310 Santego A/C installation

[Oppy1]

I have a 1994 310 Santego that I would like to have air conditioning installed in. I'm having a hard time finding a unit that will fit under the forward berth panel beneath the mattress. If anyone has this model boat and has a picture of where the A/C is mounted and what brand was used I would appreciate it. The pan that sits under the panel in the berth is only 13" high at the max. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks

[g36]

I dont have your boat but I hAve used 3 of their ac unit's from mermaid on my boats. They show a 9000 btu unit that mentions a 30ft boat and its 12" tall. Dont know how big of a unit but you could check out their website and call them they have always been very nice when I have had questions.
https://www.mmair.com/marine-division/m ... ditioning/

[Ramsport47]

I have your boat with factory AC. The unit is mounted under the forward berth behind the drawers. There is a liftout panel under the mattress for access. The AC water pump is mounted under the aft dinette seat and thermostat is on the closte wall in the stateroom. Our unit is a Marine Air 16,000BTU air/heat. Untortunately no pictures, but it's pretty easy access once you take the mattress out of the cabin.

[Oppy1]

I settled on a Dometic Marine Air Unit 16k BTU. Haven't got it completely finished yet but I did end up mounting the thru-hull, strainer, and water pump in the rear bilge ahead of the starboard engine. Everything seems pretty easy to do except run the ducting from the unit to the supply grills. That is going to take some time and patience. Thanks for the help.

[Donald Claypoole]

I have your boat and mine's an OEM time machine, 1994 310. I'm finding, unless it's tired and I'm just "new", the Marine Air isn't all that reliable. I have to set it pretty low to keep the A/C on. Otherwise it kicks to fan on Auto. I'm thinking the stat is off by 4 or 5 degrees. But, I'm a newbie and learning as I go also. FWIW the air duct is partially crushed by the berth hatch cover. Not sure if it was designed that way but doesn't look like I can re-route it either. Let me know how the Dometic works out!

[mjk1040]

Don, make sure ur unit has good air flow around the condenser, u may want to vac or blow it out too, u may seen an improvement in performance.

[Donald Claypoole]

Thanks Mike, I will do that!

[CptBacardi]

I had limited space on my 38 Santego under the staircase and the only unit I could find that would fit is a Mermaid. I'm happy with the unit and Mermaid has great reviews and warranty.

[Karen Powell]

Air conditioning in a cruiser class boat is a very good option, as this will tends to retain its resale value over the lifetime. If you install it yourself, you can save up to half the cost of a factory-installed unit. My boyfriend had a 2001 model Carver 396 Motor Yacht when we were in Toronto and he installed Mermaid M6-CEH-U for it. Quite frankly, this model impressed us. This manufacturer intends their unit to be installed by the 'DIY-er'. This is mainly because their target customer is the individual boat owner and the marina installer. Their customer care team is very reliable and can answer all your doubts regarding the installation. Unfortunately, we had to sell our boat due to some economic crisis that fell on our path this year. I don't know about any air conditioner installation company which can help you out. It will be good if you consider the above option.