The duct work has been located and installed, now we have the ability to pump the AC and Heat throughout the entire boat. I'm sure the people who use the aft-cabin will appreciate the AC and Heat when the door is closed. The loss of storage is minimum, with the majority of loss experienced in the V-Berth hanging locker. Now it is marginal at best, whether or not I'll be hanging anything in that locker again. But, the AC will be worth it I'm sure. Besides, what kind of clothing could I possibly need on the boat that would require hanging?

Running the duct work required that I open up the Port side shelf behind the Settee:

After the shelf is up, I cut the 4 inch duct holes and routed the flexible duct.

To route the duct further aft, I decided to reduce it's size a bit and run it with solid PVC.

The rigid PVC duct runs aft through the refigerator, behind the stove, through the Head under the sink and finally after turning left in the hanging locker, it goes into the Aft Cabin.

Meanwhile in the Forward cabin (V-Birth) the duct work is split to the other areas; for example the primary duct with the 6 inch flexible duct work supplies the main cabin, and a second 4 inch duct is diverted into the V-Birth.

With the duct work in place, I went ahead with the mounting of the AC unit. I probably should have checked the AC unit before cutting all those holes, but I was confident that I could put the Unit into the V-Birth.

Now all I need to do is hook up the overboard discharge from the AC unit, install the sea water strainer, sea water pump, and run the electricals... What a PROJECT!

Back In the water, after hauling out to replace 14 keel bolts, adding 2 through-hull fittings for the new Reverse Cycle Air Conditioner, and replacing 2 through-hull valves in the head, we're back in the water! We even been out for a couple day-sails since returning Lasata to the water. But now it's time to keep moving forward with the projects. So...

I've bitten the bullet and am having my salon cushions re-upholstered by a local shop. I feel confident they'll turn out better than new, but what about the cost? Not something I'm looking forward to, based on the knowledge that if I had the time I'd do it myself. I guess you need to know when to call in some help... The good news is that now I am free to move onto stripping more out of the salon and start sanding the overhead and wood work to prepare for new head liner and varnish. 

Before doing any finish work such as the head liner and varnish, I'll be installing the mounting surface for the new Reverse Cycle Air Conditioner and running the water supply and overboard discharge lines. The wiring should not be a big deal since I already have a secondary circuit breaker for an "instant-on" demand hot water heater. oh the joy of boat ownership...