Refrigeration on a C29

I am thinking about installing a refrigeration conversion unit on my Cal 29. I am tired of having to hunt for ice every 2-3 days while cruising in the summer as well as having the icebox drainage in the bilge. I am wondering about the experiences some of the others on this list have had with this type of project. Specifically: What are the best brands of conversion kits; compressors and evaporators? Where have other C29 owners located the compressor to assure ventilation? Were there any other pitfalls / things to watch out for? Thanks for any advice, Terry Spencer Cal 2-29 Capriccio Tacoma, WA

--- In Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com, Terrence Spencer <tspencer@...> wrote: > > I am thinking about installing a refrigeration conversion unit on my Cal 29. > I am tired of having to hunt for ice every 2-3 days while cruising in the > summer as well as having the icebox drainage in the bilge. I am wondering > about the experiences some of the others on this list have had with this > type of project. Specifically: > > What are the best brands of conversion kits; compressors and evaporators? I had an engine driven Technautics system in my Choate 40 25 years ago and it worked like a charm. I will put one in the Cal 40 when I get around to it and will contact the same company. It does not have the 12 vDC capability so, if you plan on spending a lot of time in the slip and want it there, the 12v DC is probably better and it is cheaper. The Technautics system had an electric clutch so, when we were running the engine to charge batteries, we would flip the clutch on. You had to watch it because after 40 minutes it would freeze everything. I had a temp gauge on the front of the fridge and would shut off the clutch when it hit 40 degress. In the Transpac, we used it as a freezer and took the frozen evening meal out each morning and put it in an ice chest with the soft drinks for the day. It acted like an ice cube as it cooled and defrosted. We had great food the whole race while lots of guys ate freeze dried stuff that all tastes like apple sauce. Of course, now water makers make freeze dried stuff more practical. > > Where have other C29 owners located the compressor to assure ventilation? That I can't help with. Our unit was under the port quarterberth. > > Were there any other pitfalls / things to watch out for? One of the crew took a junior college course on refrigeration so he could fix it if it broke. We took some spares. MIke Kennedy Conquest cal 40 # 96 > > Thanks for any advice, > Terry Spencer > Cal 2-29 > Capriccio > Tacoma, WA >

I have had a very good experience with the Norcold, 12 volt DC/ 120 volt AC conversion on out Cal 46. I installed the first one in 1983. It performed perfectly for 21 years, yes 21 years. When it finally died I replaced it with the same unit. Anything on a boat that lasts 21 years has to be good. Downside- When operating on 12 volts it pulls a fair amount of juice from the batteries. No problem if motoring, as your alternator takes care of it. At anchor or while sailing, you need to watch your charge, particularly on a hot day when cold beverages are being consumed. We have never had a problem, but our Cal 46 has six large 6 volt golf cart batteries. Also, I built our fridge from scratch, maxed out the space available, considered the amount of insulation, built a male mold of the interior,(rounded corners, easier to clean, etc.), sprayed up gel coat, then mat,cloth,mat. I then used the best insulation available in 1983. It is still working fine. The space is limited, but not a problem as we have a 12 cubic foot freezer under a dinnete seat. It has a standard hermitic unit, like each convenience store has dozens of, (cheap, but 120 volts AC only), great at the dock or when genset is running. The coils for this unit are around the stainless steel liner. It also has a Dole holding plate from an ice cream truck driven by a 2 cylinder Tecumseh compressor belt driven off my Yanmar genset. At anchor or sailing in the tropics, about 20 minutes run time morning and evening keeps the ice cream hard. On our non-stop sail from the Panama Canal to Mobile, Alabama, we had a bowl of ice cream each day. Life is good aboard SATORI. :-) Tom and Bobbie Vandiver --- Terrence Spencer <ts… [at] harbornet.com> wrote: > I am thinking about installing a refrigeration > conversion unit on my Cal 29. > I am tired of having to hunt for ice every 2-3 days > while cruising in the > summer as well as having the icebox drainage in the > bilge. I am wondering > about the experiences some of the others on this > list have had with this > type of project. Specifically: > > What are the best brands of conversion kits; > compressors and evaporators? > > Where have other C29 owners located the compressor > to assure ventilation? > > Were there any other pitfalls / things to watch out > for? > > Thanks for any advice, > Terry Spencer > Cal 2-29 > Capriccio > Tacoma, WA > >

Terrence Spencer wrote: > I am thinking about installing a refrigeration conversion unit on my > Cal 29. > I am tired of having to hunt for ice every 2-3 days while cruising in the > summer as well as having the icebox drainage in the bilge. > I fall into the "refrigeration is expensive and a pain" category, so I'll inquire about whether you've tried improving the insulation in your icebox (most are very minimally insulated by the boatbuilder). You can use standard foam panels, or the spray urethane foam. Using a reflective surface (like a "space blanket") on top of the contents also helps. Sometimes you can add foam panels inside the icebox if you have no way of gaining access to the outside. To improve efficiency, the drain should have a trap, like the trap under a sink, to keep cold air from "draining" out via convection (cold air falls, right down the drain). You can put a bend into the drain hose or run the hose into a jug or other container. There is a trap in effect as soon as the water in the container is at the hose end. The container can also keep the drain juice out of your bilge. You could even put a small automatic bilge pump into the container and use much less electricity than the compressor, fan, etc are going to use with mechanical refrigeration. Chris Campbell