H33 refrigeration question

Oct 13, 2016
71
Hunter 33 Kingston
Hi everyone, Hope you're all enjoying the summer weather.

I have a refrigeration question for Hunter 33 owners. Our 2005 model came with the small fridge with the traditional swing-out door. There is also a small icebox accessible from the galley counter (really not meant for anything more than a few drinks and some ice cubes).

I know some H33s around our years came with a second drop-down fridge in place of the cooler but it seems that unit is no longer made.

Our problem is the fridge is too small for more than a weekend trip, and the swing-out door is a pain because you have to kneel down to access your food. We're looking for a better solution so I want to know if anyone has found a replacement for the drop down unit, or possibly a drawer/pull-out style replacement for the swing-door unit.

I would rather have one fridge than 2 (to save on batteries, solar panels, etc...) but if I can't then, so be it.

I was also looking at the portable electric coolers thinking I could slide one under the chart table but I don't know if this is a good idea either. We bought one of the super-insulated small Pelican ice boxes and things don't stay cold very long in there even if we only open it once or twice a day.

Anyone wish to comment and provide some insights?

Cheers,

Maurice
 

jviss

.
Feb 5, 2004
6,745
Tartan 3800 20 Westport, MA
Hard to visualize for non-H33 owners. Do you have two fridges now, meaning, two separate compressor/evaporator units?

I don't think the electric cooler is a good idea, I think the in-built fridge will be more energy efficient.
 
Oct 13, 2016
71
Hunter 33 Kingston
I don't have two fridges. Some H33s do have a second fridge but my boat has a small icebox instead. It's really intended for a few drinks and some ice. It's basically a plastic pan with a drain hose attached to it. I don't think it's very well insulated either so it's not like I can add a cold plate to it and convert it to a regular icebox.

I read about someone who dropped in an Engel unit and modified the Corian cover so the whole thing looked built-in. This drop-in fridge has since been discontinued and I can't find anything similar to it,
 
May 24, 2004
7,129
CC 30 South Florida
There are kits in the market to convert coolers into refrigerators but if your problem is that the ice cooler is too small it is not going to help much. A viable alternative is to get a portable compressor driven refrigerator/freezer. Check Camping World or google portable freezers. The down side is that they take up space but can also be used away from the boat.
 
Aug 22, 2018
59
Hunter 33 Prinyers Cove, PE County, ON
Hi everyone, Hope you're all enjoying the summer weather.

I have a refrigeration question for Hunter 33 owners. Our 2005 model came with the small fridge with the traditional swing-out door. There is also a small icebox accessible from the galley counter (really not meant for anything more than a few drinks and some ice cubes).

I know some H33s around our years came with a second drop-down fridge in place of the cooler but it seems that unit is no longer made.

Our problem is the fridge is too small for more than a weekend trip, and the swing-out door is a pain because you have to kneel down to access your food. We're looking for a better solution so I want to know if anyone has found a replacement for the drop down unit, or possibly a drawer/pull-out style replacement for the swing-door unit.

I would rather have one fridge than 2 (to save on batteries, solar panels, etc...) but if I can't then, so be it.

I was also looking at the portable electric coolers thinking I could slide one under the chart table but I don't know if this is a good idea either. We bought one of the super-insulated small Pelican ice boxes and things don't stay cold very long in there even if we only open it once or twice a day.

Anyone wish to comment and provide some insights?

Cheers,

Maurice
Hello Maurice,
Did you have any luck finding a solution? I am also looking to improve my refrigeration on my Hunter 33.
 
Oct 13, 2016
71
Hunter 33 Kingston
Hi there!

We eventually decided to get an Isotherm portable cooler/freezer. We tuck it under the navigation table and plug it in one of the 12v socket in the breaker panel. We installed two flexible 100 watt solar panels and we have 3 - group 27 AGM batteries. We have been very happy with the whole setup.

We're currently on vacation and sitting at a dock in Wapoos Marina which is close to Prynyers. Were sticking around until the weather clears and then headed to Main Duck followed by Henderson Harbor to meet up with our fellow Trident YC members on our annual long distance cruise. You should drop by and check out our setup before we leave!

If the weather stays like this we may go out and anchor across from the marina tomorrow so let me know if you would like to come over and we can stick around a bit.

Cheers,

Maurice
 
Dec 19, 2006
5,809
Hunter 36 Punta Gorda
I have front door opening on my ref on my 2007 H-36 and we do cruise here in Florida
for 3 weeks anchored mostly and so got Engel portable and also got a Edge Star portable much less $$$ than the Engel and they both use very low battery power.
I do have 4-6 volt batteries and 2 solar panels each 190 watt and so the panels keep the batteries well charged and so 3 weeks up and down SW Florida anchored out and check out others portables but the good quality is not cheap but worth it.
Nick
 
Sep 20, 2006
2,912
Hunter 33 Georgian Bay, Ontario, Canada
Ours came with the countertop drop in freezer. We've sometimes used it as a fridge with the temp turned up for drinks etc. But, we've just this year been looking for another solution for the bar sized fridge with the mini freezer which is next to useless. So far I think I've found that an ISOtherm 2 drawer fridge may fit the current space with some modifications to the cabinet. There seems to be alot of empty space under the current fridge. I've a ton of solar so will run the separate freezer when needed and have a better fridge. May be next years project.
 
