I have solved the refrigeration requirement in a very inexpensive way. We bought a household type chest freezer which runs on 115 VAC. Using glue, we laminated an additional 2" of foam insulation to the outside surfaces and sprayed the foam with a rubberized sealant. For ease of movement we added locking casters to the bottom. For use, we put two six gallon water jugs (campers use these) inside filled with fresh water. Also, we insert six gallon jugs of water, too. The freezer is turned on using shore power while in port. The water freezes down to 0 degrees F in a couple of days. When we cruise, the gallon jugs are removed and inserted into high performance coolers for beer, water, etc. cooling. The six gallon jugs remain in the freezer. Perishable provisions are placed in the freezer before leaving port. This gives us cool beverages in the coolers for 8 days and refrigerated perishables for at least 10 days if we don't run the AC generator. Running the generator prolongs that, depending on how long the generator runs. We have six banks of DC batteries onboard that we keep fresh with the generator every other day or so, anyway. The freezer draws 2.9 amps so it presents a negligible load. This arrangement suits our requirements on this river vessel perfectly. We rarely cruise more than a week at a time, but feel comfortable that two weeks out would not present a problem. I added a Siren Marine Wireless Temperature sensor to monitor freezing progress while away from the vessel. It's at -3 degrees as I write this. The freezer cost 300USD, the insulation and glue less than 100USD. Problem solved. We no longer purchase, haul and store ice in bags.
Ryland Fleet
Captian, "Sebastian Marie"
