Small coolerbox for 3 or 4 days?

[Spirit (of Glenans)]

Put the contents in the bottom of the box and the bag of ice over the top. I was considering making a custom coolbox from glassfibre and insulation. I've known some people turn awkward lockers into coolboxes by installing decent insulation.

Since ms ronsurf cured my asthma by suggesting a dairy free diet we consume very little. Cheese can be stored at room temperature so that goes in the bilge with the beer, for milk those little hotel room canisters can suffice. Butter? Just go without. Drop scones and syrup/honey/fruit for breakfast, or good bacon sarnies.

I would rather go without butter for three days than have no VHF radio because the electricity was spent keeping butter cool.

Butter, non-refrigerated, doesn't get soft enough to spread on bread successfully around here, most of the time?

 

[geem]

While that is true my point was that a fridge is not necessary. My friends did the trip in a Boreal 47, not the cheapest boat on the planet, and they had passages of many weeks.

Do you have a fridge at home? Sounds like you don't think it's necessary. For 9 months of the year our boat is our home. Why would we not have a fridge or freezer

 

[Neeves]

Depends how far you sail from the vicinity of your freezer.

Distance is not relevant - except the time to get your icebox to your yacht. The OP wants to use an icebox for 3-4 days, or maybe does not want to eat tinned or dehydrated foods for any or all of that period. With good management and a well insulated box, pack an average esky in a big polystyrene box will improve performance, the 3-4 days requirement is really not difficult - but as Geem said buying a small, portable, compressor fridge that works off solar or a slight upgrade to the house bank might be a good investment and offer other opportunities (like more days 'off piste'). It is the 21st Century a fridge is hardly a novel bit of technology.

Its an interesting question as part of the answer might be in different packing of specific items or altering the menu. You don't need to go back a few decades and fridges were not quite as common place as to day - and people survived - how often do you use salted fish? - it was once common (but maybe difficult to source now in the UK, we can source in Sydney in shops catering for the Portuguese community. There is no one right answer - just the need for lateral thinking. Here we can buy tinned butter (3 Feathers Butter) and we used to be able to buy tinned cheese, Bega (but I have not seen it for some years now).

Its possibly a bit unreliable - but if you are sailing - there are plenty of, fresh, fish in the sea

There are options - not restricted to an esky.

Jonathan

I confess - pre covid - we would go off for a 3 months cruise (to Tasmania) and would fish on passage, primarily Tuna. We would eat the tuna and freeze some. We would keep the heads and use them as bait for our crayfish pot. We cannot eat a whole tuna quickly enough and we have a decent fridge and and separate deep freeze (takes a tuna and any 'excess' cray fish). We stock the freezer with meat as most veg will keep if 'looked after'. The idea of not having some means to store 'real' food would discourage us from making the 3 month trips - the technology is available - why not use it.

We are not gluttons - but we expect to eat well.

Its not camping in the 1960s - we have moved on.

 

[ghostlymoron]

Main meals are not a problem tinned stews and casseroles, tinned new potatoes, tinned peas/beans all cooked in one pot are delicious at sea whereas we wouldn't touch them at home. Milk, ham and bacon are my main problems.

 

[geem]

Main meals are not a problem tinned stews and casseroles, tinned new potatoes, tinned peas/beans all cooked in one pot are delicious at sea whereas we wouldn't touch them at home. Milk, ham and bacon are my main problems.

We try to eat fresh stuff rather than tinned stuff where possible. My wife in particular is very health conscious. She likes to cook and fresh ingredients are a must. The benefits for me are great food and a healthy diet. We have a cold fridge with a 10 litre freezer in it and a warm fridge for fruit and veg. We keep the warm fridge at 10degC. We still had some fruit and veg after crossing the Atlantic earlier this year. That wouldn't be possible without our fridges.
Whether you need or want a fridge is a lifestyle decision. For us it's essential. The power consumption is a non issue. Solar runs everything when at anchor. We add towed generator whilst moving. Never a day when batteries are not in float

 

[[70521]]

Do you have a fridge at home? Sounds like you don't think it's necessary. For 9 months of the year our boat is our home. Why would we not have a fridge or freezer

A small fridge and freezer at home, but my friends voyaged for three years without one.

If you or others feel you need a fridge fine all I am saying is it can be done without one.

 

[geem]

A small fridge and freezer at home, but my friends voyaged for three years without one.

If you or others feel you need a fridge fine all I am saying is it can be done without one.

My pal cruised in his boat across the Atlantic and Pacific for 15 years. Never had a fridge. Basically he hated all things technical. Always thought it would let him down or he wouldn't have the power to run one. No amount of explaining would convince him otherwise. His wife hated the fact they had to resort to tinned food all the time. It was a constant bone of contention. They had an appalling diet.
It's so easy to have refrigeration in a boat these days that it makes no sense to me to do without.

 

[steve yates]

I dont need one, I’ve done may two week sails on this wee boat without one.
But I would like one, so I’m exploring my options. Space is at a premium, but proper milk and bacon rolls are a lixury Iould very much enjoy at anchor

 

[Chiara’s slave]

My wife is addicted to tea, and proper milk in it. We’ve always had a fridge, even 30 years ago on a Strider catamaran.

 

[Neeves]

I dont need one, I’ve done may two week sails on this wee boat without one.
But I would like one, so I’m exploring my options. Space is at a premium, but proper milk and bacon rolls are a lixury Iould very much enjoy at anchor

Of course you can do without a fridge, you can also wash in cold seawater - but you do not need to. Hot, freshwater showers and a small fridge are not technically difficult installations nor excessively expensive and they do seem to be a normal and accepted part of today's life . If the choice was the latest Sumsung/Apple mobile phone (certainly a high priority for some, today) or a fridge - the fridge would win hands down - and leave enough money to instal a calorifier for the hot showers (assumes in-board engine).

