Marin Aire heard of them

[ozmike]

Am looking at fitting a 6000 BTU unit in my aft cabin, in Australia they sell for about $3,500, so looking to buy in the US, came across these, 6000 Btu, 220V, Self Contained Marine Air Conditioner System. Best marine air systems solution for small boats and cuddy cabins $1,175 with a pump delivered to me is $1,850. I need 230 volt of course. cannot find any reviews or any feedback on them. If anyone can give me links to others it would be appreciated.

[S/V Alchemy]

I have a Marine Air 12,000 BTU unit for my steel 41' footer. It's 120 VAC, so it needs an inverter. It heats AND cools, but stops heating in water below 5C, which is not likely an issue for you.

If you can afford it, I would go with the 12,000 BTU unit as the 6,000 BTU unit will work hard to keep a 38 footer cool.

You will also need a fairly robust inverter. The 6,000 BTU unit's AC water pump">raw water pump should kick at about 9 amps, but the 12,000 BTU needs 17 or so, after which it falls back below 10 amps.

So while it's easy to buy a decent air conditioner setup, what is hard is devising enough battery capacity and inverter to make them run.

You might have better luck with an "indoor room air conditioner" in the sleeping cabin, for instance, and fans and wind scoops in the rest of the boat. When it's stinking hot, seal up the boat except for the dorades and run the fans to move the "cold cabin" air about.

If all this seem complex, it is. The upside is that a cooler boat means the fridge doesn't work as hard and you don't need to pass out so often.

[ozmike]

Thanks Alchemy, we currently have a window air con we got for $300 fitted in the saloon area, works well in Marina to cool that area, our Honda 1Kva runs it if we are on the hook, what we want is, as we are moving aboard in January, and it will be hot here, is something just for the aft cabin so we can sleep, we are going to try one there then if it works well get a bigger one for the saloon area and FWD cabin, when on the hook we can just switch on the aft cabin and retreat to there, therefore only running a 6000 BTU unit. Just got an e-mail for a cruisair turbo unit 6000BTU with pump, grilles & ducting for $3065 from a Company in Australia, still too much money compared to buying in US.

[Sand crab]

MarinAire is a different company than Marine Air which is a line from Dometic who also make Cruisair. You may not be talking about the same thing. Confusing, isn't it?

MarinAire Boat, Yacht, Marine Air Conditioners & heat pumps
Marine Air - Air Conditioning - Dometic

[S/V Alchemy]

Hmm. I must admit that I've grown so used to terrible spelling on the internet that I may have leapt to the incorrect conclusion.

Still, if the point is just to cool one cabin, 6,000 BTUs is more than sufficient, irrespective of the make.

I concur that your Australian prices are horribly inflated when it comes to boat gear. Consider shopping in Canada, as well. Sometimes you can get deals as certain items will sit on the Canadian shelf longer. Note that the Canadian dollar is currently above par with the U.S. by 2% or so...but I'm sure you are used to doing the math of currency conversion.

[Capnjb]

I have a Marinaire unit, and would NEVER buy another.

[JPA Cate]

Capnjb, perhaps you will tell us what is wrong with them? why you would not buy another?

Thanks,

Ann

[Capnjb]

I posted on another thread... looking for reccomendations for new AC unit...
My MarinAire has had reocurrent problems from the start, now with a leak.
Factory was helpful for service but too much WAY too soon in problems.

[Panacea2183]

Just installed one in my aft cabin to replace older unit.
So far very happy compact and clean install
Very quiet.
Only odd thing is the temp sensor is in front of the evaporator and the fan will run for a minute every so often to sample air temp.
Mine is a 16000 btu unit probably way over kill but it also blows into the salon through other vents. The original was also 16000 so I figured why reinvent the wheel.
And yes the humidity stays around 50% here in SW Fla.
Also love the built in gauges. Let's you know what's going on.

[boatpoker]

Take a look at Flagship Marine far superior construction than the better known systems. I had one in my last boat for 20yrs as a liveaboard in Toronto. Another was my first purchase on my new boat. Superb customer service and very simple installation.

Unique to the Flagship is that the a/c is conventional reverse cycle but the heat side is straight electric furnace which is ideal for liveaboard in Toronto's winter waters.