POLL: Name Your Air Conditioning System

[bobfnbw]

OK... Going to be changing out the air conditioning soon on our E40.
Was going with the one we have aboard now, flagship marine.
But before spending several thousand dollars I would like to hear from you all on what system you have.
Please be specific if possible as to your location. A A/C that works great in California may be quite different in Miami. Also if you could do you use 110 or 220v.
And please how quiet is it; how many btu's and the length/beam;how often has it needed servicing; and what water pump do you use to drive it.
Finally how satisfied are you overall and would you buy again, or try something else... and if so, what?

Thanks for your time.
Bob

[Pblais]

I've had Cruisaire and Marine Air both from the early 1990's and other than cheap Cal water pumps that suck they were great. Use a March pump as the head can be replaced and you can carry a spare head. With a cal you toss it in the trash - and do it often.

From other threads it is easy to screw up a perfectly good system with a bad installation. No brand as far as I can tell are an easy install.

For a 40 ft sloop You'll want at least 16,000 and maybe a second unit in the aft cabin.We are a large 36 ft plus bowsprit and it seems fine tin the most hideous heat.

[s/v Jedi]

I think CruisAir and MarineAir are the same units. Well worth the money. We have a 16 kBTU CruisAir and recently the condenser developed a leak. But after so many hours and years of use, this can be considered normal I think.

We are upgrading to a 240V AC system so I ordered a 240V CruisAir 18 kBTU this time.

cheers,
Nick.

[beau]

We have a Panasonic 9,000 btu split system INVERTER TYPE home style air conditioner. It works great with a slow start up. Power supply is a Honda 2 kva generator. The boat is a 40 ft aluminium Trimaran.

[Rising Star]

We are using a 8,000 BTU window AC in the main hatch of our Freedom 32. We will sell it when hurricane season is over and we head to the Bahamas. For $200 for 5 months I consider it "disposable" and maybe I can sell it for $50 when we are done with it.

We are in Fort Myers FL and it works fine up to 98 degrees.

[dana-tenacity]

Open a hatch and put a windscoop above it

[bobfnbw]

I thought I would just stay with the flagship marine, but after the recent thread on them, and them pulling mine out, can't say I am to happy with it. It is not as quiet as I would like, and I would like to be able to control fan speed. Also the thermostat is not the best out there. My unit froze up a lot, but it was a bad install.
March pumps are the best.
I did a search and found this unit made by veco of Italy. Same company that makes frigoboat refrig units.
The more I look at it the better it looks, but it is expensive. They claim you can run it off a inverter and large battery bank.
I was just going to go with one large unit, say 18500 or 24000 btu, but splitting it to a 16000 and 7000 for the aft berth is appealing.

The Mermaid is attractive due to its size and price. Defender sells them and there is a savings of $2100 USD over the clima units.



http://www.veco-na.com/compactboats2...pactunits.html

http://www.veco-na.com/images/Compac...tyle_units.pdf

But the mermaid is probably what I will go with. Found this company... wright marine.
Good pricing.
Wright Marine Air Conditioning - Mermaid - Marine Air Systems

[bobfnbw]

Originally Posted by dana-tenacity

Open a hatch and put a windscoop above it

You should visit corpus christi in the summer soon. If you did you would not say that even in jest...
You could seriously get hurt in a big way quick in this heat. And my boat has much more ventilation than most 40 footers...
Actually opening up the hatches and ports lets in sun, which is a killer.
I'll stay with the A/C thanks, except when anchored out.

[Unicorn Dreams]

MOTHER NATURE

[gonesail]

the climma units are definitely worth a look especially if you need a small footprint. mermaid has good support for their products. get a march pump.

[cat man do]

Originally Posted by beau

We have a Panasonic 9,000 btu split system INVERTER TYPE home style air conditioner. It works great with a slow start up. Power supply is a Honda 2 kva generator. The boat is a 40 ft aluminium Trimaran.

More info on this one Beau thanks

I read way back where you had planned this but would be interested to know more.

Dave

[Takamoana]

Cheapest, no-name 240Volt, 9,000 BTU window rattler I could find, noise level bearable. Will not keep the boat , Bavaria 42, at refrigerator temperatures but it keeps the humidity down to a comfortable level in fwd cabin and saloon during wet season in Port Moresby, 09o 27.943S 147o9.189E. Heavy duty, light coloured sunshades over boom and fore deck keep a lot of heat out of the boat and some rain out of the hatches (when AC not being used).

[beau]

Dave, (Cat Man Do)
We are very happy with our "Inverter Type" air conditioner. It starts up slow and gradually increases in speed. I had it running on a 1kva Yamaha but I finally purchased a 2 KVA Kipor from Bunnings. It is a split system and reverse cycle.(panasonic is the best brand) It will also run on batteries and inverter.

How are you going with your boat?

We are living on board at Raby bay and Moreton Bay whenever the weather is good.
I do need bigger outboards, currently I have two X 30 hp Honda's and I cruise at 8 knots with a max of 10 knots and NO bow wave.
I plan to put in two X 90 Hp Mercury two strokes when I get some money so I can get 20 knots when I need it.
A Grainger 40 ft sailing Catamaran at our marina has two Steyr diesels at 160 hp each. He cruises at 16 knots with a max of 21 knots. I never see him put his sails up.

I am very happy I built in Aluminium, it is so much cheaper and quicker than fiberglass. However the fabrication, must, in my opinion be done by professionals.
Then you can fit it out yourself?
If I was to do it again, I probably will go a little larger, have it built here and fitted out in Langkawi as you suggested.

I will stay with the Trimaran concept, the interior is more user friendly and practical. (plus I do not need 4 double beds)
I will stay with Shallow draft and outboards, so I can lift them clear. We beach or moor in very shallow water all the time ( 9inch draft) and can get into all sorts of places mono's have no chance of getting in to. My next trick will be to set up some rollers and a 4wd winch and pull the boat up above high tide mark.

[cat man do]

Originally Posted by beau

Dave, (Cat Man Do)
How are you going with your boat?

Slowly, and contemplating some surgery to her before continuing, making her more trawler look than go fast look, more in keeping with the 65hp x 2, 10-12 knot cruise.
I do want to get the sun off those front windows, but maybe I'll just run a robust tarp like originally planned, keeping rain and sun off the front windows.

A Grainger 40 ft sailing Catamaran at our marina has two Steyr diesels at 160 hp each. He cruises at 16 knots with a max of 21 knots. I never see him put his sails up.

Yikes, that would be a site to see

I am very happy I built in Aluminium, it is so much cheaper and quicker than fiberglass. However the fabrication, must, in my opinion be done by professionals.

Yep, a guy down the road has built 2 40 footers in the same time as me, but I did have a long stint off the job.
Glad the A/C worked, I'm leaning towards having some more and more.

[Intentional Drifter]

A suggestion: Look or a unit with a plastic or other non-steel condensation tray. The steel ones have a tendency to rust out pretty quick.

ID