Refrigeration A25

[kerrye]

Sunset ride or does your lockout function on your slides work when the slide is mounted on the bottom I just got back to New York and got a chance to play with the slides I ordered and they lock in that in position no matter whether it's mounted on the side or on the bottom but it requires gravity to get it to lock in the out position so it looks like if I mount them on the bottom it'll only lock in I think I could reach my finger up into the slide and engage the mechanism manually when they're mounted on the bottom but I'm not sure how reliable the hold would be if the latches are held in place by gravity My slides are Fulterer 5400 18inch locking slides

[Sunsetrider]

Kerrye - mine lock when pulled fully out. Perhaps the weight of the fridge makes a difference? However, I believe my locking tabs are spring loaded, rather than gravity.

[kerrye]

Picked up the frig today.

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[kerrye]

$670 US dollars no tax no shipping. I picked it up on Tonawanda NY.

[kerrye]

Steve, do you have any difficulty in removing the floorboard over the fuel tank once the refrigerator shelf is in place. That board is already a pretty tight fit on mine and it looks like without lifting up the aft end higher than the shelf would allow it wont come out easily. Any thoughts?

[kerrye]

It looks like if I trim some wood from the front port corner of the floorboard and remove the engine cover before attempting to remove the the floorboard, it can be removed with the new shelf in place.

[Sunsetrider]

I find I have to be very precise in the angles of lifting and pulling to get it in and out. I have it down pat now but at the expense of some gelcoat crumbs and scratches. It is a very tight fit and trimming some wood is a good idea. The good thing is one rarely needs to remove that particular plank.

[kerrye]

Some pictures from my icebox removal/frig installation work.

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[WillieC]

Nice pics, Kerrye!

Makes me want to rip into more fiberglass on the boat. If it weren't so nasty, fiberglass work could be fun. I highly recommend Boatworks Today videos for useful information on how to do glasswork. They can be a bit tedious and Andy's personality some may find annoying. I like his persona and really appreciate his detail. As with everything, others will have better ways to do things. Hey, it's the internet age.

Kerrye and Sunsetrider: Nothing like spending a lot of time out on the boat to come up with improvements. I appreciate the info on the fridge mods, even though I don't need one up here in the PNW. I will however likely use that space for my cooler, yet another winter proyecto. This summer we chased our cheap-o cooler all around the floor, made it work, but still a pain. We plan on getting one of the new super coolers that actually keep things cold and planting it in that spot makes good sense. Do you guys find it impedes access to the galley and v-birth. How do you keep the cabin door open, now that it doesn't travel as far as it used to, what with the fridge in the way? (Ours swings over 90 degrees and has a detent pin attached to the edge of the old skinny shelf. I'll figure it out.)

[kerrye]

I don't have the full shelf in yet but my estimation is that the door will open 90 degrees. So the space you have to move thru is the same size as the bow cabin door is wide. Not as easy as with the original icebox but not a deal breaker either. At least how I see it now. If it turns out to be a PIA I could shorten the depth of the shelf and go with a narrower frig. For instance, the Dometic 50 is 14" deep as opposed to the 19" of the Unique 60l. However the Dometic is not a true frig/freezer combination.

[kerrye]

The fiberglass work is pretty easy. I first attached the wooden blocks to the hull. I sanded the hull, wiped down with acetone and then used 5 minute epoxy. I put a fairly thick piece of cloth on the wood and wetted it out before putting it on the wetted hull and clamping it in place. I used the cloth because since the interior layer of the hull is woven roving it is not uniformly smooth and I thought the wetted cloth would squeeze into the indentations. Since I had no thickener to make a paste for the fillets I just bought some plumbers epoxy paste and used it to make the fillets. I then used regular set epoxy to put the cloth around the blocks. After looking at the bonds formed by just the wood.cloth combination I think a person could get by with just that simple attachment. The bond was very strong.

[WillieC]

Looking at the space beneath...don't lose it! I keep my spare starter and misc. stuff I hope never to use down there. Mine has a shelf that sits on the chine and a strip of wood on the glass, inboard. My propane locker used to fit in the forward area. It was so poorly done, I removed the whole thing and went to the Origo stove. Another topic, so glad I went this route.
Your epoxy and blocks are bullet proof. Carry on and keep the pics coming.

[kerrye]

Yes, that space is valuable. I had hoped to put the batteries there initially but once I cut down the few inches to make the frig fit, there wasn't enough height. I'm pretty sure I'm going to put the batteries in those two hidden comparments under the gunwale.

[kerrye]

Final installation of the shelf pictures. Note that I initially set the sliders too close to the hull. Neither would latch. I had to move them inboard about 3/4" to get them to latch. You can see the door at about 90 degrees and the width of the passage with the shelf in the locked position.

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[WillieC]

Looks really good but my left elbow hurts just looking at the door. That's ok because I usually bonk my head stepping down because I'm old and don't bend at the waist or knees much anymore without crying. What's one more assault on the body!
How 'bout hippie beads instead of a door! I think I'm onto something here.

I do like the slide out feature. Accessible from either space. I am seriously thinking about moving my galley out into the pilot house. The little shelf that clips to the right of the galley sink I have modified so that it also clips onto the little shelf above and to the left of where you guys are putting the fridge. It is perfect for the Origo two-burner. Nothing better than making my breakfast when the Starfleet Commander is driving and I have full view of all the action. Otters with pups, eagles and chum, the Sound at her best, six knots in the sun. I love being on the water.