Air conditioner replacement

[GryphonGirl]

The Dometic 12,000 BTU AC unit that came with our Beneteau 31 Oceanis was always problematic. Basically, useless. After my husband died, I had the only Boat HVAC repair people come and evaluate it. Two hours later, I was told it needed to replaced.
Six weeks later, and no replacement unit was available but I was "promised", I would be first on the list in early May of the next year. (I live in Buffalo, NY.)
You can guess what happened. They did not return my calls or emails until late July and and by that time no units were available. The Beneteau dealer that winterizes and stores my boat on the hard was sympathetic. They use this man to drop AC units into their new Beneteaus. (Apparently Beneteaus are set up for AC units but the actually units themselves are were installed after delivery. ) The dealer said they will install my unit before spring launch.
I would like to get ahead of this issue and identify appropriate ac units and ask that one is installed before the boatyard is overwhelmed with boat launches. What do Beneteau owners recommend as a replacement unit? The Dometic was horrible and hard to find. Is it any better? Can I use 16,000 BTU instead of 12,000 in my 2009 Oceanis 31. I assume the newer units would be smaller. Is that the case? What else should I know?
Thank you for thoughts.

 

[Dr. D]

Sorry to hear about the situation. What year is your boat?

 

[GryphonGirl]

It is a 2009 Oceanis 31.

 

[Crusty Ol Salt]

Let's start here. For the last 25 years I have tested commercial HVAC systems in new construction and remodeled building. 25 years back it would take 4 to 6 weeks to get equipment this time last year it was 26 to 36 week. I was told since the first of the year the lead time is 12 to 18 months.

I have a '98 H280 with the original A/C unit. I know I am living on borrowed time. Here is the unit(s) I am looking at. They are 12 volt DC.

MABRU AIR CONDITIONERS (DC)

MABRU DC MARINE AIR CONDITIONING UNITS Mabru Power Systems is a Marine Air Conditioner Designer and Manufacturer. Easy to install, compact, Copper Antimicrobial Evaporator Coils, B30-20 years rated CuNi condensers and more. We carry a12 volt marine air conditioner,

mabrustore.com

Do your research and good luck.

 

[TimFromLI]

I also looked at the Mabru also, not sure the 12V system would be suitable in your case, but they seem to make quality units that also run on 120V. They were my first choice looking for a replacement unit. Dometec also makes a great unit. I think a 12,000 btu unit would probably work well in a 31' boat. My boat is larger and has two units a, 16K unit for the main cabin/front berth and a 10k unit for the aft 2 cabins. You don't want to oversize the unit since it will cycle on and off too much, I think 16k is too much for a 31 especially in Buffalo.

 

[dlochner]

What's RCR recommending for AC units? They are pretty knowledgeable. Don't over size, as @TimFromLI says the unit will cycle too often and won't run long enough to dehumidify, which is the bigger issue in humid upstate NY.

 

[JamesG161]

The Dometic 12,000 BTU AC unit that came with our Beneteau 31 Oceanis was always problematic

The new ones are great.
The key is the Space available.



Found on Dometic site, one key all made in USA.

Jim...