Can you use a coolbox in the water as a fridge?

[howardang]

On 14 May 2017 at 15:12, Tara1234 said:

Hey so I am soon going to be getting myself a cheap boat. However from what I have researched electrical power is inneffecient. On campsites we have kept stuff cool by putting it in a bucket of water. Would dangling a cool box off the side of the boat be able to keep my dairy and meat products cool enough or will I need to buy a 12v fridge from somewhere?

Boat electrical power is not necessarily inneficient. It does need managing properly, but most boats seem to be able to sustain some form of refrigerator.if you are considering buying a used boat it is very possible that it will already have a fridge of some sort already fitted. 

 

Howard

[zenataomm]

The very nature of a cool box is that it is insulated, therefore it insulates the contents from the outside. So it wouldn't really matter whether it is dunked in the cut, left on the bank or on board your boat your dairy and meat products would stay at approximately the temperature they were when you put them in.

Plus if not totally waterproof, do you really want canal water with its risk of Leptospirosis sloshing around amongst your butter, cheese and lamb chops? I know I wouldn't.

[MaggieMay]

If the OP was happy keeping foodstuffs cool in a bucket of water before, why not simply carry on doing so? That would avoid potential contamination from canal water.

[Mick in Bangkok]

I have recently seen an under floor storage compartment in a boat for sale video that apparently was used for storing wine, I assume this was an uninsulated box, no idea how efficient that might be but food for thought. 

[Chewbacka]

8 hours ago, Mick in Bangkok said:

I have recently seen an under floor storage compartment in a boat for sale video that apparently was used for storing wine, I assume this was an uninsulated box, no idea how efficient that might be but food for thought. 

I would think in winter pretty effective, but in a shallow canal on a hot sunny day I measured the water temp close to the boat and it was 18c, much too warm for a fridge.

[Peter-Bullfinch]

In the summer a solar panel charging a battery  will probably run a small 12v fridge. In winter it probably won't.

In winter a hatch to the boat's baseplate will make a cool box to keep things for a couple of days. I tried this idea with an old cool box cut in half and the boat base became the base of this small cool box. The hatch cover was fixed to the cool box lid.

[Mick in Bangkok]

On ‎5‎/‎15‎/‎2017 at 19:58, bargemast said:

On ‎5‎/‎15‎/‎2017 at 03:21, bizzard said:

 

Just a short question bizzard, is it necessary for this old sock to be a clean one, or will any old sock (even a holy  one) do ?

Old socks work better for a natural cheese taste

[manxmike]

On 14/05/2017 at 16:37, johnnie1uk said:

We have found that by putting prefrozen iceblocks in the fridge icebox it keeps the fridge cold without using a lot of power, this is great if you are not cruising or charging your batteries for long periods everyday.

OK, so when cruising how do you re-freeze the blocks? Or even if moored up for more than two days? I find most pubs and shops will look slightly askance at you if you ask to leave your blocks in their freezer for a couple of hours.

[bizzard]

10 hours ago, Mick in Bangkok said:

Old socks work better for a natural cheese taste

Indeed they do. The best are from someone who's just run a full marathon in a heatwave.

[tree monkey]

4 hours ago, manxmike said:

OK, so when cruising how do you re-freeze the blocks? Or even if moored up for more than two days? I find most pubs and shops will look slightly askance at you if you ask to leave your blocks in their freezer for a couple of hours.

When crusing bung the blue ice packs designed for cool boxes in your freezer and turn up your fridge, end of the day turn down the fridge and your newly frozen ice packs help keep fridge cool

[Machpoint005]

2 hours ago, tree monkey said:

When cruising bung the blue ice packs designed for cool boxes in your freezer and turn up your fridge, end of the day turn down the fridge and your newly frozen ice packs help keep fridge cool

Active thermal capacity management -- love it!

On 8/23/2017 at 10:04, Mick in Bangkok said:

I have recently seen an under floor storage compartment in a boat for sale video that apparently was used for storing wine, I assume this was an uninsulated box, no idea how efficient that might be but food for thought. 

We keep bottled beer on the floor of a cupboard in the saloon, which is also the floor of the boat. Not chilled, not even cellar cool, but quite acceptable for decent ale.

The Memsahib's l*g*r is, of course, kept in the fridge.

[manxmike]

18 hours ago, tree monkey said:

When crusing bung the blue ice packs designed for cool boxes in your freezer and turn up your fridge, end of the day turn down the fridge and your newly frozen ice packs help keep fridge cool

Hah! This makes the assumption that you have a fridge with a freezer compartment, the thread originator doesn't have a fridge at all. I have a fridge with a tiny area capable of freezing three ice cubes after a full day at full power!

I ask again - how do you re-freeze the ice packs?

[tree monkey]

8 hours ago, manxmike said:

Hah! This makes the assumption that you have a fridge with a freezer compartment, the thread originator doesn't have a fridge at all. I have a fridge with a tiny area capable of freezing three ice cubes after a full day at full power!

I ask again - how do you re-freeze the ice packs?

Buy a fridge with a small freezer compartment? 

[Phil Ambrose]

On ‎15‎/‎05‎/‎2017 at 14:32, WotEver said:

Absolutely! It's so much better for you than hydrogenated squashed up seeds. I'm amazed anyone uses margarine. 

Likewise low fat spread............one molecule away from plastic.