Hunter 340 HVAC

M

mistrotech

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Jun 30, 2013
2
Hunter 340 Winthrop Harbor, IL
After 16 years we are going to have installed (or diy) Heating and AC in our 1999 Hunter 340. When our boat was in Long Island Sound, we were so close to our home, we just didn't sleep on board that much. But now on the Northshore of Chicago the boat is more of a weekend destination, plus we are cruising more, so its' time to pull the trigger.

Our question is which unit/manufacturer are you using or do you recommend? This is a 115/120v install. The two units that I keep hearing are Dometic ECD 16000 BTU-115v (which seems to be a favorite of the yards) and the MarinAire 16,000 Btu/h Self Contained Marine Air conditioner and Heat pump 110-120V/60Hz (which seems to be a favorite of diy). Are there other options we should consider, or if these are the top two, who is better and why. Thanks in advance. Rgds, Mike
 

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Ed Caldwell

Ed Caldwell

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Jul 29, 2004
406
Hunter 340 Lake Lanier, GA
Just replaced mine after 17 years of service due to a blower bearing issue. Blower replacement alone was to be about $800+ for parts and labor, but decided to go for the whole unit for a new unit warranty and the risk of the compressor going next, which is definitely not economical to replace. I went with the 16K BTU Dometic/Marine Air unit labeled as "Retrofit Kit" so all wiring/duct work was OK as is. Turnkey cost was about $2800 but that got me a full 2 years parts and labor warranty.

Watch out for a very similar name on the web called "MarinAir". It had me fooled for a while.

There are other threads about where to put the thru hull, strainer and pump, but the unit itself is located under the starboard seat where you sit to use the chart table. You'll want a second shore power inlet dedicated to this. You'll also want to think about the A/C condensate drain. I've moved mine from the main bilge to the upper bilge area just aft in preparation to plumbing the shower drain, refrig drain and condensate drain together with a new grey water pump.
 
sailcapt340

sailcapt340

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Sep 26, 2008
554
Hunter 340 0 Wickford, RI
I installed a Mermaid 16K BTU Heat/AC Unit on my 2000 340. It was pretty straight forward installation. The hardest part I found was drilling the 4 inch access holes through the fiberglass. It is one very tough fiberglass system Hunter uses.
But running the ductwork through the boat was not a real issue, there is enough room under the Head Vanity and behind the Head to get into the aft stateroom. The settee cuts easy enough to install the cooling louver and main cabin vent.
It is more than enough system to cool or heat the boat as needed.
I have some pictures under my albums of the installation you can check out, it show the through holes, pumps, etc.
Let us know what you decide.
 
Bill Roosa

Bill Roosa

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Jun 6, 2006
6,990
currently boatless wishing Harrington Harbor North, MD
Don't forget to include the mods to the electrical panel as your standard 20 amp service will only be able to support the AC (you will need an additional 20 amp service) AND since you will not want to drive the AC, hot water heater or battery charger with the inverter but will with shore power you need a selector switch with one extra source (shore power + inverter + non-inverter) AND mod the electrical panel AC hot bus to support this configuration (hacksaw the "non-inverter portion of the AC buss). So new shore power cable and inlet, Circuit breaker, wires, source selector switch, and buss mod. My guess is that this would be $300ish additional cost to any install.
 
SG

SG

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Feb 11, 2017
1,670
J/Boat J/160 Annapolis
Marine-Air was purchased by Dometic and is now MarinAir, fellows. I always associated Dometic with refrigeration -- not AC units. I'd talk to your installer and the manufacturer to get their take on it.

https://www.dometic.com/en-us/us/rebranded/marine-air

The three Marine-Air AC units have been on our J/Boat for about 19 years. A thermostatic control, couple Marsh pumps, and little of this and that. Marine-Air had purchased Lunaire shortly after we purchased the boat and has made essentially the same equipment with different labels and thermostats. We use the units a lot from from May through November each year.

If they don't screw it up, it's a great brand.
 
Ed Caldwell

Ed Caldwell

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Jul 29, 2004
406
Hunter 340 Lake Lanier, GA
SG, are you sure about that?
Dometic / Marine-Air - your link above. Image below of their 16K btu unit that I installed a month ago:

MarinAire - see https://www.marinaire.com/aboutus.asp Image below from their website of a 16K btu unit
upload_2017-5-1_13-30-16.png


Looks like 2 different companies to me... with similar yet different products
 
M

MattieJo

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Mar 16, 2015
14
Hunter 310 Lake Norman
I installed a Flagship Marine 16,000 BTU heat/AC unit in my Hunter 310 about 15 years ago. It is working well.
One difference at the time was the option for electric heat rather than reverse cycle, thus allowing you to close your through hull in the winter. If that is something you need/want to consider.
 
C

Capt Robbie

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Jan 24, 2017
666
Hunter 34 Toms River Nj
I installed mermaid M16 16,500 btu unit pretty straight forward diy project. Call the company directly and speak to Denis I believe he is one of the owners. Very helpful and matched competition price.
Also the unit is made in USA and is a US military veteran support company if that makes a deference to you.
 
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