10 Meter International A/C Noise

fountain27 · Post by **fountain27** » Wed Feb 14, 2007 3:22 pm

I have a 10 Meter International Mid-Cabin model with the A/C unit located in the forward stateroom. When the A/C compressor kicks-on it tend to wake me up. Has anyone tried to relocate the unit or have any ideas to reduce the amount of noise?

Thanks for any advice.

RWS · Post by **RWS** » Wed Feb 14, 2007 10:15 pm

I used to keep the blower speed up on mine, that way it created a "white noise" that masked everything. Ours International is not a mid cabin model however and the HVAC unit is in the engine room. With her 2006 retrofit to diesel power we replaced the 23 year old Cruiseair system with a new Cruiseair. WOW ! Reverse heat and a really nice variable speed blower. The new 16,000btu's kicks butt over the old 16,000 btu's. Really nice unit.

RWS

joenew6 · Post by **joenew6** » Sat Mar 10, 2007 4:21 pm

Fountain27,

I know what you mean about the stock A/C unit. I also used to keep the blower on all night to lessen the change in the sound level when the compressor kicked on. I had to replace the whole unit last year when the compressor grounded out - i got a 16k BTU Mermaid Marine Air unit with heat for around $1,400, and installed it myself - was time consuming but not very complicated. It is much quieter now.

There is some room around the perimeter - you could try some inexpensive soundproofing in the closet, and I know they make jackets for home heat pump compressors - more for temperature than sound, but that could be an option as well.

RWS,

I was thinking about swapping out the 454's for diesel at some point, though I only have 740 hours on the Crusaders. I want to get a bit more speed. Can you tell me what you put in, what it cost, and what kind of performance you are getting now?

Thanks,

Joe

RWS · Post by **RWS** » Sun Mar 11, 2007 9:15 pm

Joe,

My 454's were really, really tired. My first choice was to replace them with new 8.1's, however to do them right, I needed to upgrade the shafts & props. At that point the difference between the 8.1's and diesels became less significant. The diesels increase the value of the vessel the amount of the difference even 5 years from now when the 8.1's would be considered used gas engines, just like the 454's.

My 10 meter (not a mid cabin model) had a height restriction which limited my choices to the Volvo or Yanmar.

I went with Yanmar LP 315's. These are in line 6 cyl turbodiesels. Range and fuel economy more than doubled. I can cruise between 20-24 kts with a WOT of 27.3 kts.

I heard that these mechanicaly injected engines no longer meet the current tier of USEPA requirements and a new, elecrtonic common rail unit (more expensive) will replace them. If you act fast, you might still be able to get a pair of the LP's at a significant cost savings.

The 10 meter with this power choice is absolutely awesome. The vessel now rides on top of the water like she was designed to, taking full advantage of her unique hull design. Also the ass end comes completely out of the water. While the trim tabs will change the running attitude, they will not increase the speed. An additional benefit is the complete and total elimination of the station wagon effect that was so noticable with the 454's. My best guess on that is that the side exhausts are doing what they were designed to do with the improved running angle and speed.

RWS

joenew6 · Post by **joenew6** » Sun Mar 11, 2007 10:16 pm

RWS,

Thanks for the information. What was the total cost of the refit - I assume you had to replace the fuel tanks as well?

If I am reading the consumption curves correctly, the cruise RPM is around 3,000, with a fuel burn of around 16GPH. Does that sound about right? Do the Yanmars run pretty clean? Due to some minor health issues I have, I am a bit wary of diesel fumes.

Thanks,

Joe