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Aquamarine Inc: Grade B

Aquamarine has put together a watermaker system that is user installable. The unit we purchased is a 20 gph watermaker with a 40" membrane, a refrigeration compressor, and a high output alternator. I've heard people say they've installed this with approx one weeks work but I would guess it took me two weeks full time when you put all the hours together. Dan at Aquamarine has been always helpful when I called and one time he spend almost an hour on the phone walking me through the connections of the panel to the various wires. He's sent me any parts they've discovered needed to be changed or modified for only the cost of shipping. While some may say that should be free; I was well out of warrenty.

Added was a safty valve on the engine to avoid overpressure and to bleed off any air in the fresh water cooling, a new engine pan and some misc parts of which I don't now remember.

Alhough the unit is to be hand crankable I've not yet been able to hand crank it. That may be mostly a funciton of how I mounted it (and again after talking to Dan 5 years after I've installed it - I may need to adjust the Decompression Levers). It does have a compression release valve so even with a low battery I figure I could release the comprssion and get her started.

A couple of things I really wish were options that Aquamarine would offer or at least part out: 1) a control cable for being able to control the engine from outside the engine room and 2) A complete parts list with individual diagrams. I had difficulty knowing which way the valves were normally open or closed without experimenting with them.

Anyway, in the marine world I gave this company 5 stars mostly because of the support. That alone makes this product one that stands out from the crowd.

I've moved AquaMarine from an A to a B. The owner of the company still provides excellent service but I've found some things lacking over the years.

First: I think with a product the critical the company ought to offer a repairs kit of vaious configurations.

Second: I would love to be on an email list that when changes are made to the product I'm notified and then can then decide if that's for me. Early on I had a real issue with the platform. Mine bent from the weight of the engine, serpintine belt was then tracking bad and broke. Aquamarine was considerate enough to ship me another (improved) if I would pay shipping. I did; but, too replacing the housing the unit is attached took took the better part of two days. After about 600 hours the bearing in the water pump broke down. I spent a great deal of time locating and new seal (not the bearing) only to discover that when I had the unit out the bearing for the shaft was all broken up. The seal had been leaking for about 100 hours and I had tried to stem the leaking till I could get to a place where it could be repaired. I called Aquamarine and spoke to Dan and he indicated that now they're using an electric pump. Wish I would have known! I've put that in and been much happier since. Too I had to have a new way then to tighten the compresson on the top of the engine and he said he had a new plate for the compressor. Yet he didn't say I would need a "new" bracket he disigned. I like it much better then the old setup. Also this new plate that sits on top of the engine has the cooling water return out the center of the top. Earlier he had sent me a relief valve that I had to remove the top on, drill and tap and put that in to bleed out any extra air.

Third: Instructions need to be much improved. I followed them exactly and have been still fixing things for the last 3 years. The heat exchanger needed to be above the engine; the valves for the watermaker Dan said need to be level and below the waterline. The drawing shows them as level but nowhere does it indicate that in the manual. Nowhere too in the manual that it is to be below the waterline. I installed the idler assembly to close to the bolt that attaches he starter causing me untold frustrations when I had to remove the starter.

Fourth: Gotcha's. There needs to be a list of things either optional or needed beyond the parts supplied by Aquamrine. Needed a fuel pump, needed a regulator, needed a muffler, needed to have the correct size exhaust elbow, needed to get a throttle control cable and needed to get a pressure waterpump for back flushing.

I like the unit. I quite often love the unit. We've put a 1000 hours on it in almost 3 years. Those are hours that didn't need to be run on the main engine. But I'm slowly getting it working perfectly. Slowly.