Freezer or No Freezer?

[Uncle Bob]

Originally Posted by UFO

We have 1KW of Solar and a Generator - Our RO water maker needs the Generator or mains to Run, so we do not have an issue with power - On good days solar is more than fine, even when the Freezer was running.


Space for the washing machine is more my issue - The current freezer space would have housed a Washing machine nicely with no structural work and easy access to water, drainage and power.


I may look for a new home for the Freezer though.....

Hey, if you have to replace the existing freezer then go for a better quality camping type that you can fit wherever, if the existing is salvagable then leave it where it is and examine the options for clothes washing.
My 2 cents worth anyway.

[waterman46]

Freezers take much more energy than reefers, about 50AH per day, in the tropics, for one that is large enough to really be useful. We have a genset but not enough room for solar panels, so the generator runs an extra hour every day just for the freezer if we were not running under power for several hours.
After our 15 year old Glacier Bay reefer/freezer system went belly up last year, we bought a dorm fridge, which has about 1/10 the internal volume of our built-in. But it makes those precious little ice cubes, enough for one person, one drink per day. Very important for the Admiral. And it uses much less power than the built in system that failed.

I am hoping to install something like the Isotherm in our existing boxes, which are fairly well insulated, whenever we can return to the boat. Aside from the ice cubes, having "fresh frozen" meat, pizza and veggies available for weeks is a real plus in remote areas.

[GILow]

Originally Posted by barnakiel

If you are meat eaters, get a huge fridge. Otherwise skip it.


b.

I dunno mate, I’m a pretty light meat eater and my freezer is full of top quality frozen veggies which I think are the best thing since... well... sliced bread.

If I were travelling with a family (thanks be to whichever deity, I’m not), a freezer would be an essential item.

But, I also consider my front loading washing an essential item so the OP might have a difficult choice. (Though it appears they say they can have both)

[GILow]

Originally Posted by UFO

We currently have 2 x Fridges with Micro Freezers and a newly Non functioning Freezer.



We are a family of 4 (2 adults & 2 Kids, sometimes 3) who due to the Virus have yet to set sail and I am considering whether we will need a Freezer or not - Cost of repair is minor, but fiddling around with it I noticed that it is the perfect location for a Washing Machine which unlike other locations i've considered, it requires minimal work and no structural work to fit in.


So bearing in mind our family set up, Who thinks a Freezer is essential or who just thinks its extravagant?

To respond directly, I put a freezer firmly in the essential category.

Seriously, I have friends without one and they are forever shopping ashore. I go weeks without a trip to the shops.

Here in Oz you can get exceptionally high quality frozen veggies and the difference they make to food preparation time is extraordinary (I’m an ex professional cook so I don’t have a lot of trouble doing prep).

If I were travelling with a family I’d put the freezer at the top of my list of essentials, but I’d also put a washing machine up there too. (I’ve managed to squeeze both onto a 42 foot mono). The mob who talk about meeting people in laundromats probably don’t realise that parents aren’t usually into the pickup scene.

[GILow]

Originally Posted by Uncle Bob

Hey, if you have to replace the existing freezer then go for a better quality camping type that you can fit wherever,...

Like an Ozefridge.

50 AH@12v a day in 30 degrees C (86 F) for a 230 litre (8.1 cubic feet) spillover fridge/freezer split 60/40 in favour of the freezer.

Yeah, I know, I sound like a zealot.

[UFO]

Originally Posted by GILow

To respond directly, I put a freezer firmly in the essential category.

Seriously, I have friends without one and they are forever shopping ashore. I go weeks without a trip to the shops.

Here in Oz you can get exceptionally high quality frozen veggies and the difference they make to food preparation time is extraordinary (I’m an ex professional cook so I don’t have a lot of trouble doing prep).

If I were travelling with a family I’d out freezer at the top of my list of essentials, but I’d also out a washing machine up there too. (I’ve managed to squeeze both onto a 42 foot mono). The mob who talk about meeting people in laundromats probably don’t realise that parents aren’t usually into the pickup scene.

Yes I will be going with both - Just need to figure out locations, which I am 90% at

[contrail]

Originally Posted by kmacdonald

The problem is it's not just the freezer, it's the extra battery, more solar, bigger alternator. Snowball.

But, he has all that! Hi freezer just stopped working.

[Bulawayo]

Why do you need a freezer? Is a fridge sufficient? I would not cruise without a freezer. Why do I need to compromise? I don't. If you don't have a conventional freezer why not look at a big portable one? I use a double lidded National Luna from South Africa there are other equally good makes as well like Engel. As long as you ensure your cabling to the portable unit is adequately sized you'll be fine. Yes, we added solar panels to cover double the demand to ensure that we had enough power. We already had a decent sized fridge and a separate freezer but they were not big enough for our wants and we did not see the point in going without when we had a choice.
There are so many people that like to boast about how little they can manage without - but why? I have a big water maker, a full size front loading automatic washing machine and 300 litres of fridge space and 300 litres of freezer. That is comfortable. I also got rid of my air conditioning and heavy generator. That increased my storage space as well as getting rid of a lot of weight. I invested into solar panels and bought a little Honda 2000i which has proved amazing when I do use it. The boat is filled with fans and I've never been wanting in the air-con stakes despite cruising in 50°C temps with > 90% humidity. Anchoring via the stern can also be very effective for breeze distribution.

