Air Conditioning

[beanctr56]

Hi All,

Does any one have a recommendation for a 16,000btu self contained A/C unit?

I want to intall a unit on my Beneteau 34 this winter and it seems like there are a lot of new smaller units on the market. It looks like Dometic has taken over CruiseAir and MarineAir and I am looking at their Enviro Cool or Comfort unit also Mermaid and a few others.

Any advice?

Rick

[SanDiegoChip]

We bought two Mermaid uints. One 5000 blt and one 12,000btu but have not installed them yet on our 36 ft sail boat..
I think Domestic is a very good unite but it is much more expensive. We bought direct from the factory saving good at Mermaid.
The Domestic cuddy? unite has two blowers and would seem to be hard to service. You pay for the small size.
Check oput the videos on You tube for 12v AC units.
example
Cruise N Comfort USA 12 Volt Marine Air Conditioner Sales Video - YouTube
12v AC
12 VOLT BOAT MARINE AIR CONDITIONER - YouTube
Chip

[CaptainForce]

As a side to this question, I would strongly suggest the March pump for circulating the heat exchanging sea water. We have found them to be far more reliable than the bright shiny bronze and chrome pretty pumps. Take care and joy, Aythya crew

[Minnewaska]

We have MarineAir and are very happy with it. 6 yrs old now. Heats and cools and has a dehumidify setting for when left unattended at her slip for days and not allowed to leave the air on. Cabin temps rise to mid-80s, but humidity levels stay reasonable. I don't have the model numbers handy, but suspect they have been updated since anyway.

[btrayfors]

I'd suggest you have a look at the Flagship Marine models (Marine Air Conditioning Systems - water, air and keel cooled.). I installed two units...a 16.5K BTU and a 12,000 BTU ... eight years ago. Both have been pretty reliable, with only minor problems (mainly of my own making). Tech support has been good.

I have two friends who also have Flagship units and are happy with them.

One nice feature they have: a large electric coil for heating, instead of reverse cycle like many marine A/C units. This has been wonderful. One of these units alone keeps my 42' sloop pretty warm except on the very coldest nights. They draw 1900 watts, and don't require open seacocks or water pumps as reverse-cycle units do.

One 16,500 BTU unit should keep your 34-footer cool in summer and warm in winter.

Bill

[beanctr56]

Originally Posted by CaptainForce

As a side to this question, I would strongly suggest the March pump for circulating the heat exchanging sea water. We have found them to be far more reliable than the bright shiny bronze and chrome pretty pumps. Take care and joy, Aythya crew

Don't worry I went through that headache on my last intall with a shiny "Cal" pump. I changed it out with a March and all was well. Cost more but well worth it.

Rick