Its getting hot...lets talk air conditioning again

[Bob4203]

Well I think we are fed up with the that bulky Heier 10K btu self contained unit and decided to finally bite the bullet and go with a 16,500 BTU reverse cycle central AC unit. But which one? Research as always first.

Looking at Defender and West Marine for starters I see three main brands advertised: DOMETIC, MERMAID and WESTBASTO all priced within range of each other. The Westbasto received several bad reviews because nothing is set up for service!! But I would not discount it if owners have had great success with this brand regarding performance.

So for starters can I get a concensus please on what brands have provided the best results in installation, performance and longevity? Recommendations?

I already have a fresh water intake (holding tank discharge thru-hull) which cannot be used because we are on a fresh water lake. One problem easily solved.

Thnaks for any and all input.

Bob
1988 Mark II

 

[Terry in Naples]

I have a flagship 16000 btu. It works ok but not great. It cools in stages and does not start up,and in a few minutes you get cold air. I was told it cools the air in 7 degree cycles. So if it is 97 in the boat it will put out 90 degree air. It moves slowly down. I see other units that put out cold air. Like meremaid and dometic units. But the flagship has 2 good points. It uses a standard thermostat not a special expensive one and it has a soft start that allows it t operate at anchor with my little honda 2000. This is a 10 year old unit so maybe newer ones work cooler.

 

[Sanman]

We had a Mermaid unit on our H26. Deep sixed it when it proved unreliable and to repair were supposed to send it back to Mermaid...Really? Yes really.

So we bit the bullet and went with a "Marv-air"; Smaller unit and easily serviced in Situ. Had to use a blanket in August!

So one vote against Mermaid (at least the Air conditioning type! All others welcome )

 

[Bob4203]

Thanks for the responses.
When I was searching Marvair I noticed it was sold off to DOMETIC or at least parts of it. I have heard bad news about Mermaid before, so I have to wonder why Defender and/or West Marine still carry them. What to do, what to do? Its a major investment, but down here in Atlanta, GA the summers are brutal and staying aboard without AC is like cooking in an oven. We have the "U" shaped dinette and the storage area nestled against the bulkhead has the right space and location for a unit. I will continue to research and hope others chime in with reliable system names.

Thanks
Bob

 

[Pat]

We installed a 12,000 btu Mermaid in our O'Day 272. I think I should have purchased a
16,000 btu because of the open quarter berth which is a hot spot right under the cockpit.
All in all, it now works well..had to tweak it, but it will cool the boat on most hot days...you note I say most...but nights are a chill out...really nice....the 272 was a tough installation due to the shallow bilge, etc....by tweak, we installed a separate 275 cfm booster fan as we had too many turns in the ducts....one of the things to learn...
there are many. Pat