Refer line blew

[watom]

Today while working on my engine I was running my refrigerant compressor to help make some load and suddenly I heard something blow and my engine room filled with a cloud of vapor, I assumed one of my refrigerant lines blew. I could not find what I assumed would be a large hole in the line. Has anyone had a similar experience. When I refired the engine and turned in the compressor you could tell by the sound and the fact the engine didn't load up that the compressor was turning but not pumping. I have a 78 Celestial and I assumed the system was original which means R12 Is R12 still available? Is my system worth repairing, I hate to pay a refer man to come tell me it's junk. I was considering other options as I didn't like the idea of running the engine just for the refer and freezer I have a gen set and I assume that would produce power cheaper than my engine. Has anybody added a compressor to their gen set like is on my engine, is that an option or is it too much load for the gen set. I like the idea of the holding plates instead of a 12 volt system coming on 20 times a day here in the tropics. Any suggestions would be welcomed. Yes I have read some of the other refer post and am still so confused as to what is the current state of the art in marine refrigeration I plan on cutting the cord in 3 to 4 years and heading south.
Thanks,
Tom

[brak]

R12 is definitely still available (though you may need to hire someone with a "permit" to actually bring it and charge the system).

There is quite a bit for sale on Ebay.