Finished the boat fridge

 Any of you that followed my new boat outfitting thread fishwrecked.com/forum/another-caribbean-reef-runner  here, may have saw that I fitted a stainless seat base frame, with an eye to putting a fridge under it--well, the original idea was an icebox, but it just grew into a fridge, as they do.  Ran out of time to do anything before the big trip, but got into it later, and used it on the Shark Bay 4 day cruise a few weeks ago. Worked a treat--in fact you need to run it at the warmest setting in cool weather. Leave the milk hard against the plate overnight, and it will get slightly slushy, but the alcohol was fine, very cold and frosty . it ended up just over 50 litres capacity. It can be slid out a bit as a third seat, is not in the way when slid right in, and the lid is split so you don't need to slide it out at all for quick access. 

Why didn't I just buy one? Well, it would have been cheaper, BUT--

  1. Everything will rust on a car fridge used at deck level on a boat. Nothing can rust on this
  2. Electrics are all at deck level on a car fridge, I raised all mine up into the box section that sits forward, under that ali checker plate,  you can hose around it
  3. No fridge slide nneded, and you can access it without sliding out , due to split lid
  4. Better insulated than any car fridge, seems to come  on about  once an hour for a few minutes, so stuff all draw on the battery, and Andersen plug connection.
  5. I made it with a bung, so it's a hose out to clean. 
  6. All components are replaceable. You will get to the stage on a hard-used car fridge where you have to bin it, not this one. 

 

 

 

 

The fibreglassing isn't the prettiest job I've done, as I elected to use an old icebox that had been partly cut up for another project, and grafted a marine ply box on the end for the fridge gear--new materials all around would have been tidier, but it does the job.


Faulkner Family's picture

Posts: 17830

Date Joined: 11/03/08

 well done. certainly no warm

Mon, 2018-10-15 18:13

 well done. certainly no warm beverages on that boat now, unless its a real coffee of cause. 

you could live on that boat with all the stuff you have. 

looks sweet

____________________________________________________________________________

RUSS and SANDY. A family that fishes together stays together

ranmar850's picture

Posts: 2702

Date Joined: 12/08/12

We did live on it

Mon, 2018-10-15 18:40

 For 4 days at least, it was good...and the 12v coffee machine is still getting a workout.  Bacon and egg sangers and real coffee for breakfast on the water at Shark Bay, really hard to beat that   And the 12v travel buddy oven is brilliant.

Faulkner Family's picture

Posts: 17830

Date Joined: 11/03/08

the coffee machine is 

Mon, 2018-10-15 18:41

the coffee machine is  certainly something i will have to look at. beats making a thermos full before you hit the water. cant beat real coffee 

____________________________________________________________________________

RUSS and SANDY. A family that fishes together stays together

Paul_86's picture

Posts: 1449

Date Joined: 27/03/09

Looks great to me, made the

Mon, 2018-10-15 19:48

Looks great to me, made the most of the space available and done the work yourself so you know it’s been done well and will last the distance! Awesome!! 

gruntre69's picture

Posts: 533

Date Joined: 15/10/16

 I'm a fridgy by trade and

Wed, 2018-10-17 10:42

 I'm a fridgy by trade and that is impressive! Well done..

Foot rest while driving too...

____________________________________________________________________________

 Marine trimmer NOR (available for clears, tops, carpet, upholstery, custom equipment covers)

ranmar850's picture

Posts: 2702

Date Joined: 12/08/12

Footrest while driving

Wed, 2018-10-17 18:19

 and a footrest at the rear if you are at anchor and want to turn the helm seat around

pelagicyachts's picture

Posts: 1291

Date Joined: 23/02/11

I love the bung.... which my

Wed, 2018-10-17 12:11

I love the bung.... which my engel had one!

ranmar850's picture

Posts: 2702

Date Joined: 12/08/12

Why don't they put them in?

Wed, 2018-10-17 18:20

 it's always beaten me, I hate cleaning car fridges out.