Now if your little fridge has a small icebox you can buy those frozen croissants or breakfast rolls, bake them as you lie in your berth, pondering the day, and you can then have fresh baked bacon rolls - and French press coffee with the luxury of fresh milk - followed by a hot freshwater shower - all you need sacrifice is the phone - frabtious days (at anchor)

Jonathan

 

[Chiara’s slave]

I don’t get the hair shirt approach. Do we not all do everything we can to make life easier on board, including of course planning your passage making. We get pretty much the same satisfaction from really successful domestics as we do from a perfect sail, catching all out tides and winds. They’re both equal partners in cruising.

 

[Buck Turgidson]

Fridge or no fridge, if you spend a few days bashing into waves as I did crossing Biscay a few years ago, your fresh milk will get churned into curds and whey, as mine did. I thought I was being clever taking some fresh along with the UHT but in the end 3Ltr had to be dumped. I had enough butter

 

[Alfie168]

I think some people have ignored the limitations imposed by a small trailer sailer with single battery basic electrics. A fridge is not an option, however desirable. A peltier cool box will flatten your battery pdq.
For milk many do what I do and use one milk container as a freezer block in a cool box. If you can't stand UHT milk (which is better than it used to be) can I suggest you buy filtered milk (Cravendale or suchlike) which has most of the bacteria filtered out and will last 3 or 4 days either cool or unrefrigerated. Either way it lasts far longer than normal pasteurised once opened. That's what I take.

I have to be careful as since I lost most of my sense of smell detecting foodstuffs that have " gone off" has become a real problem. I know it sounds quite funny at first, but it's actually quite depressing at times.

 

[Chiara’s slave]

The limitations of small trailer sailers have been largely removed by cheap solar power. You could easily fit 100+ watts of solar onto a 24ft boat. That and a basic, admittedly less efficient controller for £100 is achievable. Whilst my boat is right on the ragged edge of trailable boats, it still has minimal space below, and we can fit a small compressor fridge in, that can be run by a 100w solar array, in summer, when you need it most.

 

[greeny]

The limitations of small trailer sailers have been largely removed by cheap solar power. You could easily fit 100+ watts of solar onto a 24ft boat. That and a basic, admittedly less efficient controller for £100 is achievable. Whilst my boat is right on the ragged edge of trailable boats, it still has minimal space below, and we can fit a small compressor fridge in, that can be run by a 100w solar array, in summer, when you need it most.

Out of interest, where do you mount your 100w panel?
I'm trying to boost my electric capability in my small 20 footer and it seems that a gantry would be the only place to site a decent sized panel and I really don't want a gantry on such a small boat. Looking for ideas. The only place I've come up with is to clip it onto the back rail with clips then supporting it out over the water at the stern. But then it inhibits the access from the stern from dinghy or swimming activities.

 

[Chiara’s slave]

Out of interest, where do you mount your 100w panel?
I'm trying to boost my electric capability in my small 20 footer and it seems that a gantry would be the only place to site a decent sized panel and I really don't want a gantry on such a small boat. Looking for ideas. The only place I've come up with is to clip it onto the back rail with clips then supporting it out over the water at the stern. But then it inhibits the access from the stern from dinghy or swimming activities.

On the foredeck, tucked up behind the anchor locker, cables go, tightly clipped into the locker and from there into the interior. The solar controller lives about 50cm from the batteries, under our bed in the fore cabin.

 

[steve yates]

As I mentioned, I have a 50w solar panel, biggest I can fit currently and two 110ahr leisure batteries, so its not a bad set up for an 18ft boat. I can monitor my batteries so easy enough to decide when the fridge/coolbox will have to be turned off till the next marina.
i like the sound of the filtered milk, thats a good idea. And Iwont be crossing Biscay in this boat

 

[Chiara’s slave]

As I mentioned, I have a 50w solar panel, biggest I can fit currently and two 110ahr leisure batteries, so its not a bad set up for an 18ft boat. I can monitor my batteries so easy enough to decide when the fridge/coolbox will have to be turned off till the next marina.
i like the sound of the filtered milk, thats a good idea. And Iwont be crossing Biscay in this boat

I and several others here think your setup will handle 3-4 days of a Vevor type small portable fridge. Run it vey cold at home and in the car, less so once on the boat. Turn off at night if you need to. I think you won’t have to with those batteries. They might be a bit low at the dnd of your trip, but they’ll most likely have a week to recover.

 

[geem]

I think some people have ignored the limitations imposed by a small trailer sailer with single battery basic electrics. A fridge is not an option, however desirable. A peltier cool box will flatten your battery pdq.
For milk many do what I do and use one milk container as a freezer block in a cool box. If you can't stand UHT milk (which is better than it used to be) can I suggest you buy filtered milk (Cravendale or suchlike) which has most of the bacteria filtered out and will last 3 or 4 days either cool or unrefrigerated. Either way it lasts far longer than normal pasteurised once opened. That's what I take.

I have to be careful as since I lost most of my sense of smell detecting foodstuffs that have " gone off" has become a real problem. I know it sounds quite funny at first, but it's actually quite depressing at times.

A small Peltier fridge will flatten everybody's batteries regardless if how big. Typically a constant 75w drain. Far better with a compressor fridge. Our 40L portable has a 45w compressor running only a 1/3 of the time.

 

[Alfie168]

A small Peltier fridge will flatten everybody's batteries regardless if how big. Typically a constant 75w drain. Far better with a compressor fridge. Our 40L portable has a 45w compressor running only a 1/3 of the time.

What make and model is your fridge ?