Air conditioning brand

[rwidman]

I installed a unit from Flagship Marine and I am happy with it.

[angus99]

Thanks, Ron. Looking potentially three units. Flagship won’t fit my space limitations or my budget.

[SV Willow]

Heyo,

We installed a Velair 16k unit late last year and so far have loved it. Heats and cools my 46' Beneteau just fine. Uses about 400-600 watts once the desired temperature has been achieved. Most I've seen it pull is about 800 watts on a cold day when it was set to 70 and the interior of the boat was in the high 30s. Heats much better than my old electric heaters, and never had a A/C before on the boat but that works great too.

My wife was skeptical as it wasn't a cheap purchase/install, but after going up and down the coast of California this winter she loves it. We have named it Freddo.

Happy to answer any questions about it.

[SV Willow]

Oh, just to add a bit more information. At the same time the Velair was installed we had our electrical revamped as well. 640AH of LiFePO4, with a 3000w Victron inverter. The Velair unit runs beautifully while on the hook so far. It seems to start itself up very slowly with the variable speed compressor, so no major current spikes when starting up. Have had it and the microwave running while at anchor. Granted it will eat through my bank pretty quickly if I run it all night, but that's what the portable Yamaha generator is for if the solar can't keep up.

It also has WiFi and can be controlled via the internet using an app. While the app isn't the cleanest app I've ever used, it is super nice to be away from the boat and to be able to set a temperature from my phone and have the boat comfortable when I arrive. Also good for checking to make sure that I actually turned it off when leaving the boat...

It's also very quiet, our Dometic stand alone freezer makes more noise when its running. Not to say that it is silent, but its quiet enough that I can hear the water splashing from the water being ejected back into the ocean after going through the unit, and if I close a cabin door all I hear is the air blowing in through our vents (unit is located in the salon).

I probably sound like a shill but honestly this has been the biggest comfort upgrade we have got on the boat since we moved onboard 3 years ago. I think the tech they are using is what all manufactures will be using soon, it just makes other units seem outdated.

I can't make any comment on aftermarket support nor on how it will hold up long term (only have had it for about 4 months now). Our installer did have to call Velair due to some unclear instructions in the manual, but said they responded fairly quickly and were accurate in their information. The manual was kind of funny as it was clearly translated from Italian by either an AI or someone who isn't quite 100% fluent in English language idioms.

[s/v Jedi]

Originally Posted by SV Willow

Heyo,

We installed a Velair 16k unit late last year and so far have loved it. Heats and cools my 46' Beneteau just fine. Uses about 400-600 watts once the desired temperature has been achieved. Most I've seen it pull is about 800 watts on a cold day when it was set to 70 and the interior of the boat was in the high 30s. Heats much better than my old electric heaters, and never had a A/C before on the boat but that works great too.

My wife was skeptical as it wasn't a cheap purchase/install, but after going up and down the coast of California this winter she loves it. We have named it Freddo.

Happy to answer any questions about it.

Very good to hear that! My old tech A/C is still going but I am eying these units. Do you know what kind of circulation pump you have and when/how it switches on and off?

[Sailbaum]

SV Willow

I am considering the same hvac on a Beneteau 49, which has a very similar configuration (other than the bow sail locker)

Where did you output the cooling water? Did you put a thru hull in amidships? I want to run it aft to add to the group of thruhulls in the port quarter. I will likely still add a thru hull but i would prefer to have it aft instead of amidships. I am wondering whether the long run is a problem.

Also, does the single unit cool the whole boat well? Even with cabin doors closed? I would prefer to avoid a second unit for the aft cabins.

Thanks in advance

[s/v Jedi]

Originally Posted by Sailbaum

SV Willow

I am considering the same hvac on a Beneteau 49, which has a very similar configuration (other than the bow sail locker)

Where did you output the cooling water? Did you put a thru hull in amidships? I want to run it aft to add to the group of thruhulls in the port quarter. I will likely still add a thru hull but i would prefer to have it aft instead of amidships. I am wondering whether the long run is a problem.

Also, does the single unit cool the whole boat well? Even with cabin doors closed? I would prefer to avoid a second unit for the aft cabins.

Thanks in advance

Yes, a long run is a problem. You want to:

- keep plumbing circuits as short as possible
- install the circulation pump as close to the inlet as possible
- install exhaust thru-hull as close to the condenser unit as possible, above waterline. I use a Marelon fitting and Marelon seacock from Forespar for this so that I can close it even while above waterline.
- there will be a time that the circuit needs to be cleaned. This is done by re-circulating a cleaning solution like BarnacleBuster through it. This means you need to take the hose off the inlet as well as off the outlet and bring them together to a bucket. If they are further apart, you need to extend one with spare hose. It becomes easier when you account for this during installation.

Keep a close eye to these circuits as they have the potential to sink a boat.

[Sailbaum]

Thanks Jedi,
All good points that I was trying to talk myself away from.

