For the Catalina Mark I, under the v-berth is the only feasible place for an AC unit. I have a 1987 and that is where it is located on our boat. As far as noise goes, it is something you have to get use to. We have a 16K BTU Cruisair unit and it was already installed when we piurchased the boat in 2002 and I hardly notice the compressor running.

Hi,
I have a mark I and the unit that i had when i purchased the boat was installed where the small table in the main salon would go. this winter i removed that unit and installed a ocean breeze 16700 btu under the vberth. while there is noise in the testing i've done the compressor is not an issue. from the information i got from the folks at ocean breeze they tell me the new a/c compressors are very quiet and the only real noise you hear is from the air circulating through the unit.
FWIW

Albert,

Larry and I both stated you could get your answer to your question quickly on our forum, as you see it did not take long for quite specific answers.

Welcome to the group and spread the word of its value as there are a lot of owners that do not know we are here.

Steve

And by asking and receiving answers here in the Forum, the info is preserved for all who come afterwards and search for the same thing.

Glad we could help.

That I would have to see - Ah - hear! Cisco - would like to hear more from you on that when you have completed your install and tested.
Our 89 also had the AC installed under the Vberth and I guess I got used to the noise (especially when it was 98 with matching humidity). But not real happy with the install and will be remounting it this spring. The PO had poorly mounted the compressor and it all came loose last year allowing it to lay in the bow bilge. Our ducting goes aft along the Stb side into the hanging locker where it tees. A 6 " line goes up along the aft side of the locker and out just above the drawer table in the saloon. The other side of the tee (4") goes up and forward in the locker and comes out along the rail on the stb side in Vberth. The intake comes through the stb tip-out-locker that was removed and a grill replaced the panel. I don't care for this arrangement either but it keeps the boat cool enough for now. I'm considering removing the center section drawers under the filler panel to put the intake there. The biggest issue I had was that the condensate just dumps into the bilge under the drawers where the PO had put a bilge pump that transfers the water to the main bilge. I have no connection from the bow to the main bilge (yet). This leaves a pool of water under the vberth where mold and mildew were starting to form. The PO had tried a device that uses suction created by the cooling water flow to pull the condensate out but I believe he had issues with that and it was removed.

Harold, there should be a limber hole that allows V-berth bilge water to flow into the main bilge. There have been previous discussions on this forum on this topic, so you might do a search. Seems to me a condensate discharge hose could easily be fed through a limber hole to drain into the main bilge.

Larry - yes I agree there should be a hole - but like some others have reported - there is not. I found the thread on making a hole there and will be doing that in the spring when re-mounting the AC unit.
But thanks for the reminder - I had forgotten to put that on my (never ending) To Do list!:D