Norcold reefer on C-Dory 22 Cruiser

R

Ragtime Joe

New member
I'm planning to install a 2 cubic foot Norcold refrigerator on my 2008 22 Cruiser. I'd appreciate seeing photos or ideas from anyone who has done that before I get started on the project.

Thanks, Joe
 
I didn't want to have to get on my knees to get into the fridge, so I made a base to replace my front dinette seat and strapped the fridge down.

No pictures yet.

Bill Kelleher
 
Thanks for the photos Robert. That will be helpful as I get ready to cut. Did you build a platform for the unit to rest on? Have you been satisfied with the performance of the unit?
 
Ragtime Joe":9v1qornt said:
Thanks for the photos Robert. That will be helpful as I get ready to cut. Did you build a platform for the unit to rest on? Have you been satisfied with the performance of the unit?
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We just cut a couple boards and placed/wedged them on the bottom of the opening for the Norcold to sit on. Nothing on the sides. The unit slides in and out easily after removing the 4 bolts on the front.

We have been very happy with the Norcold. Not huge, but so much better than carrying ice in a cooler. The Norcold is quiet and works great on battery or shore power.

After you install the Norcold, install a 100w solar panel - takes care of the battery draw from the Norcold and much more.
 
Jack in Alaska":zrf91bvm said:
Does the Norcold refer stand up to the pounding of the hull in rough seas???
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I had a Norcold factory installed in my previous 22. We had that boat for about 8 years and it was in rough seas plenty of times during my Neah Bay fishing trips. Never had a single problem with the fridge.
 
Aside from it being loud when it cycles on at night, we have been pretty happy with ours. We installed ours under the helm seat.

One recommendation is to put some foam weather stripping around the cabinet face to reduce vibration. Under the 2x4 support the fridge sits on, we laid a shag carpet to absorb sound/vibrations. One final recommendation is to recess the cabinet face so that the fridge does not protrude into the aisle. We moved ours in about 2 inches and it looks much better while still being easy to access.

Save the door and hinges you remove and repurpose it. We used ours on the galley countertop to extend the countertop. I will post some photos in the upoming weeks.

PM if you have questions in the meantime
 
Joe,
I just saw your request on installing a Norcold refrig. I have an email on my install and some questions regarding operation of the unit on DC. I have not posted pictures yet, but I modified my helm seat/cabinet to handle the refrig. I installed a Xantrex battery charger that will hopefully keep the batteries charged. It took me about a day to modify and install the refrig. I would be happy to talk it over with you if you'd like. I did add a simple plywood support base for the refrig and had to add some blocking to the sides since the Norcold unit is a bit smaller then the cabinet opening. I cut up the shelf unit that I had to remove to add the refrig and re-used the shelf material to make filler strips for the sides and top-sort of like face frames for a cabinet. I used the existing cabinet base material as a template to make the bevel cut to the hull and that worked for me. It came out reasonably well. I might add some additional trim in the future to dress it up. I ran dedicated AC line and DC lines for the refrig. The Norcold draws fairly low currents on AC and DC, but I used 12 ga. wire anyway-probably overkill.

Good lead on the Novacool, I had not heard about that unit before I selected the Norcold unit.

Best of luck on the install.
Jack Howell
 
I echo Marc's comments on Novakool. They are top quality and use Danfoss compressors (very quiet and reliable). Also, you might consider Isotherm. We have a R3000 Novakool that I installed on our 23 Venture and we are very pleased.

If you have shore power and a battery charger on board, you can save some money ordering a DC only unit (powered by the charger when on AC). Also, make sure to follow the manufacturers recommendations for venting and wiring (very important). On our unit (DC) the factory lists 8ga. wire for a 20 ft run.
 
Interesting recommendation the 8ga wire. My manual states for runs over 20 ft use 12 ga wire. The refrig is spec'd at 3 amps DC. Curious why they would list it a 8ga?? And the DC pigtail supplied by Norcold that comes with the refrig is only 14ga wire.
Regards,
Jack Howell
 
ON our cc23 I replaced the num12 wire with number 10 wire for a 15ft roundtrip run for our Tundra fridge that came with our cape cruiser . The batteries seem to last a little longer
 
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