[pesarsten]

I installed a velair 16 k vsd unit in my 38 Island Packet last August with the help of my brother. I was an Hvac licensed contractor and repair person prior to retirement.
With a few exceptions, the installation was as simple as could be. My unit did not have a fuse installed in the switched 120 v circuit for the raw water pump . The manual only stated 5 amp and the fuse holder did not accommodate an AGC fuse. Tech support at Uflex was a little slow in responding once I figured out how to contact them. My remaining problem is linking the remote capabilities to my iPhone. It took a while to get the information as apparently iPhones required additional steps to link. I will be testing that function when I get back to the boat in a month or so.

I found he unit to be of top quality both in workmanship and materials. I do not hesitate to reccomend velair to anyone looking for marine AC and heat.

In the peak heat during summer the unit cooled my IP 38 very well. Even more impressive was when the temps got below freezing and the dock was full of transients trying to keep warm ( lots of power being used on the dock ) I was not tripping breakers. I am told that not only will the unit work well with a Honda 2000 generator , but the eu2000 can power two 16k vsd units .
I have not tested my unit with my inverter supplying power but I’m confident that it will work well on the lower output setting.

So far I give it 5 stars !

[poiu]

Originally Posted by pesarsten

I installed a velair 16 k vsd unit in my 38 Island Packet last August with the help of my brother. I was an Hvac licensed contractor and repair person prior to retirement.
With a few exceptions, the installation was as simple as could be. My unit did not have a fuse installed in the switched 120 v circuit for the raw water pump . The manual only stated 5 amp and the fuse holder did not accommodate an AGC fuse. Tech support at Uflex was a little slow in responding once I figured out how to contact them. …

Can you let me have their contact please. I have been struggling to get a response.

[pesarsten]

Their office in Sarasota Florida USA
941-351-2628

[SV Willow]

Originally Posted by s/v Jedi

Very good to hear that! My old tech A/C is still going but I am eying these units. Do you know what kind of circulation pump you have and when/how it switches on and off?

I went with a "MARCH PUMPS–Seawater Circulation Pump 500gph", and as far as I understand it connects to the Velair unit itself for power and the AC unit turns the pump on/off as needed. Only went with this pump because it had good reviews and was purported to be quiet, which I can attest to.

@Sailbaum

I had the intake thuhull installed just aft of the door to the v-berth. The Velair is installed on the port side locker/cubby next to where the intake thruhull was installed. With tubing its maybe 3 feet from the thruhull to the Velair intake (with the strainer/pump in between). The exhaust thruhull is slightly aft of the unit, behind the front side of the couch/settee. Also only at most maybe 3 feet from the exit port on the Velair unit. I'd post install pictures but not sure how, or if I need permission to.

As for how it heats/cools: We only have the unit vent into the salon and the v-berth, as I couldn't see an easy way to run hoses to the aft cabin without taking up tons of storage space and drilling lots of holes. So both of our hose runs are very short. That said the salon vent will keep the aft cabin plenty warm if the door is left open. And I have found that if I close the v-berth it will actually be a bit to toasty, as the thermostat for the unit is in the salon. Being that we are still in somewhat cool climate, we haven't had to run the AC mode of the unit too much, but on the few occasions when we have it has cooled down the boat with the same efficiency that it has heated. I'll update with more notes once we make it further south and have more need to run it in cooling mode in higher temperatures.

[poiu]

Originally Posted by s/v Jedi

Very good to hear that! My old tech A/C is still going but I am eying these units. Do you know what kind of circulation pump you have and when/how it switches on and off?

The circulation pump needs to deliver 12 lt/min. It is powered by 110v connections from the main terminal block on the unit. I actually use my connections to power a relay, which then powers a 230v supply for my pump. I am near my 110v auto transformer limit.

I got the 110v unit and a $70 transformer from my 230v supply and pocketed a $1,000 saving. I am guessing the differential pricing probably has to do with a supply and pricing agreement with Frigomar and a need to be competitive in the vicious US aircon market. These units look the same or extremely similar as Frigomar.

[s/v Jedi]

Originally Posted by poiu

The circulation pump needs to deliver 12 lt/min. It is powered by 110v connections from the main terminal block on the unit. I actually use my connections to power a relay, which then powers a 230v supply for my pump. I am near my 110v auto transformer limit.

I got the 110v unit and a $70 transformer from my 230v supply and pocketed a $1,000 saving. I am guessing the differential pricing probably has to do with a supply and pricing agreement with Frigomar and a need to be competitive in the vicious US aircon market. These units look the same or extremely similar as Frigomar.

Yes, I have two auto transformers of 32A each so can just use 120V units and pumps. I currently have a 240V unit and 240V March LC3 but it’s all getting older…

I find the price difference amazing.

[pesarsten]

When I installed my 16 kbtu Velair unit in place of a existing 4200 btu Maybru unit I used the old raw water pump. The 24 VDC 650 gph mabru pump is tiny in comparison to the March unit I installed on my previous boat.

I also am happy to have 24 vdc power to the remotely mounted pump instead of the 120 vac for the March.

My velair unit has performed perfectly with the 24 vdc mabru pump in summer temps in NC.

PUMP 650 GPH 24V | 350 GPH 12V by MABRU