We have an older boat 1982 CS 33 with an Ice Box on board. Although I know a number of friends who have added refrigeration, lets go to the horses mouth. Could you detail the major issues and considerations for the addition of refrigeration to a boat with an ice box. what are the advantages and disadvantages of the different styles avaialble given we are dealing with rather confined area. Clearly, we need to consider power consumption and likely adding additional battery capacity since our area of sailing entails anchoring without ready access to shore power for weekend cruises etc. So in gerneral are there some basic guielines which need to be adhered to in addition to the common sense responses that would make us a more intelligent consumer for boat refrigeration? Thanks
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Price/Performance considerations
Richard: There are several considerations. 1. You really need to deal with the insulation of the box first. Even if you never decide to install a refer. unit it will not hurt to add the insulation. 2. Additional battery capacity. Regardless of which unit you purchase you WILL need more capacity. Obviously this will depend on they type of unit. My recommendation is to have enough capacity for 1.5 - 2 days without running the engine (if possible). 3. Type of units. There are several types of units to consider. AB, Norcold, Technautics etc. Some units have a holding plate that freezes like an ice cube. There are units that run off of batteries only, some units will run off an engine driven compressor and/or batteries too and other will run off of A/C when available. 4. You may also need to consider that you will now have this unit inside you box and how much space is it going to take up and where will it be mounted plus the controls to regulate the temp. 5. Cost. Make sure that you consider the price of the unit, battery power required for a 24 hour period (min), insulation, cost of installation including where to install the additional batteries and hookup to the charging sources, where to install the compressor unit. Some of the units also require water cooling, so a thru hull fitting may be required or a "T" off an existing thru hull. After this is all said and done, once you decide to do it, it is a great addition to your boat.
Richard: There are several considerations. 1. You really need to deal with the insulation of the box first. Even if you never decide to install a refer. unit it will not hurt to add the insulation. 2. Additional battery capacity. Regardless of which unit you purchase you WILL need more capacity. Obviously this will depend on they type of unit. My recommendation is to have enough capacity for 1.5 - 2 days without running the engine (if possible). 3. Type of units. There are several types of units to consider. AB, Norcold, Technautics etc. Some units have a holding plate that freezes like an ice cube. There are units that run off of batteries only, some units will run off an engine driven compressor and/or batteries too and other will run off of A/C when available. 4. You may also need to consider that you will now have this unit inside you box and how much space is it going to take up and where will it be mounted plus the controls to regulate the temp. 5. Cost. Make sure that you consider the price of the unit, battery power required for a 24 hour period (min), insulation, cost of installation including where to install the additional batteries and hookup to the charging sources, where to install the compressor unit. Some of the units also require water cooling, so a thru hull fitting may be required or a "T" off an existing thru hull. After this is all said and done, once you decide to do it, it is a great addition to your boat.
Refrigerator Reflections
Richard, I think it depends on what you want it to do. I have a 12 volt A. B. on my V32. It has good insulation to start with. We bring real ice cubes from home and don't try to make them on the boat because it consumes really serious amp/hours vs. just keeping the ice from melting. We also don't usually leave it on from week to week unless we are stocking for a trip and want to cool it down. When at anchor or mooring for just a weekend, we fill the freezer area with ice, put any frozen stuff on top and run the refrig about 3 to 5 hours a day, split around meal preparation periods. We come back with ice. When we go for a week or more, I add a block of ice. With running the frig a couple of hours a day, the ice block lasts about 3-5 days. This all on one of the two 100 amp house batteries. (there is a third starting battery) So, with reasonable management, you don't have to go nuts with electrical, but you should dedicate one more battery when you install it, even if it's adding a seperate starting battery. (The V32 had two mixed use batteries from the dealer) You also want to be sure you have good AC power to and in the boat and an adequate charger. Just one guys opinion. I will add that it certainly make the boat more comfortable for visits. Good luck. Rick D.
Richard, I think it depends on what you want it to do. I have a 12 volt A. B. on my V32. It has good insulation to start with. We bring real ice cubes from home and don't try to make them on the boat because it consumes really serious amp/hours vs. just keeping the ice from melting. We also don't usually leave it on from week to week unless we are stocking for a trip and want to cool it down. When at anchor or mooring for just a weekend, we fill the freezer area with ice, put any frozen stuff on top and run the refrig about 3 to 5 hours a day, split around meal preparation periods. We come back with ice. When we go for a week or more, I add a block of ice. With running the frig a couple of hours a day, the ice block lasts about 3-5 days. This all on one of the two 100 amp house batteries. (there is a third starting battery) So, with reasonable management, you don't have to go nuts with electrical, but you should dedicate one more battery when you install it, even if it's adding a seperate starting battery. (The V32 had two mixed use batteries from the dealer) You also want to be sure you have good AC power to and in the boat and an adequate charger. Just one guys opinion. I will add that it certainly make the boat more comfortable for visits. Good luck. Rick D.
Refrigeration
I addeda norcold refrigerater to my Cat30. It is really the ticket. I keep it on high when motoring an down to half when sailing. I run two 12 volt deep cycle batteries and always keep one for starting. I have never had a dead battery . This system requires me to only keep ice for the beer. All perishables are always ice cold.
I addeda norcold refrigerater to my Cat30. It is really the ticket. I keep it on high when motoring an down to half when sailing. I run two 12 volt deep cycle batteries and always keep one for starting. I have never had a dead battery . This system requires me to only keep ice for the beer. All perishables are always ice cold.
The correct system
To get the best performance from the refrigeration hardware you need to make sure the ice box has the best insulation possible. We recommend using polyurethane foam as the cost is low and the insulating quality very high. Based on your comments I would strongly suggest using a 12V DC system. The unit I would install on your size boat is a ColdMachine if you live and cruise in cooler waters and the SuperColdMachine in warmer climents. These units will give you outstanding performance with little power drain, given the box is constructed properly. Go to www.kenyonmarine.com website and you can see the difference in the two units as well as the specifications on each.
To get the best performance from the refrigeration hardware you need to make sure the ice box has the best insulation possible. We recommend using polyurethane foam as the cost is low and the insulating quality very high. Based on your comments I would strongly suggest using a 12V DC system. The unit I would install on your size boat is a ColdMachine if you live and cruise in cooler waters and the SuperColdMachine in warmer climents. These units will give you outstanding performance with little power drain, given the box is constructed properly. Go to www.kenyonmarine.com website and you can see the difference in the two units as well as the specifications on each.
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