Depends, indeed...!
Depending on how long your summer lasts and how unbearable it makes belowdecks...and how much time you spend on the boat, and how long you think you'll keep the boat (and keep it in that climate)...and how much you have to spend...well, you can see how tough it is to answer your question with so little info. Personally, we self-installed a Mermaid Marine unit because a) they were near our location and we could inspect their tech & construction efforts before buying, b) they were easy/fun to work with and gave some good coaching, c) we knew (W coast of FL) we needed it for living aboard and planned on keeping the boat for some years, and d) we didn't buy the notion some others were pushing that rotary compressors (less space, less noise) were de facto inferior. Our unit is now 6 years old, works fine when we use it, and was good value at $2K for a 42' boat...but that's based on the variables that fit well for us. Jack
