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Among the rewards after a long, toasty day offshore is the ability to relax inside a cool, refreshing salon or grab some much-needed rest on a chilled mezzanine. Historically those comfort levels have been provided by chilled-water air-conditioning systems. But a new player in the sport-fishing market is offering an alternative that has many ancillary benefits.
Termodinamica—Italian for “thermodynamics”—has a long-standing reputation in the European mega-yacht industry, and now its systems are being installed or retrofitted into US-based sport-fishers as well. Using variable-refrigerant-volume direct-expansion technology, the system controls individual air handlers to deliver efficient, on-demand cooling with minimal power consumption.
“Our direct expansion system has been in the market since 2012. We’ve taken the VRV technology, tweaked it and tailored it for the marine environment,” says Hunter Parker, sales director for Termodinamica USA. “The entire system is networked and precisely controlled for rapid cooling, reduced humidity and overall comfort.”
Compared with a similar-capacity chilled-water system, a Termodinamica setup offers a 50 percent weight savings and one-half the footprint, according to Parker. A 30,000 Btu air handler, for example, fits in an 18-inch cube. There are also additional weight and maintenance savings with the elimination of other parts.
“The premise of our system is capacity on demand,” Parker explains. “There isn’t any wasted energy. The effort is precisely matched to the demand of each end user.” Crews can also manage power loads with an eco-mode that limits consumption based on available shore power or generator capacity. Since cooling starts at the air handler, humidity is greatly reduced—enhancing onboard comfort. The system is fully networked with a touchscreen display showing detailed diagnostics such as gas pressure, fan speed and temperature. Remote access via internet connection allows technicians to log in for troubleshooting, giving crews real-time support when needed. All these advantages are quickly winning over converts, such as Dusty Rybovich with Michael Rybovich & Sons Boat Works.
“We have an 82 sport-fish with it, and once it cools down, the system is drawing less than 10 amps running the air conditioning with set limits. All the nightmares associated with chilled water are eliminated by this system,” says Rybovich, adding that there is a learning curve but the boat’s owner and crew are happy with its performance.
Jarrett Bay Boatworks is another custom builder embracing the Italian technology. “We are putting a Termodinamica HVAC system on a 90 sport-fisher that is under construction right now,” says engineer Peyton Lanier. “Hunter and his team at Termodinamica have been great to work with and very helpful in customizing the system to fit our needs on this newest build.”
As more crews enjoy enhanced comfort, reduced maintenance and more cost savings with these new systems, another Italian phrase is likely to be heard: “amore!”