Aug 22, 2018
59
Hunter 33 Prinyers Cove, PE County, ON
Ours came with the countertop drop in freezer. We've sometimes used it as a fridge with the temp turned up for drinks etc. But, we've just this year been looking for another solution for the bar sized fridge with the mini freezer which is next to useless. So far I think I've found that an ISOtherm 2 drawer fridge may fit the current space with some modifications to the cabinet. There seems to be alot of empty space under the current fridge. I've a ton of solar so will run the separate freezer when needed and have a better fridge. May be next years project.
Scott,
I couldn't agree more. I would really like to meet the guy who designed the fridge. What was he thinking? He obviously doesn't drink beer from a can! I'm not kidding, if the interior space was 1" taller it would be a perfectly functional space but......
I'm gonna look into the ISOtherm.
 
Aug 22, 2018
59
Hunter 33 Prinyers Cove, PE County, ON
Hi there!

We eventually decided to get an Isotherm portable cooler/freezer. We tuck it under the navigation table and plug it in one of the 12v socket in the breaker panel. We installed two flexible 100 watt solar panels and we have 3 - group 27 AGM batteries. We have been very happy with the whole setup.

We're currently on vacation and sitting at a dock in Wapoos Marina which is close to Prynyers. Were sticking around until the weather clears and then headed to Main Duck followed by Henderson Harbor to meet up with our fellow Trident YC members on our annual long distance cruise. You should drop by and check out our setup before we leave!

If the weather stays like this we may go out and anchor across from the marina tomorrow so let me know if you would like to come over and we can stick around a bit.

Cheers,

Maurice
Thank you for the generous invitation. Alas I am at work all week and wont be able to make it.
I spent my first night across from Wapous marina at anchor last weekend. Its a really nice spot and I shall be back again. Next time you are in the area or if I come up to Gananoque maybe later this year then for sure lets hook up.
I haven't made it out to Main Duck yet but that's next on my list.
 
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Sep 20, 2006
2,912
Hunter 33 Georgian Bay, Ontario, Canada
Scott,
I couldn't agree more. I would really like to meet the guy who designed the fridge. What was he thinking? He obviously doesn't drink beer from a can! I'm not kidding, if the interior space was 1" taller it would be a perfectly functional space but......
I'm gonna look into the ISOtherm.
You're gonna hate / love me for this one.......:D I think it's over $ 2,000 but may fit the space of the bar fridge, I haven't fully explored the possibilities. This is long term planning rather than sooner.

https://www.indelwebastomarine.com/...rs-freezers/all-inox-drawers/drawer-130-inox/
 
Oct 13, 2016
71
Hunter 33 Kingston
You're gonna hate / love me for this one.......:D I think it's over $ 2,000 but may fit the space of the bar fridge, I haven't fully explored the possibilities. This is long term planning rather than sooner.

Indel Webasto: DRAWER 130 INOX
My wife found that model while checking out possible replacements for the "bar fridge" unit in the galley. She really hates it and would like something with a drawer. However I'm not sure the drawer type fridges give you that much more space. It's like one large basket so you would need to constantly move the contents around to find what you're looking for.

We tried a cheap fix for the bar fridge. We went to Dollorama and picked up a bunch of small plastic baskets. We use them as "drawers" and it's been working really well. You just pull out the basket and grab what you need. Contents are better organized and everything stays handy. I figure we saved enough to pay for the new KETO Marine davits that we ordered last week! Hope to pick them up at the Annapolis show in October.

We're using the portable Isotherm fridge mainly for drinks and for larger containers and this has worked great for us.

Our two flexible 100 Watt panels keep up with the load and we're able to stay out for several days without needing shore power. I'm planning to upgrade the solar voltage regulator for a better model to squeeze out more out of our setup but it's been pretty good so far.
 
Oct 13, 2016
71
Hunter 33 Kingston
Thank you for the generous invitation. Alas I am at work all week and wont be able to make it.
I spent my first night across from Wapous marina at anchor last weekend. Its a really nice spot and I shall be back again. Next time you are in the area or if I come up to Gananoque maybe later this year then for sure lets hook up.
I haven't made it out to Main Duck yet but that's next on my list.
We're back at our home port (Trident YC) and we hope to get a few more weekends out at anchor before the end of the season. We haul out early October so not many weeks left for cruising. Be sure to drop by and visit TYC next time you're headed to Gananoque. It's a great club.