My 1979 37 has an ice box in the main saloon on the starboard side where a schematic I have seen shows a nav station. Another owner felt the ice box was a better use. I've just thought of changing the hanging locker area in the aft cabin to a nav station. I'm excited about how this may work out. Any thoughts from those with more time in a 37 center cockpit O'day ?
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Peter J. Brennan
So what do you do
for a hanging locker? Locker space in these boats is fairly good but there really is none to spare. There is no dedcicated wet locker, for instance. We use the heads for wet gear and otherwise have both hanging lockers jammed with stuff and lots more hanging in nets. Our '82 37 has two bins on the galley counter, one to port and one to starboard. The starboard one is a large refrigerator while the port one is insulated ansd can be used as an icebox but we use it for dry storage. Just forward of the refrigerator hatch is a chart table with a huinged top. You sit on the end of the settee with your legs under the table if there is any room. That's where the wine and chart book go. The VHF, clock, barometer, stereo and other odds and ends are all clustered around here with view and access from the table. I think turning the aft locker into a nav station would be a big job with not necessarily happy results.
for a hanging locker? Locker space in these boats is fairly good but there really is none to spare. There is no dedcicated wet locker, for instance. We use the heads for wet gear and otherwise have both hanging lockers jammed with stuff and lots more hanging in nets. Our '82 37 has two bins on the galley counter, one to port and one to starboard. The starboard one is a large refrigerator while the port one is insulated ansd can be used as an icebox but we use it for dry storage. Just forward of the refrigerator hatch is a chart table with a huinged top. You sit on the end of the settee with your legs under the table if there is any room. That's where the wine and chart book go. The VHF, clock, barometer, stereo and other odds and ends are all clustered around here with view and access from the table. I think turning the aft locker into a nav station would be a big job with not necessarily happy results.
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Olivier Ruhlmann
Where I want to locate mine
Living aboard, I found out that our family of three has bearly enough locker space; if you sail by tourself it may be the right solution. I too have a large icebox on the starboard side. At first, I thought (because I read it) that a big ice box was not necessary... I now believe that if you live aboard while you still work, it is a must! I would be willing to trade that space for a nav station only if I was ready to go cruising. Note that after this ice box has been properly insulated (that is with 6" of foam), it looks much smaller I am thinking of building my nav station against the bulkhead that touches the starboard ice box - over the starboard bunk. I found out that we rarely need so much seating space at the table, so I am willing to sacrifice that. Also, I will still be able to use the bunk for sleeping by sliding my feet under the nav station table. The electronics will be a little better protected by not being so close to the companion way... Olivier
Living aboard, I found out that our family of three has bearly enough locker space; if you sail by tourself it may be the right solution. I too have a large icebox on the starboard side. At first, I thought (because I read it) that a big ice box was not necessary... I now believe that if you live aboard while you still work, it is a must! I would be willing to trade that space for a nav station only if I was ready to go cruising. Note that after this ice box has been properly insulated (that is with 6" of foam), it looks much smaller I am thinking of building my nav station against the bulkhead that touches the starboard ice box - over the starboard bunk. I found out that we rarely need so much seating space at the table, so I am willing to sacrifice that. Also, I will still be able to use the bunk for sleeping by sliding my feet under the nav station table. The electronics will be a little better protected by not being so close to the companion way... Olivier
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Francois Machabee
I am back and thinking of cold stuff too!
