An installed marine AC is sooo much better than the portable hatch units. When I bought Touche' in 1999 it had a water cooled box air conditioner in the hanging locker. I quickly replaced it with a Mermaid 16 KBTU AC/heat unit. That worked well until the water intake got plugged and the poorly designed high pressure trip didn't function. After a couple rebuilds by Mermaid I replaced it with a CruisAir (now Dometic) 16 KBTU AC/heat unit.
The Dometic hasn't so much as burped in over a decade of use here on the Gulf Coast. It will maintain low-mid 70's in the cabin on the hottest days. As a buddy of mine said "that's one 'kick ass' air conditioner". Having a competent air conditioner/heater on Touche' (35-1) has greatly increased our enjoyment of the boat. Depending on which slip Touche' is in (Pensacola or Mandeville) we're either 1 or 4 hours from the boat. We spend many nights on board with the A/C cranked up. The Admiral likes a setting somewhere near "meat locker". The Dometic delivers. My buddy is a regional repair tech for Dometic. He services all brands. He is adamant the Dometic is the best. Installing a marine air conditioner is within the capabilities of many boat owners. It's fairly straightforward. Dennis C. Touche' 35-1 #83 Mandeville, LA
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