Hi Crusoe

If you are talking about the traditional chest type fridge/freezers i haven't had any experience with them on boats but i have had a couple of 40 litre ones over the years in 4wd's

They are generally reliable and seen to be well built but they don't have very thick walls or lid and this is a advantage in that they are compact for their capacity but in hot conditions they seem to cycle on and off fairly often to maintain temperature and might be a bit hard on your batteries

In Cairns this was more of a problem than in Tassie so it really depends on how warm it is where you are

Also they like a bit of airspace around the condenser end of the fridge so depending in where you are mounting them this might be a issue

Regarding sweating my first one that i had from 1982 to 2005 was out in the open and i never saw any moisture on the outside and my current one is in a transit bag so i would not see any but i don't think there would be any

ARB do a range of fridges www.arb.com.au/portable-fridge-freezers/ that seem to have a fairly good reputation in 4wd circles, i think they might be a bit better insulated and the other advantage they have over a Engel is that they have a drain plug in the bottom so you can wash them out and let the water drain out of the bottom although mounted on your boat this may not be of any use

Regards Don

And another 4xoverland.com/12v-fridge-freezer-buyer-guide/

Engels!
I have had a 40 litre for 12years and a 60 litre for 18 months and I can't recommend them highly enough!
I use them in a 4wd and a camper - not on a yacht.
I have not had an issue with either of them - one complaint would be that they can be a little noisy, but that is in the campertrailer on a quiet night. It's only a minor issue that could probably be sorted by fitting a piece of rubber where the compressor occasionally vibrates on the frame of the 60 litre.

Engels are the only ones who have the Sawafuji swing motor and they are constructed of metal.
Both of mine have an insulated bag that increases the insulation properties, no issues with sweating.

Thanks NowandZen for your feedback. I've got mates (truely :) who also use them in vehicles and swear by them. I was hoping to find someone who might be using an Engel on a boat and has a good idea of their power consumption over a 24hr period when being used as a fridge or maybe a freezer. It would be nice not to have to run the motor to charge the batteries so often.

I will admit that the CF50 Waco's I have on the boat have been reliable and do a good job of keeping cold and the one that is set to -15 deg works well. But they both sweat like pigs and have a thirst for DC amps.

DAMA said..
www.norcoast.com.au/
For portables Cant beat them , especially the extra insulated ones.

I have to agree that Trailblaza's are a great product but the ones I have seen (a few years ago) were quite large externally for the interior size due to the thick insulation

Regards Don

I have installer two of these engel 40 ltr drop ins
http://www.engelaustralia.com.au/2products_details.asp?pid=22&productid=21565
happy with their performance . But I have not lived with them on board yet but seem ok so far

Any thing above 2 and it would freeze the dial goes to 5 I think
I still have not made the bench top for the top yet this winter
Sawafuji swing motor because of its design will work well on a yacht when thinking about heeling. Id like to fit extra insulation at some time to the outer skin

Guitz said..
The Oz fridge 12 volt eutectic is worth looking at. A mate has one in his yacht and im getting one for Warana. If their standard sizes don't fit they will make one to suit.
www.ozefridge.com/

Got one, works like a dream, easy to install, light on power and very rugged, but be aware that an eutectic can only be either a frig or a freezer, not both at once.

Instead of a freezer, Im looking into getting a 12 volt cryovac machine so I can vacume pack meat etc when provisioning and fish I catch on the way.

Guitz said..
Instead of a freezer, Im looking into getting a 12 volt cryovac machine so I can vacume pack meat etc when provisioning and fish I catch on the way.

I had a small Vac packer (no not what your thinking) and it came with reusable bags. Never could clean the bags enough after having meat in them so I ended up chucking it out and brought a 240Vac one that used rolls. Cut a piece to size and seal one end to make a bag. When in port (no not drinking it) I vac pack all the meat in to meal size quantities and freeze it down. Excellent for when I was causing overseas. It can also easily run off the inverter.

HG02 said..
I have installer two of these engel 40 ltr drop ins
http://www.engelaustralia.com.au/2products_details.asp?pid=22&productid=21565
happy with their performance . But I have not lived with them on board yet but seem ok so far

I'd forgotten about your drop in fridge HG02. Next time I'm down the boat I see if I can find a spot one (or 2) of these might fit. Beef up the insulation and seal it with silver tap as you previously suggested. Cheers.

DAMA said..
www.norcoast.com.au/
For portables Cant beat them , especially the extra insulated ones.

Thanks for the suggestion DAMA. I actually sent these guys a drawing (sizes) of an area I would like to fit a unit into and asked if they could make me a box etc to fit but they never replied. It was an unusually shape I was asking about so maybe they filed it in the 2 hard basket. But I have heard they make good gear. Apparently they don't have fans for the condensers but run the pipes near the surface of the enclosure and rely on convection. (I could be wrong) Cheers

Weekenders don't experence battery drain as they tend to be back on shore power within the 2 to 3 day mark. If I had a fridge that only cycled a couple of times a day i would never need shore power again as a liveaboard.

My advise on wind-generators now is that they are only worth the bother if you fit X2 !

Solar is the only way to go at least 400watts worth!

Guitz said...
Instead of a freezer, Im looking into getting a 12 volt cryovac machine so I can vacume pack meat etc when provisioning and fish I catch on the way.

When I was away on a month trip my eutectic engine run would freeze on the bottom. We had 3 crates in the fridge would put meat in the bottom fresh meat would freeze within 24-36 hours . Not sure if they are all the same type mine is a large stainless steel block that freezes with the cooling compressor ran off the motor. Once it's cold you only need to run the motor 30 min morning and evening.

The Engel MR40F is the best for a boat.
1. Plastic casing will not rust.
2. Engel use a swing compressor which is far less prone to low voltage. This eliminate the need to use large cables from the battery. (Though large cables with no voltage drop is always better)
3. Waco fridges tend to cut out on thermals when the ambient temperature gets to hight. This is not a big problem in a boat, but is a problem if crossing the Simpson in 40deg heat.
I have 3 Engels, a 32lt that I use as a freezer, and a 40lt standard metal Engel that I use for camping and the MR40F that I carry as a spare fridge / freezer on the boat.

Jode5 said..
The Engel MR40F is the best for a boat.
1. Plastic casing will not rust.
2. Engel use a swing compressor which is far less prone to low voltage. This eliminate the need to use large cables from the battery. (Though large cables with no voltage drop is always better)
3. Waco fridges tend to cut out on thermals when the ambient temperature gets to hight. This is not a big problem in a boat, but is a problem if crossing the Simpson in 40deg heat.
I have 3 Engels, a 32lt that I use as a freezer, and a 40lt standard metal Engel that I use for camping and the MR40F that I carry as a spare fridge / freezer on the boat.

Yep, one of this would drop straight into the compartment that holds the current CF50 Waco. I would love to try before I buy and just see what it really uses as a fridge set at say 3 deg and then a freezer at minus 15 maybe. They seem a lot cheaper than the 40L Engel Platinum Series.

Thanks for your input Jode5, Cheers