Hi there, I am back for a short while before going back to my sanctuary. I too have looked at those ice boxes and tried to use both. Dissapointment. Our ice runs out very fast (too close to the engine room) and everything gets a little humid (well, duh...) . I was looking at converting the starboard icebox (after adding more insulation) into a keel/air cooled refrigerator with a cold plate conversion kit from West Marine (Adler Barbour). I have stopped for now as I have found a small and cheap solution. I bought a $80 koolatron electric cooler (12V 3 amps draw ) that fits just niceley under the chart table area 16 X 14 X 20(where I currently have my garbage bin). It certainly is not as good as the Adler-Barbour fridge that I was looking at but for similar space and with the same type of urethane foam insulation as the Adler but costing $900 less !!!! I can certainly give it a try ;-) By the way, the model that I got is really intelligent. It has a horizontal or a vertical setup with the front door cut in two half way down so that you don't loose all the cool when you reach for something inside. I will let you know how it goes! Olivier, I would not want to use the starboard ice box as is. You would probably be better off cutting the whole thing out and putting in a full refer/fridge unit with its own insulation as the insulation on our boxes is very very poor compared to new standards and just adding foam would probably not work as well in the long run. Your amp draw would be higher than expected because the plate would loose cold too fast thus causing more run time on the compressor. I also agree with Peter on the wet locker. I also use the aft cabin head as a wet locker since it already has a drain and is close to all my navigation equipment (GPS, RL70 chartplotter, Portable VHF) which are mounted on top of the aft locker so that it can be seen by the helmsman at all times (just need to crouch a little ;-) ) Francois Starshine III
Hi there, I am back for a short while before going back to my sanctuary. I too have looked at those ice boxes and tried to use both. Dissapointment. Our ice runs out very fast (too close to the engine room) and everything gets a little humid (well, duh...) . I was looking at converting the starboard icebox (after adding more insulation) into a keel/air cooled refrigerator with a cold plate conversion kit from West Marine (Adler Barbour). I have stopped for now as I have found a small and cheap solution. I bought a $80 koolatron electric cooler (12V 3 amps draw ) that fits just niceley under the chart table area 16 X 14 X 20(where I currently have my garbage bin). It certainly is not as good as the Adler-Barbour fridge that I was looking at but for similar space and with the same type of urethane foam insulation as the Adler but costing $900 less !!!! I can certainly give it a try ;-) By the way, the model that I got is really intelligent. It has a horizontal or a vertical setup with the front door cut in two half way down so that you don't loose all the cool when you reach for something inside. I will let you know how it goes! Olivier, I would not want to use the starboard ice box as is. You would probably be better off cutting the whole thing out and putting in a full refer/fridge unit with its own insulation as the insulation on our boxes is very very poor compared to new standards and just adding foam would probably not work as well in the long run. Your amp draw would be higher than expected because the plate would loose cold too fast thus causing more run time on the compressor. I also agree with Peter on the wet locker. I also use the aft cabin head as a wet locker since it already has a drain and is close to all my navigation equipment (GPS, RL70 chartplotter, Portable VHF) which are mounted on top of the aft locker so that it can be seen by the helmsman at all times (just need to crouch a little ;-) ) Francois Starshine III
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Peter J. Brennan
I don't know the history
of our refrigerator. But it's pretty big and well insulated.I put some additional insulation under the lid which made a big difference. The counter top no longer sweats. The original installation was an Adler-Barbour air cooled unit located in the starboard cockpit locker with a hole cut through the bulkhead aft of the fridge for cooling. (I saw one boat with the compressor in the foot well under the chart table.) That unit eventually died -- the copper to aluminum joint in the refrigerant line failed. I installed a Frigoboat Frigomatic keel-cooler unit. This is similar to the A-B but has a sintered bronze ingot attached to the outside of the hull below the water line through which the refrigerant flows and is condensed. I am extremely pleased with it. Uses about half the power the old air-cooled A-B did. We can freeze three ice trays overnight, keep frozeen things frozen and put an incredibale amount of beer and such in it. I run it at only 4 on a scale of 9. The other box on the port side we now use only for dry storage. The lid has to be kept open or you get massive condensation in it.
of our refrigerator. But it's pretty big and well insulated.I put some additional insulation under the lid which made a big difference. The counter top no longer sweats. The original installation was an Adler-Barbour air cooled unit located in the starboard cockpit locker with a hole cut through the bulkhead aft of the fridge for cooling. (I saw one boat with the compressor in the foot well under the chart table.) That unit eventually died -- the copper to aluminum joint in the refrigerant line failed. I installed a Frigoboat Frigomatic keel-cooler unit. This is similar to the A-B but has a sintered bronze ingot attached to the outside of the hull below the water line through which the refrigerant flows and is condensed. I am extremely pleased with it. Uses about half the power the old air-cooled A-B did. We can freeze three ice trays overnight, keep frozeen things frozen and put an incredibale amount of beer and such in it. I run it at only 4 on a scale of 9. The other box on the port side we now use only for dry storage. The lid has to be kept open or you get massive condensation in it.
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