Seller replaced ice chest w dorm fridge - should it bug me soo much?

[JebLostInSpace]

Originally Posted by Rblakenyc

I might need to come over and see how cold those beers are!

I'm chillin like a villain in St Augustine, FL for the next couple months, so any/all visitors are welcome.

Come see the incredible stand-up refrigerator! No smoke, no mirrors! Open the door and grab what you like! Beers, fresh veg, leftovers, eggs, anything you want to keep cool! Just open up the door and it's there for the taking!

[JebLostInSpace]

Oh, also - LI sound is an absolutely incredible cruising ground. For day/weekend/week cruises you can hardly beat it on this coast of the Atlantic. Regardless of where you land on the fridge, you're going to have a great time!

[Jim Cate]

A forum member of long standing, Sailorchick34 used a commercial small mains powered fridge on her Islander 34 whilst living aboard in the SF Bay area. She posted about it several times here and found it to be surprisingly easy on the batteries. Some searching should find those old posts.

IIRC she (an engineer by trade) did some searching for a good but cheap example of the type... said there were big differences in efficiency in the marketplace.

Jim

[Westcliffe01]

I looked at the specs for a 1.6 cu ft refrigerator (smallest unit I could find) and its annual power consumption is stated as 245kWh. Dividing by 365 gives 671 Watt hours per day. That does not seem so bad. If you have 3x 250W panels thats a bit more than 2 hours of full sunlight a day needed + extra to make up for system inefficiencies. Seems a minor price to pay for keeping things cool. Of course its dumping all its heat into the cabin, so long term something more suitable would be better, but I don't think that is a plain icebox and hauling expensive ice forever...

[darylat8750]

I've had an apartment sized fridge powered by batteries and inverter for more than 10 years on a larger boat. After 9 years I left it on the hard with food in it when I thought I would be back in a couple of weeks to put it to bed for the winter. Family issues came up and it was 4 months later and the external power was disconnected. The smell on opening was as bad as you can possibly imagine. I could not get the smell out of it so I tossed it and bought another one for $379. Best use of my boat $$ so far.

I also conferred with SalorChick34 on the model I just bought and she was very helpful. If you get a 120V unit having a pure sine wave inverter will be more efficient and in fact some manufacturers say "do not use with an inverter" but mine is working fine.

[Stu Jackson]

Originally Posted by Jim Cate

A forum member of long standing, Sailorchick34 used a commercial small mains powered fridge on her Islander 34 whilst living aboard in the SF Bay area. She posted about it several times here and found it to be surprisingly easy on the batteries. Some searching should find those old posts.

IIRC she (an engineer by trade) did some searching for a good but cheap example of the type... said there were big differences in efficiency in the marketplace.

Jim

Here it is:


Sailorchic34's New Dorm Fridge - inverter driven dorm fridge
https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums...ge-180007.html

[Westcliffe01]

One should read the documentation and determine whether a refrigerator has a modern brushless DC variable speed compressor. LG, Samsung and others offer them. The do not have the typical startup surge current and the motor adjusts its speed based on the heat load, so can run more efficiently and quieter too. This is just like what is offered on modern air conditioning / heat pumps.

If one really wanted to get into it, one would have to alter the plumbing for a freon/water heat exchanger for the condensation side of the loop, it gets the heat out the boat and since the water is almost always cooler than the air temp it should be more efficient too. But thats a definitely more challenging task than just swiping the credit card....

[Rblakenyc]

Thanks again to all for the input. Honestly, just struck me as really odd (and half-assed) but seeing that I just had no idea. Now giving some real thought to this one knowing I may actually prefer electric.

[Jamme]

Originally Posted by JebLostInSpace

Oh, also - LI sound is an absolutely incredible cruising ground. For day/weekend/week cruises you can hardly beat it on this coast of the Atlantic. Regardless of where you land on the fridge, you're going to have a great time!

+1 on this!!

[CaptTom]

A decent fridge is one of those luxuries which becomes a necessity after a while.

It always amazes me how owners hack up bulkheads and cabinets to install home fridges, air conditioners, etc. when there are already units designed specifically for boats and RVs. I had to do a bit of carpentry on my boat to restore one hack for a TV built into the galley counter (!), but fortunately when I tossed out the old dorm fridge, the proper marine replacement fit right in, down to the location of the screw holes, where the original had been removed.

If the boat is an otherwise god deal, I say go for it. If you have to toss the fridge to make it your own, so be it.

[Spot]

RB-It looks like a fun boat. If that is the 'worst' of previous owner collateral damage you may have a winner. I saw a video on YouTube of one for sale from 2014 (date of video). Does this one have the custom colored melamine on the wall and as the countertop around the wash basin in the head?

[Rblakenyc]

Spot, it does look fun and very approachably priced package if condition is as good as it looks from afar (pictures only). Being careful to avoid a bargain with damage, leaks or imminent need of substantial investment (sails, rigging). It does appear to have "custom" counter materials or coloring which I'm not loving. I'm watching weather and may make the 2+ hour drive to go look at one weekend soon. Still pretty deep in my armchair so far - trying to get educated.

[George DuBose]

The PO of Skylark had installed a "dorm" fridge where the oven used to be. I don't see how it could be opened when on a starboard tack, the contents would slide right off the shelves onto the cockpit floor.

When I first came to The Netherlands and went for my first sail, I cheerily carried a small cooler.

My host asked me, "What's that?"

I said, "A cooler for the beer."

"Where do you think you are going to get ice?"

I installed a 110 liter Dometic 12v-220v on Skylark and use her original ice box for stowing foodstuffs.

Back in the day, we could buy 10lb. sacks or blocks of ice for 25¢

Dem daze is gone...

[roland stockham]

"dorm fridge" often refers to something that uses a thermo electric cooling plate not a compressor. If that is the case DON"T use it unless connected to shore power. These thing use a ton of power and will kill your batteries. If it is a compressor fridge it should be fine. Only real difference between 'marine' and domestic fridges is they MAY have used more durable materials, better insulation and a better door latch. Use it till it fails then get a top opening portable cooler.

[SV__Grace]

Originally Posted by Rblakenyc

Thanks again to all for the input. Honestly, just struck me as really odd (and half-assed) but seeing that I just had no idea. Now giving some real thought to this one knowing I may actually prefer electric.

There is no right or wrong answer, just what would work for you and make you happy.

When taking possession of any new-to-us boat there will be a long list of things to change and add, and the best decisions are made AFTER using the boat for awhile.

You might end up liking the fridge! If it is 12volt and has a factory latch to prevent it from opening accidentally, it might even be a marine fridge. If not, since most boats spend most of the time at the dock on shore power, you might keep it and use a cooler to supplement when going out for a day, weekend or longer.

Or, you might decide you hate it and take the opportunity to create an icebox or similar that is bigger, better, and badder than what any manufacturer can install or design because you designed it for YOU with updated materials.