Talking about fridge, now most new sailboats are coming with front loading
unit.
I am having a problem to find a new boat with a large build in ice box
equipped with refrigeration
The Beneteau 331 build in 2004 has a 38 gals ice box. While the 334 build
in 2006 have a 4.3 cubic feet front loading fridge.
The Hunter 33, 2006 has only a 2.5 cubic feet front loaded fridge.
According to the brokers and manufactures new buyers are happy with the
small front loading fridge. I thing its only good for week ends or staying
into your slip with electrical hook ups.


"Jeff" wrote in message
. ..
wrote:
Although I have been cruising for a number of years I still do not know
the amount of space needed to store food.
Some of the new sailboat are been equipped with only a 2.4 cubic foot
front opening frig and not other ice box.
When shopping for my new boat I wonder what to look for when it come to
food and water storage. I could benefit from other cruisers comments and
feedback.

First, a cranky comment - Why is that so many people ask very basic
general questions without offering even the simplest description of their
situation? I mean, don't you think it would help if you told us whether
you were interested in sail or power? Small boat or big? Or if you were
planning for 2 week trips or headed out for 2 years? Or marina hopping
day by day or hunkering down in a forgotten island for a month? Coast of
Maine or Caribbean? Or do you expect everyone to tell you everything they
know so that you can pick the parts that are of interest to you? There.
That's out of my system.

Now, as for food, you know what you like. Buy as much as will fit. If you
don't expect to see a supermarket for a while, buy extra. Don't worry
about milk or toilet paper since you can buy that anywhere. Don't assume
your eating habits will magically change; if you hate rice don't buy the
50 pound bag because some cruiser said that's the the right thing - you'll
have 49 pounds when you return.

For water, there are so many variables there's no way to suggest a number.
We have 80 gallons, and figure that should last three of us (plus a dog
that gets a bath on occasion) for at least a week. But we could stretch
for more if needed - it really depends on how often we go swimming and
need to rinse off salt water. In Maine we use very little water; down
South we used a lot.

The big item is refrigeration. Here your choice really can affect
lifestyle. We have gone towards one extreme: we a 8 foot fridge plus a 5
foot deep freeze, chilled by a holding plate system with a big DC motor.
The up side is that the fridge can hold two weeks of food and several days
of beverage, and the freezer can hold a summer's worth of steaks, burgers,
lamb, chicken, breads, veggies, etc. Wherever we are, we can pull out a
steak from our local gourmet market and grill it up. Most is packed away
pre-marinated or otherwise ready to defrost and grilled.

The downside, is that this system eats at least 90 Amp-hours a day, as
much as 120 if its hot and the water is hot. If we're powering, or on
shore power, this is not a problem. But in an anchorage, we get one day's
grace and then have to start running the engine, or a small genset, for
about 60-90 minutes a day. We have limited solar (150 watts) which helps,
and if were were out for longer periods we would double the solar and add
a wind generator, but for now we generate most of the power with the
engine. The biggest potential problem is the we can't leave the boat
unattended on a mooring for more than a day.

If I were to do it over with today's technology, I would use the new small
hermetic compressor systems, and I'd put in one for the fridge and another
for the freezer. Thus we could make do with only one, and potentially get
by with a small enough load that could be mostly covered by solar. Also,
I might consider getting an Engel chest that could be used for periods
when we had extra needs.

Make sure that any fridge you get is well insulated and the door is well
sealed. Front opening is not a problem - its a total myth that "all the
cold spills out." (Air has a very low heat content.) The problem with
front opening doors is that they are often thin and not well insulated,
and the seals are wimpy. Also, while the air that comes in doesn't carry
much heat, it does carry humidity, so you will need to defrost more often.
Also, front opening can be a pain on a well heeled boat on a passage. Of
course, hanging over the side of a top loader looking for where the stick
of butter went to isn't much fun either.