refrigeration

[Sharky]

I have a 1984 Catalina 36 and am thinking on adding on refrigeration. Which is the best unit and the best placement. Does the icebox need more insulation?. Does anyone have any opinions.

 

[Gary]

refidgeration for 36

Hi, I presently own a 36 Catalina.(1986) I don't have refridgeration either and had anticipated putting it in this Summer. I did a lot of research and it seems to me that "GLACIER BAY" is the absolute best.Everyone I talked with that owned Glacier Bay was happy with it. One guy on my dock had just put it in. This guy does everything first rate on his custom Wiley 60. He did a lot of research and went with it and has been happy.I hope to order a new Catalina 42 this Spring with that same brand!!! Regards Gary

 

[Bob]

alder barbour

I installed a alder barbour in my 1986 Catalina 36 and am quite happy with it.It was'nt that hard to do but I wish I had put the cooling unit in the dead space on the portside in the rear berth. I installed it in the storage space under the port seat in the cockpit. If you add insulation the unit works much better and uses less batt power. I did add a bigger batt bank and a voltage regulator.hope this helpsBob

 

[Tom Soko]

Also Adler Barbour

Sharkey,I installed the Adler Barbour Cold Machine in my 1987 C36 6 years ago, and have been extremely pleased with it. It uses 3-4 AH on average, and has required no service. I added an extra 2" of foil backed foam insulation around the outside of the box, put 2 cans of "Great Stuff" expandable foam between the box and the hull, and added weatherstripping to the edges of the lid. The compressor mounts nicely in the area behind the box, to the port of the aft berth. The cockpit locker had too little ventilation and I didn't want the compressor to get beat up by the gear stored there. If you suscribe to "Mainsheet", you can get back copies of the Tech Tips from Bob McCullough. I wrote a long article describing the process back at that time. Good Luck!Tom Soko