Best Marine Air Conditioner in 2023

admin
May 5, 2023
11:13 am

A Marine Air conditioner which pulls the heat from the air by transferring the heat in the cabin to the refrigerant gas within the air conditioner. A Marine air conditioner then transfers the heat from the refrigerant gas to the sea water.

When looking to install a new AC unit every boaters often wonder who makes the best Marine Air conditioners. Most Marine Air conditioners of all major brands are solid and will do descend job as long as they are installed in a proper way.

Here we have prepared a comparison of some of the most popular brands of marine air conditioners in 2020, Using the information gathered through our years of experience in selling marine AC.

We are mainly concentrated in the most positive features and feedback ,least number of complaints and the quality of support a company provides should problems arise with their units.

Also here we are listing the self-contained Marine AC units of all brands in the comparison because these are generally the most used units.

K2 AIRSYSTEMS – Best Marine Air Conditioner in 2023

After much research and discussion, we can confidently support K2 AIRSYSTEMS recommendation as the best marine air conditioner on the market for 2023.

WHY WE CHOOSE K2 AIRSYSTEMS AS THE BEST MARINE AIR CONDITIONER

K2 AIRSYSTEMS uses stronger materials than other brands when it comes to corrosion-resistance and ability to thrive in the marine environment (titanium coils for instance are much more corrosion-resistant than the more commonly used copper coils, which often have serious, irreparable issues down the line due to corrosion).
Energy-efficient, environmentally-friendly and quiet
Compatible with cables and controls from other major brands
Industry standard 2-year warranty
Priced very attractively (lower than most other major brands for comparable models), without sacrificing quality

MARINE AC ANALYSIS - PROS AND CONS OF EACH BRAND , TOP UNITS SOLD AND FEED BACK FROM REAL BOATERS

K2 AIRSYSTEMS

K2 AIRSYSTEMS Marine AC units are built with quality materials designed to resist the harsh marine environment – such as much more corrosion-resistant titanium coils as opposed to copper coils – and compatibility features – such as ability to use most major controls from Dometic, Cruisair and Marine Air units.

K2 AIR SYSTEMS marine air conditioners are cheaper than comparable models of the same BTU capacity from other major brands.

Pros of K2 AIRSYSTEMS

Titanium coils provide corrosion resistance not found in copper coils of other brand A/C systems
Stainless steel pan
Low price point compared to other similar quality models
Excellent drop-in replacement, compatible with controls and cables from Dometic, Cruisair, Marine Air and Micro Air units
Compact, lightweight
Knowledge

Cons

Warranty only two years
Blower cannot turn more than 170 degrees

What Boaters Have to Say About K2 AIRSYSTEMS

“Purchased an A/C from K2 AIRSYTEMS back in May, has worked like a champ. -capn_silva, The Hull Truth, 1,214 posts “I had a Cruisair stowaway turbo (16000 BTUs) go bad after many years of good service. Was considering purchasing one of the newer Dometics, but have heard quality of their units has reduced in recent years. I was between choosing a Webasto FCF and a K2 AIRSYSTEMS unit, and decided on the K2 AIRSYSTEMS. Buddy of mine installed one early this year, and is content with it. Low price point, solid looking unit, good replacement option for cruisair (I was able to use the same SMXir control from my cruisair). I like the titanium coils. My cruisair’s compressor actually failed because of a hole in the rusted condensing coil.”

-Jstadnik, Trawler Forum, 764 post

WEBASTO

Founded in 1901, Stockdorf, Germany-based Webasto has been manufacturing cooling, heating, ventilation, roof and convertible roof systems for the marine and automotive industries for a long time now.

Webasto is family owned and has 50+ locations around the world (more than 30 of them production sites), as well as a large dealer network to provide products, installation and support services. Research and development is carried out in Stockdorf, Germany.

PROS

I found many excellent reviews, very few negative reviews found
Inexpensive
Known to be quiet from what we know and what other boaters have said
2 year free replacement warranty if it can’t be repaired
A wide network of authorized repair shops
Will come out to boat to do repairs, no need to ship unit unless completely necessary
Painted with marine grade paint – extends unit life

CONS

FCF Platinum and Classic models assembled in China, with a mix of German and Chinese components
20 – 30% heavier than Dometic units of the same capacity
Not a composite pan, stainless steel pan (adds weight)
Fan runs continuously; I saw that some boaters don’t like this

Feedback on Webasto by Real Boaters

“Just called TS at Webasto. First was very impressed to immediately reach a tech that was able to answer all my questions and then some…” “….Well if I spent a couple thousand on a piece of equipment and it had a problem while under warranty it seems like a pretty big imposition on me as the customer to have to ship the unit to the factory for repair. Not sure of the policy on this but if I have to pay for that it’s a couple hundred round trip shipping, depending on where I’m located. That would put a pretty big premium on a free warranty repair. Most companies have a dealer/support network and have local reps that will handle repairs. Webasto if the unit can’t be repaired on the boat will ship you a new unit at their cost. That sounds like a good way to handle it to me.”
-skipmac, CruisersForum, 14,497 posts

“- UPDATE – I ended up going with the Webasto 16000 FCF primarily because of space. It had the smallest footprint and the best price. I ended up getting the unit at West Marine on a price match. With the price match I was able to get a 4 year “on the boat” warranty for less than the normal West Marine cost of the unit alone. So far the unit works well. Currently it is putting out 40-45 degree air at the vents and is extremely quiet. I am happy with my decision at this point and hope to get many years of reliable service out of it. it does have the fan issue others have mentioned (fan runs non-stop) but I actually prefer that.”
-SeaBreeze, Cruisers Forum, 169 posts

“I have Webasto 16k units for 6+ years. One quit due to trying to start off an inverter I think but was replaced at extremely low price. Customer service has been good. I run the compressors off 50hz with no problem in Europe but keep the blowers and pumps on 60hz per their recommendation. Controls however are not as sophisticated as more expensive units – e.g. can’t blower on and off independent of compressor.”
-Ostinato, Cruisers Forum, 497 posts

DOMETIC

With headquarters in Solna, Sweden, Dometic was introduced as a brand to the US in 1968. Dometic purchased Cruisair and Marine Air from Taylor Made in 2003, and sold their marine air conditioners under both brand names until combining both under one Dometic brand name starting in 2016.

Dometic sells food & beverage, climate, power & control solutions for RVs / mobile homes, trucks and boats. Dometic is a very well-known and established marine AC brand, having sold tens of thousands, if not more, units over the years.

Pros of Dometic Marine Air Conditioners

Well-known
Huge support network
Purchased Cruisair and Marine Air, and offer a wide variety of models and AC types
Compact, lightweight
2 year warranty, first year labor second year parts
Composite pan on DTU, light and rust resistant
Sound cover available for compressor

Cons

I came across a significant number of complaints from boaters online as to reduction in quality and shorter life spans of units built in recent years (to be taken with a grain of salt, as more units are sold than other brands)
Control sold separately on DTU
Not painted with marine-grade, rust resistant paint
Coil copper not painted – easier to rust
Mostly manufactured in China (not always a bad thing, but perceived as a con for many), assembled in the US
Condensing coil located where intake comes in – makes filter hard to clean
Heat from coils gets pulled in by blower; doesn’t dissipate