Boat compressor advice

[CraigAClark]

After everyone's comments, I looked into doing a water cooled compressor driven by one of main engines via PTO. To make a long story short, got crazy expensive real quickly. After that reality check, I'm now back to a portable self powered system placed on foredeck (sportfish) or in cockpit. Given the desire to fill an 80 in ten minutes, does anyone have specific recommendations? Brett

Understand that you are going to go insane listening to a gas powered or diesel powered unit. Also once you get above an Oceanus, you are going to get a steel framed unit. I know of no other manufacturer that produces (as stock) stainless frame units. As I mentioned before, you would need a unit in the 8.4 cfm range to deliver 10 minute fills. Bauer (Mariner II), Mako (5405 block) and Coltri (MCH13/16 block) are all in this range with the correct driver.

 

[manni-yunk]

Understand that you are going to go insane listening to a gas powered or diesel powered unit. Also once you get above an Oceanus, you are going to get a steel framed unit. I know of no other manufacturer that produces (as stock) stainless frame units. As I mentioned before, you would need a unit in the 8.4 cfm range to deliver 10 minute fills. Bauer (Mariner II), Mako (5405 block) and Coltri (MCH13/16 block) are all in this range with the correct driver.

I have a 4.2 gas kiddie on the boat. Works great - and love it - BUT - I will agree that the noise drives me nuts.

 

[spoolin01]

I think you will find that even the smaller one will not run powered by a sailboat generator. We had a Bauer Junior II on a cruiser with a 5kw genset. It would turn over the Junior II but that is it. The Junior II motor is 2.2kw. Seems they need much more for initial starting grunt.

Thanks, that's a good data point to have. I gather there are expensive tricks, beyond my ken, to smooth the starting load spike, but I was hoping 6-12kW would be more the range for the boat gennie. Diving will be a major objective and the boat outfitting will have to conform. At worst, I could switch the compressor to gas drive.

 

[rjack321]

After everyone's comments, I looked into doing a water cooled compressor driven by one of main engines via PTO. To make a long story short, got crazy expensive real quickly. After that reality check, I'm now back to a portable self powered system placed on foredeck (sportfish) or in cockpit. Given the desire to fill an 80 in ten minutes, does anyone have specific recommendations? Brett

There's no such thing as a portable in the 8cfm range. If you want portable you need to accept 20 min fills. If you can't budge on the fill rate then suck up the crazy price tag for 10min fills.

 

[frogman62]

spoolin01
I sell converted military compressors and If you have a 10 K generator on board the boat, I can sell you an electric 4.2 CFM compressor (E grade air) for $3100 plus shipping. All controls are manual with safety set at 3400PSI. This compressor will fill an 80 from 0 to 3000PSI in 21 minutes. IF you fill from 500 PSI to 3500 -- same time. I sell the same compressor with gas drive See Manni-Yunk above.
Jim Shelden