1996 Marlin 30 Air Conditioning Questions

[jmain]

I am in the process of buying a 1996 Marlin 30. Project #1 is to add an Air Conditioner. Two questions for 1996ish Marlin Owners:

1. What size (BTU) A/C Units do you have?
2. Where are the thru-hulls (intake and outtake) located?
3. Where is the unit itself located?

A picture is worth 1,000 words, if you have them!

Sorry if this is a duplicate. I did search the archives and didn't see the answer or saw conflicting information to these

Thank you very much.

 

[DennisG01]

I couldn't tell you off the top of my head, but you should be able to find this in the owner's manual. If you don't have the original, you can download from GW's site.

However, there is no reason to do everything as Grady did. They put it together before the whole boat is together... much easier. Locate everything where it makes the most sense to you and the easiest for maintenance.

 

[jmain]

I couldn't tell you off the top of my head, but you should be able to find this in the owner's manual. If you don't have the original, you can download from GW's site.

However, there is no reason to do everything as Grady did. They put it together before the whole boat is together... much easier. Locate everything where it makes the most sense to you and the easiest for maintenance.

Thanks, Dennis. I looked at the owner's manual, but I was hoping it would be a bit more specific. Agreed on it being easier to install it before the boat is put together. My biggest concern is the water intake. I wanted to make sure that it is somewhere that will get good flow whether we are out running or at the dock.

 

[DennisG01]

Any clean area in the back third, or so, of the hull bottom will do - no obstructions in front of it... other intakes, strakes, etc - that part you're going to have to check for yourself since we wouldn't know what's been done to the boat over the years. There's no "best" place - so do it where it makes it convenient for you to get at the seacock.

 

[Pat Hurley]

I have a 2007 Marlin. 6,500 BTU Mermaid unit that replaced the original unit just 2 years ago by the previous owner. I am experiencing an issue with the compressor as far as I can tell and have removed it to ship back to Mermaid in Florida. The unit has a 5 year warranty and the folks at Mermaid have been very helpful... Anyhow the unit is located behind the refrigerator just under the stairway. The outlet thru hull is on the port side outboard of the AC unit. the intake thru hull is in the aft bilge area and leads to the water pump located on a flat in the same bilge area towards port. Everything seems pretty straight forward. I'd imagine snaking the water feed from the pump forward to the AC unit could possibly be a bit of a challenge. I may be able to photo shoot those locations if at the boat in the next few days if that helps.

FYI we did trouble shoot my unit before removal ... Thermostat check, start capacitor, relay etc. It was getting juice and water however it would not get the compressor going so it is suspect. Not likely since it is only 2 years old however all arrows are pointing that way so they (Mermaid) want me to ship it to them for inspection and repair.

 

[teaklejr]

I have a 2007 Marlin. 6,500 BTU Mermaid unit that replaced the original unit just 2 years ago by the previous owner. I am experiencing an issue with the compressor as far as I can tell and have removed it to ship back to Mermaid in Florida. The unit has a 5 year warranty and the folks at Mermaid have been very helpful... Anyhow the unit is located behind the refrigerator just under the stairway. The outlet thru hull is on the port side outboard of the AC unit. the intake thru hull is in the aft bilge area and leads to the water pump located on a flat in the same bilge area towards port. Everything seems pretty straight forward. I'd imagine snaking the water feed from the pump forward to the AC unit could possibly be a bit of a challenge. I may be able to photo shoot those locations if at the boat in the next few days if that helps.

FYI we did trouble shoot my unit before removal ... Thermostat check, start capacitor, relay etc. It was getting juice and water however it would not get the compressor going so it is suspect. Not likely since it is only 2 years old however all arrows are pointing that way so they (Mermaid) want me to ship it to them for inspection and repair.

Curious is the evaporator still right at the fresh air intake under steps? Every ac unit I have looked at has the compressor on and evaporator in a different spot than what our 305 Express has.

 

[jmain]

I have a 2007 Marlin. 6,500 BTU Mermaid unit that replaced the original unit just 2 years ago by the previous owner. I am experiencing an issue with the compressor as far as I can tell and have removed it to ship back to Mermaid in Florida. The unit has a 5 year warranty and the folks at Mermaid have been very helpful... Anyhow the unit is located behind the refrigerator just under the stairway. The outlet thru hull is on the port side outboard of the AC unit. the intake thru hull is in the aft bilge area and leads to the water pump located on a flat in the same bilge area towards port. Everything seems pretty straight forward. I'd imagine snaking the water feed from the pump forward to the AC unit could possibly be a bit of a challenge. I may be able to photo shoot those locations if at the boat in the next few days if that helps.

FYI we did trouble shoot my unit before removal ... Thermostat check, start capacitor, relay etc. It was getting juice and water however it would not get the compressor going so it is suspect. Not likely since it is only 2 years old however all arrows are pointing that way so they (Mermaid) want me to ship it to them for inspection and repair.

Thanks, Pat. That is good to hear about Mermaid's service. There are probably a lot of good A/C units on the market, so I'd prefer to get one that has someone standing behind it.
I'll look to see if I have enough room to put it behind the refrigerator. Not sure if I do on a '96, though.
Thanks again.

 

[jmain]

I have a 2007 Marlin. 6,500 BTU Mermaid unit that replaced the original unit just 2 years ago by the previous owner. I am experiencing an issue with the compressor as far as I can tell and have removed it to ship back to Mermaid in Florida. The unit has a 5 year warranty and the folks at Mermaid have been very helpful... Anyhow the unit is located behind the refrigerator just under the stairway. The outlet thru hull is on the port side outboard of the AC unit. the intake thru hull is in the aft bilge area and leads to the water pump located on a flat in the same bilge area towards port. Everything seems pretty straight forward. I'd imagine snaking the water feed from the pump forward to the AC unit could possibly be a bit of a challenge. I may be able to photo shoot those locations if at the boat in the next few days if that helps.

FYI we did trouble shoot my unit before removal ... Thermostat check, start capacitor, relay etc. It was getting juice and water however it would not get the compressor going so it is suspect. Not likely since it is only 2 years old however all arrows are pointing that way so they (Mermaid) want me to ship it to them for inspection and repair.

Pat, one other question. We are in SWFL. Based on your experience, is the 6500 BTU Mermaid big enough to keep the cabin cool in the summer down here? (I am less worried about heat in the winter.) The reason I ask is that our cabin is probably smaller than the average 30' boat's cabin, but the Mermaid web site says that it is good for up to 27' cruisers. But, our sea water is probably warmer than average during the summer.
I will definitely ask the Manufacturer, but would naturally be a little skeptical about them trying to sell me a larger (more $$$) unit.
Thanks again for your input. I appreciate it.

 

[Pat Hurley]

Jmain ... we hadn’t the opportunity to see how the 6,500 btu unit performs under the summer heat as we purchased the boat late last fall. Certainly (hopefully these days) I should have the unit back in the boat next week and I can give an update on performance under stress.
Will keep you posted

 

[jmain]

Jmain ... we hadn’t the opportunity to see how the 6,500 btu unit performs under the summer heat as we purchased the boat late last fall. Certainly (hopefully these days) I should have the unit back in the boat next week and I can give an update on performance under stress.
Will keep you posted

Thank you! I'll be curious to hear how it goes.