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Catalina/Capri 25/250 Sailor's Forums

Catalina 25 Specific Forum

HOW To KEEP IT COLD

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quintjk
Deckhand

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USA
16 Posts

Initially Posted - 05/18/2005 : 18:54:16

Finally got to spend more than 2 days on the lake, OUTSTANDING. One
of the first things that really set me back was the short comings of
the old ICE BOX. Works well for a day sail but 2 days out and your scrambling for more ice. IDEAS for insulating the OLD GAL(internally
or externally.?) ITs really in a good place so would hate to relegate
it to pot and pan storage. IDEAS would be greatly appreciated. I'm
sure this is not a new topic. We're in Texas, it's already hot.

Edited by - on

Frank Hopper
Past Commodore

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Pitcairn Island
6776 Posts

Response Posted - 05/18/2005 : 19:13:24

The ice box does not work and never will without serious rework. Pots and pans it is for me. My boat slips at a yacht club where our electricity is part of our dues. Every slip has a 20amp hookup to a 30 amp service. I use an AC refrigerator in the v-berth. We have lousy v-berths so using one side for the frig does not really change anything in my mind. I have a container in the freezer that is full of water. I can sail for the day and that block of ice is still keeping the contents of the refrigerator cold. I must confess I do not use ice. My drinks are cold so ice is not needed. If I really wanted ice for a "recipe" I would just use my large OSCAR which sits nicely between the keel trunk and the settee.

Edited by - on

existentialsailor
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1180 Posts

Response Posted - 05/18/2005 : 19:42:12

Nice job Frank!
What an excellent idea!
Good thinking on the vent through the anchor locker.

Edited by - on

Happy D
Admiral

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921 Posts

Response Posted - 05/18/2005 : 21:01:08

I am thinking about the feasibility of cutting out the ice box from under the counter and replacing it with an Igloo Maxcold cooler. Sort of remove the lid from the Igloo and epoxy the cooler under the counter in the location of the existing icebox.
I know the epoxy probably won't stick to the cooler but a shelf built under it to hold it up will work. Drain might work also.
I haven't gotten very far beyond thinking about it to date. If I do it, I'll let everyone know if it works.
Dan
(thinking outside the icebox)

Edited by - on

ronrryan
Admiral

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USA
561 Posts

Response Posted - 05/18/2005 : 21:24:14

There's a tech tips unit on installation of a thermocouplic (sp?)cooler in the icebox. My solution is to carry one of the newer "week-cold" coolers, works like a charm here in Fla, cools the Mount Gay and diet pepsi after a week, fair winds, ron srsk Orion SW FL

Edited by - on

herbertiii
Deckhand

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USA
4 Posts

Response Posted - 05/18/2005 : 21:43:47

Spray foam available at Home Depot or similar outlet works well, but be cautious using it; it expands more than you might think and exerts comsiderable force, so apply in several small increments. I removed the drawer assemblies and shot foam until the entire area around the icebox out to where the drawers went was foamed. You'll have to do some trimming, an electric carving knife works well. The icebox drain should have a water trap in it, otherwise the cold just falls out the drain. The original design uses the same small thru hull for both sink and icebox drain; a lousy idea, so I installed a dedicated sink drain, which allows a bigger drain hose for the sink. The sink drain thru hull is under the companionway steps, almost on centerline. Some rubber gasketing around the lid helps too. With this setup, a 20lb block of ice and a bag of cubes lasts 3 days, and by that time I generally need fuel or water anyway. It served me well on a 6 month cruise from the Chesepeake Bay to the Florida Keys and back.

Edited by - on

lcharlot
Master Marine Consultant

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Antigua and Barbuda
1301 Posts

Response Posted - 05/20/2005 : 02:54:46

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by fhopper@mac.com
 The ice box does not work and never will without serious rework.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Frank's right on the mark - the built-in ice box is miserably inefficient for actual cold food storage, unless you want to go through a lot of work to upgrade the insulation. And even then, the new generation of "5-day" Igloo picnic chests are better. The built-in icebox is better used for dry storage. The small fridge in the V-berth is an interseting idea but wouldn't work for us at Folsom Lake as there is no shore power (or water for that matter) except for the one dock that has the harbormaster's office and fuel pumps on it. I have heard of one C-25 Mk. IV with an inboard diesel in which the owner installed a genuine marine freezer system - the whole works with an engine-driven freon compressor and eutectic holding plate, using the built-in ice box. And it was a full, sub-zero freezer, not a refridgerator, cold enough to keep ice cream good and hard. He usually used it to freeze bottles of water, which would then be used in a regular picnic cooler to keep non-frozen cold foods like milk, mayonnaise, and veggies. Personally, my opinion is that the Catalina 25 is a little too small to try and turn one into a "cruising" boat, with a full galley, food freezer, and all that, but to each his own. Even the Catalina 30 seems "minimal" as a cruiser. There's just not enough space in the galley area to get really fancy with "perks" like freezers. I'd like to get my hands on a center-cockpit full-keeler of some kind, say about 45'...THAT'S the size boat I could get REAL comfortable with - until it came to the end of the month and time to pay the slip fees!!

Edited by - on

John V.
Admiral

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USA
559 Posts

Response Posted - 05/20/2005 : 08:32:01

ditto the Igloo 5 day, and that rating must be for the most extreme conditions. On the Isle Royal trip last summer one block of ice lasted for 12 days. granted, there was not much left of it at the end but when we cleaned out the cooler there it was a chunk about the size of my fist. I was surprised each day when we tipped up the cooler to drain off water and little or no water came out.
At one point I checked the drain to see if something was blocking it, but it was clear. What ever combination of insulation they are using it works great.

Edited by - on

Douglas
Master Marine Consultant

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1595 Posts

Response Posted - 05/20/2005 : 23:35:05

One other idea. I use some dry ice to boost the cold. I also use a foil space blanket over the top of everything. There great for keeping heat in or out as well as keeping cold in.

Edited by - on

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