Best 16,500 BTU AC/Heat for the Buck

Looking for the best priced 16,500 BTU AC reverse cycle heat unit that has good user service history. This will be a snug fit as well. Thanks!

In walking down the dock yesterday, and the winter live-aboards all moving onto my dock...


Damned water is pissing out both sides of one of the interlopers, 24/7...


This time of year, you get rid of the sailboat masts and whizz fans... and get some reverse cycle heating units in their place...


No silence for the damned?

Sea: Several owners in our club have said they've been pleased with the Vector Turbo units from marine Aiirrrr -- now Dometic -- but I dunno about price comparisons or longevity. Our current Marine Aiirrrr Vector Compact units are 16 years old, seem to be chugging right along.

Roamer: I'm guessing you don't hear ACs running all summer, same outlet sounds... can be soothing, actually...

-Chris

I would go with the proven Marine air (Dometic). Service/parts available most everywhere. Defender has decent prices on these units.

I went with Marinair out of the Miami area.

Good prices, nice features and not a new company.

Installed 3 units 3 years ago, flawless so far.

I have done Mermaid units in my last 4 boats. Good quality units and reasonable prices. Talked today to the owner of my last boat that one went into. He had a problem with it, sent it back and they repaired it in 2 days. 5 year warranty. Just a satisfied customer, no affiliation.

I've got two Mermaid units on my ride, ten years old and work well. Nice thing about them is they use household thermostats and no failure prone computer boards. Had a nearby lightning strike that killed a tstat, $40 at Lowes and back in action,

I’ve had good success with Ocean Breeze out of Stuart FL. They sell factory direct.

John

I have 3 units from Ocean Breeze in Stuart and have been very happy with them.

ranger42c said:

Roamer: I'm guessing you don't hear ACs running all summer, same outlet sounds... can be soothing, actually...

-Chris

Click to expand...

I like a trickling creek same as the next guy... but...



This boat's outlets are positioned higher on the hull, than the summer regulars on this dock that are so equipped, hearing spirited splashing like this one, one thinks the bilge pumps are engaged and he's sinking...


We all try to keep an ear out for one another...


Can these things not be expelled below the surface?

Yes, they can be discharged below the surface. But that makes it hard to get a visual on the flow rate. I set them up about 2" above the water line, you can see it but it is basically silent. No splashing.

I've got 3 Webasto units and am happy with them. Have a Mermaid unit in my charter boat that has been good also.

Ted

O C Diver said:

I've got 3 Webasto units and am happy with them. Have a Mermaid unit in my charter boat that has been good also.

Ted

Click to expand...

Was running a 20+ yr. old Mermaid in my boat but had an upgrade in the plans. Last spring when Defender blew out the 11K Webasto FCP Platinum paint blems at $850 I made the move. I think the 16K Blems were $895.
Had this deal not come along I was going to go with Ocean Breeze..

Not too long ago I installed from scratch a new Dometic Turbo Vector unit and it is great.

Rotatable discharge, multiple places provided for the condensate drain and the sensor for the temp is not in the thermostat but in the return air flow so it does not mater where you place the thermostat .
It is also quiet.
BILL R.

Bill R. said:

Not too long ago I installed from scratch a new Dometic Turbo Vector unit and it is great.

Rotatable discharge, multiple places provided for the condensate drain and the sensor for the temp is not in the thermostat but in the return air flow so it does not mater where you place the thermostat .
It is also quiet.
BILL R.

Click to expand...

Sounds just like my Marinair.... My 16,000 btu also has pressure gauges in the freon lines for troubleshooting.

They gave me an expensive pump relay for free for buying 3 ACs at a time.

After shopping around, some units were simplified, others had many "features"....

So depending on maintenance and longevity....it's a crapshoot between some manufacturers and lowest price all else equal.

The hard thing about asking about equipment...is any manufacturer could be producing crap or top notch equipment compared to what any of them were years ago....therefore the least complex might be everyone's best bet.

psneeld said:

I went with Marinair out of the Miami area.

Good prices, nice features and not a new company.

Installed 3 units 3 years ago, flawless so far.

Click to expand...

Me too. (not #metoo)

The dometic DTU units have fully rotatable blower connections- made my conversion a breeze as I didn’t have to change my lines going out at all.

So do Marinairs.

Another vote for Dometic Turbo Vector units. Love the molded synthetic pans and they are super quiet

Most are super quiet these days... Marinair uses a stainless pan with insulation around the outside.

Perfect after 3 years.

No affiliation or particular like for Marinair, just keeping the playing field equal if it is.

Just installed a Marinair 16k to replace a wonky original 11k. Very happy, one oddity was I had to replace cable from unit to (new) remote - there was some physical difference in the wiring connection

Mine just use a regular phone line between the thermostat and control unit.

I had one bad one with my 3 new units, factory had one to me overnight I believe.

psneeld said:

Mine just use a regular phone line between the thermostat and control unit.

I had one bad one with my 3 new units, factory had one to me overnight I believe.

Click to expand...

RJ11? Mine uses RJ45, no idea what they’re doing with 8 wires but maybe the older style was a crossover cable

hmason said:

I have 3 units from Ocean Breeze in Stuart and have been very happy with them.

Click to expand...

Ditto, have 3 Ocean Breeze units (2 @ 16K BTU, 1 @ 24K BTU) and am happy. Standard off the shelf thermostats vs proprietary circuits like most other marine units so easy and cheap to replace if necessary. Also, I opted for NOT getting the reverse cycle and instead went with Cal-Rod heat. Much simpler system (no reversing valves to fail), puts out hot air all the time, works irrespective of water temp (reverse cycle ineffective in temps much below 40F), and less money per unit. Heat will also work on the hard w/out sea water if you happen to get stuck in a yard when it gets cold! I really don't know why anyone wants reverse cycle...

Best 16k heatpump for the buck

I have worked on and installed a couple Marinaire units. They are well made and reasonable.

https://www.marinaire.com/Marine-air-conditioner-16000-btu-110V-p/msba16k2.htm

Shay

Webasto FCF

I replaced a marine air 16k unit in the salon with a webasto fcf 16k, went from dying to freezing. I then replaced the forward 12k marine air with a 9k webasto fcf, same thing and quieter. Both about three years ago, and no issues.

Mojo, can you explain more about the calrod heat and links to were to get them? Very interesting concept..

If it's resistance heat...you get WAY less heat per amp if the outside water is warm enough compared to reverse cycle.

Important on mid sized boats with 2 30A power cords where you still need hot water and other electrical loads at the same time.

You can still always use resistance heat if the water temp drops too much, but if you pay for metered electric...at some point diesel heat starts to make sense.

I just installed the Dometic with the composite drain pan. Recessed drains so no water spills or rust. Ever!
Very compact. One of the smallest units and super quite.
️️️️️
https://citimarinestore.com/en/dome...-115v-205160160.html#/1617-add_sound_cover-no

One keel cooler for the engine, one for the AC and freezer. Trouble free and quiet.


AC needs circulating pump, low cost RULE general purpose pump is quiet and works forever.