Cooler in the bilge?

[Kelpie]

I'm in the habit of keeping my cartons of UHT in a space under the cabin sole which I reckon is about the coldest spot on the boat, being surrounded as it is on two sides by seawater. I might take this arrangement a step further by insulating the underside of the floorboard that I lift. I was wondering if I should be trying to create a sealed space or whether it's best just to keep it open to the rest of the bilge? I presume I'm not the only person to have thought of using the bilge as a fridge?
The boat, by the way, is a Vega. Here's a pic stolen from an advert which shows the space I have in mind. The white thing underneath is a fuel tank, which in my case is currently defunct but I intend to eventually use it as a water store (after giving it a good clean...)

 

[tobble]

I have no evidence for this, but i suspect you won't be able to tell the difference, and a meangniful amount of insulation will take up a lot of that relatively cool space. If you were to use this as an ice box (i.e. adding ice or cool blocks) this would help.

Of course, UHT milk in cartons doesn't need to be kept cool before opening, but you knew that. I liveaboard with no fridge and in the summer I use powdered milk, which is almost indistiguish able from skimmed milk (not ideal in itself, but better than UHT, IMHO), on the proviso that you buy the stuff that is 100% milk, not the stuff with added sugars and E numbers etc.

also worth trying yoghurt on your musli

 

[alahol2]

Tobble
Don't know if you've tried it but there is a make of 'filtered' fresh milk on the market (Crave....) which claims to stay fresh for 7 days once opened, 21 days before opening. We now use it on the boat and it definitely lasts longer than normal fresh milk and tastes a whole lot better than UHT.

 

[tobble]

Hmm, thanks for the tip, I'll give it a go if it's stocked in the local tesco.

 

[Ubergeekian]

Don't know if you've tried it but there is a make of 'filtered' fresh milk on the market (Crave....) which claims to stay fresh for 7 days once opened, 21 days before opening. We now use it on the boat and it definitely lasts longer than normal fresh milk and tastes a whole lot better than UHT.

I always found that full fat milk lasted longer than semi-skimmed lasted longer than skimmed. Dunno why. I've got used to UHT now.

 

[BobnLesley]

Vega Bilge

Hi Rob,
we have a Vega too and once you get the u/s fuel tank out, you'll find that you have a wonderful storage space. We have a fridge fitted (in the big top-opening locker astern of the galley) but on those occassions when Lesley unreasobably demands that wine, tonic and beer have to make way for mere food, the bilge is the next best option. I even have a 6-bottle plastic wine which hangs on a couple of wooden blocks within the void, it fits perfectly and even in the eastern Med it keeps bottles of red at a perfect temperature. With regard to your original question, I would go with Tobble; whilst you could insulate the undersides of the floorboard/lid, I doubt that you'd ever notice the difference and it might even prove to be detrimental, on the basis that heat rises, so the insulation might actually hold heat in the bilge compartment.

 

[Kelpie]

Thanks for the replies.
Re: type of millk- I've been using the 6-packs of Tesco value semi-skimmed UHT which work out at 40p a carton, meaning you don't feel too bad if you're only out for a day sail and need to open one in order to have a cuppa. Not quite the same as real milk but IMO much better than powdered. It also keeps well enough to go in tea for several days when the carton is in the bilge. If we're on the boat for a few days at a time I might try the Cravendale approach.

BobnLesley- very good point about heat rising, perhaps I won't bother adding any insulation. I don't know whether to remove th tank or not- it seems a shame to get rid of something that is tailor made for the space, and if we start to do any longer distance cruising I think we could do with the extra water storage. I also like the idea of putting some weight down there as the boat was designed to have something in the tank, not in the cockpit locker where the new fuel tank is.

On the subject of storage on the Vega, has anybody made use of the space under the cockpit sole? There's a pretty big void in there, but you'd have to screen off the prop shaft. I could see a big flexi water tank going in there, for example.

 

[rob2]

It brings back memories of a friend's Co26. There was a packing order along the keel for Tetrapacs of milk and custard and cans of beer. But watch out for keels bolts, etc, as with a little salt water they will rot through the aluminium beer cans - tragedy!

Rob.

 

[Ubergeekian]

With regard to your original question, I would go with Tobble; whilst you could insulate the undersides of the floorboard/lid, I doubt that you'd ever notice the difference and it might even prove to be detrimental, on the basis that heat rises...

Heat doesn't rise! Heat goes in every direction, and only goes upwards a bit more if there is some natural convection going on. If the scheme here goes right the cabin sole will generally be warmer than the cool storage area ... that temperature difference will drive heat through the lid by conduction and it will then spread through the storage area by convection (yes, even though the hot bit is at the top) and radiation.

I would definitely insulate the lid, and stick a layer or two of nice shiny aluminium foil in there as well as some foam.

Yours truly

A Heat Flow Researcher

 

[penfold]

It brings back memories of a friend's Co26. There was a packing order along the keel for Tetrapacs of milk and custard and cans of beer. But watch out for keels bolts, etc, as with a little salt water they will rot through the aluminium beer cans - tragedy!

Rob.

Lucky Co26s don't have any then...

 

[rob2]

Yes, everything was fine on the Contessa, but a companion in a Folkboat did have problems. It didn't make much difference, the lingering smell of stale beer was generally matched by the state of the crew!

Rob.