Marine Air Conditioning by Australian Location

Seawater temperature changes what a unit actually delivers, berth power changes what you can run, and in Tasmania the reason to fit one is heat rather than cold. Eight Australian cruising grounds, and what is specifically true in each.

BrisbaneMoreton Bay, QueenslandSubtropics ×8.5 · sea 26–27 °C Gold CoastCoomera and the Broadwater, QueenslandSubtropics ×8.5 · sea 25–26 °C WhitsundaysAirlie Beach and the islands, QueenslandTropics ×10 · sea 28–29 °C SydneyThe Harbour and Pittwater, New South WalesTemperate ×7 · sea 22–24 °C PerthFremantle to Hillarys, Western AustraliaTemperate ×7 · sea 21–23 °C DarwinTop End, Northern TerritoryTropics ×10 · sea 29–31 °C CairnsFar North QueenslandTropics ×10 · sea 28–30 °C HobartThe Derwent and the south, TasmaniaTemperate ×7 · sea 14–17 °C

How Local Conditions Affect Marine Air Conditioning

Cooling capacity is quoted at 25 °C seawater. In the Whitsundays and the Top End the water runs closer to 30 °C, which takes ten to fifteen per cent off any unit’s real output before you start — so the same hull needs materially more capacity in Darwin than in Perth.

Berth power is the second constraint. Most Australian yacht marinas supply 15 A per berth, some older arms only 10 A, and a 32 A pedestal is rare outside the large refit marinas. A 16,000 BTU system at about 6.5 A is comfortable on 15 A and tight on 10 A alongside a kettle and a hot-water service.

We do not install anything. These pages describe what each port is like to fit a system in and name the marinas and refit precincts. If you want a quote, we can introduce you to an installer near you — see the editorial policy for how that works and what we receive.