Originally Posted by UFO

We currently have 2 x Fridges with Micro Freezers and a newly Non functioning Freezer.



We are a family of 4 (2 adults & 2 Kids, sometimes 3) who due to the Virus have yet to set sail and I am considering whether we will need a Freezer or not - Cost of repair is minor, but fiddling around with it I noticed that it is the perfect location for a Washing Machine which unlike other locations i've considered, it requires minimal work and no structural work to fit in.


So bearing in mind our family set up, Who thinks a Freezer is essential or who just thinks its extravagant?

[Gaia]

Originally Posted by owly

Ice is the perfect energy storage "device". It is a battery that never wears out. The ultimate system would be a freezer that runs when the sun shines. A "wall" of "blue ice" separating the freezer from a fridge compartment rather than the mindless cycling of a fridge, requiring batteries to sustain it. I'm in the process of building exactly this... for at home to operate on solar. A large side by side. The divider mostly removed, and a plastic tank(s) separating the two. The tanks will have euctectic fluid (blue ice). The freezer will run whenever the sun shines, rather than on a thermostat. The blue ice is a battery essentially. It "stores coldness" The thermal mass of the frozen meat, etc, is sufficient that it should last during the hours when the sun doesn't shine... If necessary it can operate on battery power from the house battery bank.

Pound for pound, ice stores the same amount of thermal energy as a deep cycle battery. It requires zero maintenance, and never has to be replaced........ Energy storage doesn't get any better than that! And I won't have to listen to a fridge cycling on and off mindlessly.


H.W.

We operated like that, the cold plate route for years, trouble free for a long term circumnavigation. It is simple and in keeping with a previous post. The 'nice to have' mantra is a road to a boat becoming a workplace instead of a road to freedom. We sailed without kids so our opinions are less relevant bit the KISS principle, although well known is often forgotten to our regret and peril.

Jim sv GAIA

[Boatguy30]

Indeed, KISS is mostly long gone.

First question I was asked by a newly arriving condocat was "who do you use for parts import"
I've been cruising for 20 years and never waiting anywhere for a part to arrive. I fixed it or replaced it before it broke where it was readily available in Ft. Lauderdale, Nashville or Auckland.

Actually taking in a few jobs at the moment in Panama and sorting the shipping is a bit tricky!

[Dockhead]

IMHO, a freezer is much more important on a cruising boat, than in a house. Because long term food storage is more important, the less access to grocery stores you have.


A large separate freezer is a real life saver on a long ocean passage.

[JPA Cate]

Both the freezer and the washing machine will make life substantially more pleasant for the major care taker in the family.

Our first year cruising, we had NO refrigeration. The boat had an ice box, but ice was very hard to come by. One eats differently, and makes use of dried fruits and vegetables, depending on availability of fresh water, of course. We used canned goods. Turned out we liked tinned fruits better than veg.

I used to do like Capn Black, washing in large buckets. Then back troubles developed, and we began using laundromats.

After that first year, we put in refrigeration. For us, it was really nice. Tiny little freezer in it, too. It was nice to have ice for drinks in the tropics, although we did learn to make do without it. (One frozen chicken in a bucket will cool 2 beers; a frozen leg of lamb will cool a whole 6 pack.)

With coronavirus restrictions, it would be really nice to have a washer on board, so you don't have to bring your spray and sanitize all the bits at the laundromat, plus it's at "home" and so can be conveniently used.

So, if there's room, having both will make life easier.

Ann

[Uncle Bob]

Originally Posted by GILow

Like an Ozefridge.

50 AH@12v a day in 30 degrees C (86 F) for a 230 litre (8.1 cubic feet) spillover fridge/freezer split 60/40 in favour of the freezer.

Yeah, I know, I sound like a zealot.

Hey, you're preaching to the converted, . Not only is the product great but the manufacturer is as well.
If the time comes when I MUST replace the waco it will definately be one of pete's offerings.

[ilenart]

Originally Posted by GILow

If I were travelling with a family I’d put the freezer at the top of my list of essentials, but I’d also put a washing machine up there too. (I’ve managed to squeeze both onto a 42 foot mono)..

Hi GILow, what brand and type of washing machine did you end up installing? Anything you would do differntly? I’m looking at trying to get a washing machine into a 40 ft mono here in Perth, probably under the front bunks.

Ilenart

[GILow]

Originally Posted by ilenart

Hi GILow, what brand and type of washing machine did you end up installing? Anything you would do differntly? I’m looking at trying to get a washing machine into a 40 ft mono here in Perth, probably under the front bunks.

Ilenart

I installed a Camec, but sometimes I wonder of the little Daewoo would have been a better choice, just because it is so much more compact. I was worried it was too small, but now I'm not so sure.

Anyway,both have good reputations from those that use them and so.f a r I've been very happy with the Camec.

FWIW, I made a custom black water tank that doubled as the washing machine stand, so it was a very efficient use of space, plus it puts the washing machine at a convenient height.