I finally got my O'Day 25 into Lake Superior last week. YEAH! Now that I will probably be spending a longer time on board than I used to, I noticed that the built in cooler near where you step down into the cabin, didn't do a great job of keeping things cool for very long. My auxilary soft cooler made the ice last much longer. Has anyone beefed up the insulation on the built in? Any suggestions? sPk
Built in cooler not all that cool?
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Welcome to the world...
...of O'day design flaws. On my old 272LE, the icebox performed similarly. Anything put in there was soon floating in water, rather than nestled in ice, 'cause the damn box never kept its contents cold for very long. Portable coolers did a much better job. The problem, as I saw it, was twofold. First, iceboxes tend to be woefully under-insulated. Even on my 322, I'm pretty sure the box could use another couple inches of insulation (especially if I ever want to put in refrigeration). The other problem with the 272LE was that icebox was located way too close to the engine compartment, so that its attempt at keeping food and drinks cold was more than offset by escaping heat from the engine. At least on the 322, the icebox has been thoughtfully moved a few feet from the engine. Good luck with your icebox. I'm sure if you search the archives on this website (as I plan to do), you'll find lots of helpful ideas on beefing up the insulation. Pete s/v EmmieLou (O-322) Little Silver, NJ
...of O'day design flaws. On my old 272LE, the icebox performed similarly. Anything put in there was soon floating in water, rather than nestled in ice, 'cause the damn box never kept its contents cold for very long. Portable coolers did a much better job. The problem, as I saw it, was twofold. First, iceboxes tend to be woefully under-insulated. Even on my 322, I'm pretty sure the box could use another couple inches of insulation (especially if I ever want to put in refrigeration). The other problem with the 272LE was that icebox was located way too close to the engine compartment, so that its attempt at keeping food and drinks cold was more than offset by escaping heat from the engine. At least on the 322, the icebox has been thoughtfully moved a few feet from the engine. Good luck with your icebox. I'm sure if you search the archives on this website (as I plan to do), you'll find lots of helpful ideas on beefing up the insulation. Pete s/v EmmieLou (O-322) Little Silver, NJ
Check the Insulating Boards
The cooler on my 1976 O'day 25 has insulation boards on all four sides and the bottom. Three bags of ice will last about 2 days. Two bags and a block will last for 3 days. Without a doubt the best cooler I have ever had. I often tell people that I bought the cooler, and the boat came with it. Regards, Corey
The cooler on my 1976 O'day 25 has insulation boards on all four sides and the bottom. Three bags of ice will last about 2 days. Two bags and a block will last for 3 days. Without a doubt the best cooler I have ever had. I often tell people that I bought the cooler, and the boat came with it. Regards, Corey
Try this
We have an O'day 26 with an ice box in the galley and one in the cockpit. We have found that freezing two 2-liter soda bottles filled with water will keep the galley ice box cool for about two days in the summer. The bottles work well because you can reuse them and they leave very little melt water in the ice box. We usually keep food in the galley ice box and drinks in the cockpit icebox, which we cool with ice cubes. During the day, more people will likely open the ice box for drinks than for food, so your galley ice box will stay cooler. Also, we lay a sheet of bubble wrap on top of the contents in the big galley ice box. It helps prevent you from wasting the cold air in empty sections of the ice box. Hope this helps.
We have an O'day 26 with an ice box in the galley and one in the cockpit. We have found that freezing two 2-liter soda bottles filled with water will keep the galley ice box cool for about two days in the summer. The bottles work well because you can reuse them and they leave very little melt water in the ice box. We usually keep food in the galley ice box and drinks in the cockpit icebox, which we cool with ice cubes. During the day, more people will likely open the ice box for drinks than for food, so your galley ice box will stay cooler. Also, we lay a sheet of bubble wrap on top of the contents in the big galley ice box. It helps prevent you from wasting the cold air in empty sections of the ice box. Hope this helps.
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