Need help selecting replacement AC for SD 270

[rtp]

Picked up the boat back in October, and finally got our slip(yay!) while I've been having some work done to get her ready for fun. New engine and lower, but needs AC replacement.
She's a 1998 wide-beam, and best I can tell, original was a 7K BTU CruiseAir w/reverse cycle.

Any help on options, reliability, etc. ?

I've seen the Dometic ECD10K retrofit, but they seem to have a general consensus of 'good for a couple of years' which is concerning. We live in the SE US, so heat/humidity is definitely an issue, moreso as we plan to kick off weekends overnighting on her. ~$1500.

Have been all over on 'what's out there' but not been able to sort reliability or specific models needed/retrofit parts, but am assuming 'as long as it fits', is 115v and I'll need to sort the blower outlet position..anything else? (For fixed blower discharge, not sure if I need right or left at the moment..)

Considering the following:
MarineAire 9K or 12K - like it has a dehumidifier and wireless control, reasonably priced (as far as that goes) at $1400-$1600.

Mermaid 9K BTU M9 - seems to only have electric heat which I think might underperform (5600BTU), but realistically we'll be on the boat April to early November, assume lowest outside temps of ~45* or so for us being on the boat. Like the 5yr warrantee. Unsure where to buy the unit from so far, but < $2K

Mermaid 12K BTU reverse cycle - Could go here if it makes sense to. ~$2K.

Flagship 9K BTU, elec heat only. Unsure on real pricing, if comes with thermostat or not, good marketing but have seen around equal POS and Great comments, seems > $2K

I think finally there was some Italian brand that seems to have a single US dealer with variable fan control. Zero clue on cost, reliability, etc.

Would love to get this thing ordered - I expect I'll be doing most of the future maintenance itself, but right now it's just simpler to get it done then in the water, as it's sitting at my boat rockers mechanic waiting to wrap up and bring her to the slip..

 

[Craig]

I had 5 trouble free years out of a Marinaire unit. Wouldn't hesitate to buy another. Customer service was also excellent as I installed it myself and needed some information.

 

[Todd320]

I had 5 trouble free years out of a Marinaire unit. Wouldn't hesitate to buy another. Customer service was also excellent as I installed it myself and needed some information.

Craig,
Did you install it in your 320? Which unit did you purchase? I have a 12k unit now, and noticed Marinaire sells 9k, 11k, 14k, etc. I would think the 11k, or even the 9, is just fine for us (probably use it roughly 10-15 times per year). Did you reuse your AC 500 gph pump, or replace that as well?

 

[Craig]

Craig,
Did you install it in your 320? Which unit did you purchase? I have a 12k unit now, and noticed Marinaire sells 9k, 11k, 14k, etc. I would think the 11k, or even the 9, is just fine for us (probably use it roughly 10-15 times per year). Did you reuse your AC 500 gph pump, or replace that as well?

It was in my last boat. Think I would get the 14 for 320. 11 would probably be ok. Wouldn't go down to a 9 imo.

 

[rtp]

This is frustrating. Boat is 2 hours away at the shop, so I can't exactly measure how much space is available in the existing installation (under the dinette seat).

Waffling hourly here. Has anyone had experience with Mabru, e.g. https://mabrustore.com/collections/...itioning-unit-10-000-btu-115v-60hz-copper-fin

 

[Creekwood]

I replaced my Cruiseair 12k with a Marinaire 9k. Works fantastic. It is higher than the Cruiseair by about 2 inches but I removed the stand base that the old one was on and it gave me the space. Its not exactly the same spacing for the hoses and ducting but the duct on it is adjustable so I was able to make it fit nicely.

The ability to set the relative humidity level is pretty neat.

 

[Tacoma290]

I have another positive vote for MarinAire. If you are not sure about what capacity, call the factory and they can recommend a size. I just replaced my CruiseAir 12k with a MarinAire 14k on my 340.

 

[rtp]

Considering where we live, I really like the humidity function.
Problem is with the boat not in front of me, unsure on if I need right or left discharge. Also unsure on real capacity needed - OEM was a CruiseAir SRX7, with primary maybes bouncing between Dometic turbo (8K?), MarinAire, or Mabru.

Considering Creekwood's comments on replacing a 12K with a 9K, I'm guessing I'm looking in the 8K-10K range as the replacement.

The Dometic turbo seems well regarded, but no one seems to know if it needs a different display or not for certain (including a boat HVAC quote the PO got..). Too many negative comments on the cheaper ECD unit to touch.

I pulled up what is likely the wrong year manual for the 270 - can anyone confirm how many vents is OEM? I'm only seeing a single one in the diagram I was able to find, while most of the 8-10K are expecting 3... ?

 

[Creekwood]

I have had no issues keeping the cabin on our 330 icy cold with the 9K unit. It works well. You have to play with the humidity setting to find the right balance. I set it at 60% in July and it was about 55 degrees in there one steamy July morning when I went down and opened up the boat to head out. It does work well, but it turns out 60% is way too low for a hot summer period.

 

[Brite Idea]

picture is correct and I think the 9K will work fine. The brand is your choice but I would go with the MarineAire it seems to be working for most people here.

 

[rtp]

Thanks all for the feedback.
As the boat isn’t with me locally yet and the MarineAire 9K is a bit oversized vs the CruiseAir it’s replacing, it came down to the Dometic Turbo and a small handful of others. I went with a Mabru 10K, with a lifetime compressor warrantee. Not cheap, but the Dometic turbo was yet more, + sound shield ($$$ for a shroud) + display.

https://mabrustore.com/collections/...itioning-unit-10-000-btu-115v-60hz-copper-fin

It’s at the shop now; fingers crossed and will see how it works out.

 

[2016FLD]

Thanks all for the feedback.
As the boat isn’t with me locally yet and the MarineAire 9K is a bit oversized vs the CruiseAir it’s replacing, it came down to the Dometic Turbo and a small handful of others. I went with a Mabru 10K, with a lifetime compressor warrantee. Not cheap, but the Dometic turbo was yet more, + sound shield ($$$ for a shroud) + display.

https://mabrustore.com/collections/...itioning-unit-10-000-btu-115v-60hz-copper-fin

It’s at the shop now; fingers crossed and will see how it works out.

How did it work out with the Mabru unit, are you happy with it?

 

[rtp]

So far so good. I was however, less thrilled with the HVAC 'mechanic' that did the work. Apparently he had issues wiring it, although I told him it would NOT use the CruiseAir/Dometic wiring and it came with the harness. After it was 'done,' my mechanic was doing a final systems check before we took delivery and noted the HVAC wouldn't come on - dead sea pump. So, pretty much wondering how the 'HVAC guy' actually confirmed it was operational after a fairly spendy install.

HVAC guy also bitched about mating up the ductwork, but the Mabru rotates - I'm pretty sure this guy does much of his work literally swapping worn out MarineAir/CruiseAir units with Dometic drop-in replacements.

Runs cold and strong, and can bring down temps from nearing 100* in the cabin when we arrive to into the 70's within an hour or so. Will try to do some timing on it and get a few pics of the install once I manage to remember to do it.

One callout is the Mabru display unit unfortunately is not a direct fit for the vertical CruiseAir/Dometic control panel, as it sits horizontally, so had to use a cover plate above the control panel...which I promptly put a CO detector on so worked out for me; fingers crossed.