Anybody ever add a refrigerator to their boat?

[BiscuitsJaM]

I'm thinking that it would be a fun project to add a fridge to our pontoon boat. Has anyone done anything similar?

Any special considerations when choosing a fridge type?

I'm thinking that I should have it run off of a second battery in the boat, so that I could still run it when not plugged into shore power without worrying about running the main battery. Any suggestions on how to do power?

The whole rig doesn't need to be very big - just enough for a 12 pack of drinks and a few sandwiches.

 

[Chris1956]

Re: Anybody ever add a refrigerator to their boat?

12/110 volt refrigerators for boats are quite common. Try to get a corrosion resistant model, if you plan to leave it on deck. Maybe a cover when not in use is a good idea as well

 

[F_R]

Re: Anybody ever add a refrigerator to their boat?

Also consider the 12 volt portable ones. Sort of an ice chest that you plug in. I have one made by Coleman that I use for camping. But you should know that you need to have stuff cold before loading it. It takes a long time to get stuff cold otherwise. And most important, consider the battery requirement. They take considerable juice and can kill a car battery in a day or less.

Want my opinion? For day trips just use a regular ice chest. For several days, such as camping, the 12v is fine but you need a way to recharge the battery. I take a charger and plug it into the campground electric. Hard to do that on a boat though, isn't it?

 

[BiscuitsJaM]

Re: Anybody ever add a refrigerator to their boat?

I just heard a suggestion to get a fridge that runs off of AC, DC, and LP. Basically, just plug it into shore power while at the dock. Then, when running about the lake, we could switch to LP if we wanted to continue running the fridge.

Any ideas?

 

[SS MAYFLOAT]

Re: Anybody ever add a refrigerator to their boat?

I have a dual power on my cabin cruiser. Underway running on 12volt is not problem since the alternator will keep the batter charged. I have found that on a regular battery (without the engine running) the fridge will only run for about 6 to 8 hours. By that time there is not enough starting power for the engine.

I did have a bank of 4 deep cycles that I used to power the fridge, TV, DVD, and lights through an invertor. They held a decent charge for the whole weekend, but they would be drained by the end of it. The second season on them was not as good as the first. This type of use is really hard on batteries.

IMHO for that small of amount that your wanting to keep cold,,,,a big igloo brand ice chest is the way to go. Plus it offers more seating

Check your state laws on LP on board. I was told the the LP should only be used when the unit is sitting still. I maybe wrong, but it wouldn't do no harm researching it.

 

[F_R]

Re: Anybody ever add a refrigerator to their boat?

The AC/.DC/Gas ones are called absorbtion refrigerators and use ammonia for a refrigerant. They work well but they must be sitting very level or else be in motion to slosh the refrigerant around in order for it to work. Motion is no problem on a boat, but setting level would be quite a challenge. That is one reason RV owners jack up one end of their camper to get it level when parked.