galley equipment?

[InetRoadkill]

What's a normal outfitting for a galley in a 38' sailboat? I think a stove, sink, and fridge would be expected. But I'm not sure about having a freezer due to space and power requirements. How large would a fridge and a freezer be?

I'm looking at using a custom fridge with an off-the-shelf, sea water cooled refrigeration unit since cube shaped fridges don't fit against rounded hulls very well.

[TeddyDiver]

They are allways too big considering power consumption and too small considering food .. so either way. However you got to decide the preferences personally based by the facts or assumptions you have. A good can opener instead?

[InetRoadkill]

I like the can opener. It's low power, reliable, and doesn't take up much space. But it doesn't look good on the list of features should you ever decide to sell the boat.

I'm thinking about building a top-loading fridge into the counter top. That seems to be rather common. But I'm not fond of the idea of waste from food prep on the counter top finding its way into the fridge around the door seals. It seems that top loading units would have some sanitation issues.

[TeddyDiver]

Originally Posted by InetRoadkill

I'm not fond of the idea of waste from food prep on the counter top finding its way into the fridge around the door seals. It seems that top loading units would have some sanitation issues.

Some waste will find it's way there anyway wheather or not being close to food prep. Best thing in this regard is to have a crate holding the goods and a tray benieth it to collect unwanted waste. Minor cleaning takes only a minute and when it comes time to melt ice just toss the crate in a plastic bag and then in a sleeping bag so food stays safely frozen a couple of hours..

[PortTacker]

Indeed.
There's a reason why nearly all yachts have and always had top loaders.
They work. Very effeicient. Don't have them flying open and dumping your contents. Don't lose all the cold every time you open them.

Sanitation is not an issue, unless you're incredibly messy and don't clean up much...

Are you sure you actually need refrigeration?
There's lot of good articles (and books) written about the outfitting of yachts, and the vast majority of folks are actually better off in the long run without refrigeration. At least design it so it works as an icebox too.

[InetRoadkill]

Well a yacht is a luxury item in itself, so having creature comforts is sort of expected. I'm thinking a refrigerator is pretty much expected for a boat the size I'm proposing. Having a freezer can go either way.

One thing that also comes to mind with a top loader is that you have to remove anything on the counter above it to open the lid. I guess having a pull-out drawer would be better, but that does make the mechanics a bit more complicated.

[Tcubed]

Having a boat can also be a non luxury item if that is your way of life, your only home.

Having lived the great majority of my life on engineless sailboats i am very used to not having a fridge. Recently having taken up land life (not for ever) i have for the first time a fridge and i have never in my life seen so much food spoil. The exact opposite of the idea of refrigeration. It seems one puts things in a fridge thinking they'll keep for a long time, and they get forgotten and eventually spoil.

It always amazes me how people take up the cruising life to get 'away from it all' and yet drag all of it with them onboard!

A windgen/solar panels will take care of basics but i have yet to see one satisfactorily supply the energy required for a fridge. Therefore you' re slaving yourself to running the engine/generator every day with all the associated noise/stench, AND introducing another degree of complication to that of the fridge itself.

I would strongly reccommend anyone considering a fridge for a sailboat to really think the whole thing through and decide whether or not it is really worth it.

On another angle i am looking into making a solar icebox for the house and if it works then i would say that this might be a very simple option for a sailboat. http://techref.massmind.org/techref/...olitefridg.htm Check it out! Very neat, hich tech made low tech. No moving parts , super simple, no noise, very low probability of breakdown and runs forever just as surely as the sun rises and sets.

Bottom line; K.I.S. (Especially on boats)

[PortTacker]

Originally Posted by InetRoadkill

Well a yacht is a luxury item in itself, so having creature comforts is sort of expected. I'm thinking a refrigerator is pretty much expected for a boat the size I'm proposing. Having a freezer can go either way.

One thing that also comes to mind with a top loader is that you have to remove anything on the counter above it to open the lid. I guess having a pull-out drawer would be better, but that does make the mechanics a bit more complicated.

Not being argumentative, just sayin' ....
Again, consider that
Nearly ALL boat's iceboxes (or fridges) are toploaders, even in very large yachts for the most part, except maybe large power yachts. The reasons why this is has been Well time tested. (things like dors tend to fly open at the most inoportune times, and doors let out all the cold when opened, among other reasons.)
Yes, having to remove everything that's above the lid is a minor nuisance. Usually there are twin lids for that reason, plus you open a smaller hole when you open one. This is only a problem in port. At sea, nothing really stays on a counter anyway, it self-relocates to the floor. (The sink becomes your catchall at sea. I like a large one, with double bowls.)
And 38' isn't a large yacht.

[kenJ]

Whether you go refrigeration or ice box, insulate it well during construction. I have many dockmates with fairly new US production boats with front loading fridges. They all hate them. Things fall out when the door is opened, cold comes out as you dig what you need out of the back, they do not hold enough because they usually use a manufactured one, a top loader can be any size or odd shape. Make it big, a frozen gallon of water in the bottom of the fridge, drastically cuts down the electrical demand.

[InetRoadkill]

If I trade some drawer space, I can get about 6 or 7 cu-ft of space for a fridge. Now I'm trying to decide if I want a divider so that I can use one refrigeration unit for both a freezer and fridge, or just go with all fridge.

I guess the top loader is the best choice, despite the counter space nuisance. It yields the most room and still leaves enough space for 3 or 4 inches of foam insulation around it.