noisier if one were to be using the aft berth with the generator above oneself.)
While our arrangement works for us in a slip or on the hook for the foreseeable future this little portable A/C unit does hold some promise.
With retrospect and deeper pockets we might have taken a different approach and considered this type of portable A/C system.
It’s lighter, quieter, more compact and inherently provides more lateral use options for different situations/applications.
The A/C sticker price should be weighed in conjunction with the ease/simplicity or installation/operation. Especially if one is only looking at an occasional night out on the hook. When back in a slip or back on the trailer recharging the battery (or batteries) wouldn’t be much of a task for most. It depends on what one wants to do, how much effort one wants to expend to do it and how deep one’s pockets are.
For me anyway as a design engineer and project manager I’ve never found a perfect answer, but only various good options to make a balanced choice from.
Best Regards
Over Easy
PS: The portability aspect of an A/C unit with an integral battery really would have been nice in our younger years with puppies, pregnancies, newborns and toddlers during road trips and sightseeing. That way one would have had the option of cooling down for several hours without idling the car and slowly watching it overheat and having to shut it off. Would have been much nicer and, for me anyway, it would have been worth every penny!
out on day trips in the Chesapeake here on the East Coast, and have a wife and a now two year old. I have explored beat the heat solutions and the current solution that works best is an IcyBreeze with backup cooler loaded with ice. In retrospect and as a future project, I would go with a Frankencooler (either self built or from his plans) for more efficient use of the ice.
