To Fridge or not to Fridge - that is the question

[journey on]

You can get a lot in it, enough to keep your significant other happy. It's both a freezer and fridge.

When running, it takes about 5 amps. With a 50% duty cycle, that's about 2.5 amp-hrs/hr. Just divide that into 1/2 of your battery amp-hr capacity and you have the hours you can run. Keep a Honda 1000 handy and recharge every morn, if you have a good battery charger.


Boris

[Sea Wolf]

Art-

Here's your photo and caption:



(Sea Angel) Cd25 Refrig.
NORCOLD Model: DE0051
120vac OR 12vdc@10amps(fused)

[JamesTXSD]

For Tom: there isn't much of a freezer, but you can make a couple little trays of ice each day (and that's enough for drinks at night). You might get a steak in there, but that's about it. If you are running everyday, you won't have a problem with flattening the batteries (we do have two Grp 27 house batteries on Wild Blue). We can go about 2 days and then we're going to need to run, fire up the generator, or plug into shore power. We are rarely in one place at anchor more than a couple days (the exception was last winter in the Keys when it was one norther after another).

I like the fridge for the same reason I like hot water on the boat: it feels more like home. It's easier to stay out longer. Some folks like to go simple and rough it... as you know, we are not those folks. I like a memory foam pad on the v-berth, satellite radio, a good stove, heat, AND my fridge, water heater, and enclosed head. I also look for places to anchor based on comfort.

That old saying about "the difference between adventure and ordeal is attitude" may be true... but if we're enjoying ourselves, it's just easier to stay out there... no reason adventure can't be comfortable!

Best wishes,
Jim

[Dragonfly]

We are landlocked, so we trailer our 25 when ever we go boating. We have the factory installed Norcold, I love it, beverages are closer in the boat, than they are at the house. Several days prior to a trip, I plug in the boat and precool the refrigerator load it up and leave with it on the battery, one group 27. Most trip's 2 or 3 hrs. but on two longer trips it's run as long as eleven hrs on one battery without any problem but I keep an eye on it. Whatever your choice enjoy! Larry

[starcrafttom]

Thanks for the info guys. I was not going to get one in the next boat but now I think I will.

[TyBoo]

Wanted to put a fridge in my CD22 but didn't. Have one in the CD25 and like it enough that I would put one in a 22 if doing it over. I don't use it all the time every trip, but it is pretty easy to turn off when not needed. Mine is a Norcold, DC only. I have a converter that came with the boat if I want to plug it into AC, but it seemed rather silly to use it once I figured out that whenever AC is available I have the battery charger on.

[helm]

Has anyone seen a great price, its $599 at West Marine for a Norcold DE 0051

[Dene]

Our Campion 22 footer was the first boat we purchased without a fridge. The previous owner took it out and converted it into galley space. He was wise to do so on this boat. We found that using a cooler in the cockpit works just fine, especially if you divide it, using the waterless ice thingies for perishable foods and regular ice for drinks.

The fridge on our 30 footer busted last summer. Nasty price tag to replace.

-Greg

[Doryman]

[thataway]

The newer Norcolds--which most C Dories now have use the Danfoss compressor, not the old Japanese swing motor compressor and are as about effecient as most of the other refigerators available. But look at Tundra and Nova Cool--both are highly recommended.

We also find that our Norcold in the CD 25 runs about 50 % of the time--no matter what the ambient temp...We don't depend on the refigerator for long trips, but use two large ice chests. One ice chest we only get into once a day, the other we keep soft drinks etc in and put food for dinner in it from the less opened box. We keep wet towels over the ice boxes and that significantly helps keep the ice.

In the past we have found that a Norcold pretty much drains a group 31 battery in 24 hours. (110 amp hours--x average of 2.5 amps-x 24 hours is close to 55 amp hours or 50% discharge--and that is as much as you should take the battery down).

These refigs don't have much room, in comparison to the larger ref we had in rV's or the serious holding plate systems (6 to 10 feet each freezer or refigerator) I am not aware of any good holding plate or top loading system, other than what we or several others have in our Tom Cats. Although there are some advantages of a 12 volt holding plate system, it is no where as effecient as the 110 V large compressor/large plates or engine driven compressor systems--which will hold a freezer at 10 degrees or less for 24 hours on an hour of run time.

We have the Norcold top loading chest type refigerator/freezer in the Tom Cat and I like that much better than the CD front loading refigerator. It will be either a refig or freezer--which the front loading will not, and it will contain considerably more food. We put frozen food in the top loader and use the entrees daily--allowing them to thaw in the ice chests.

We didn't have a refig in the 22, and I didn't consider putting one in. I ordered the tC 255 without a refig, planing to put in the top loader. The 25 came with the refig--and we are keeping it--great for dock side and the small amounts of food when I visit Calif--but for long trips, we want more room--but for the loop anything will do--you can get to stores and ice almost every day--sometimes a bit of a walk, but often you will be given a ride.

Our rig in the Tom Cat 255:




We put tackle boxes in back of and around the top loader--contain spare parts and fishing tackle--and allows effecient use of space for storage. We have 300 lb capacity ball bearing rails that the freezer rolls out on and use a single 1/4" bolt to pin the roller mechanism when we are at sea and the cabinet door is shut.

[flagold]

+1 on loving the Norcold.

[El and Bill]

Yep, Pat, the fridge is wonderful. Cheap to buy,doesn't use more electricity than Hoover Dam can produce in a day, won't run your battery down faster than a few hours, doesn't require another virtually silent and inexpensive machine (you called it, I think, a generator) that only uses a drip of cheap gasoline, holds a huge mound of food and a glacier of ice -- Yep, Pat, Jim calculated the whole shebang is a lot cheaper than a block of ice! (if you buy ice every ten minutes for ten years.)

We are definitely unhappy with our simple little ice chest -- sure wish we could hit the lottery so we could join the folks with a refrig -- oh, yeh, El just reminded me, we did win the Ontario Lottery a few years ago -- maybe that win will cover the new refrig? Oh, yeh, and we also have to get the battery and wiring issues for the ice chest solved.

[JamesTXSD]

For any of you thinking Bill, Pat, Dr. Bob and I are at odds on this issue, let me state emphatically that we are all like-minded when it comes to the most important issue: using the boat! We may differ on the execution and the amenities, but that's just personal taste. For some, a vacation means backpacking with a small tent; for others it's lying by a pool with non-stop margaritas being delivered. We like to think that we're somewhere in between.

Whether a fridge adds to your enjoyment onboard or whether you think it's more complication than you need is just another of the many options for how we all use these boats. To fridge or not to fridge? You pay your money, you make your choice. I've had the pleasure to meet the three principals mentioned above, and they've all made the choice that's right for them... and the way they USE their boats.

Best wishes,
Jim B. (now if I could figure out a way to put a hot tub in this thing...)

[Captains Cat]

[Pat Anderson]

Plus, Bill knows he is always welcome to run his extension cord over to Daydream any time he needs to recharge his batteries!