Cold Sauvi Blanc for the admiral

[Duane Dunn, Allegro]

Mike,

How did you vent the chest in the underseat location?

Did the seat board fit flush over the top of the Engle 65? I assume you had it setting on the ballast tubes.

Do you think 65 watts would work up here in the northern areas?

Do you have any pictures?

[Chinook]

Hi Duane,

I addressed venting by only boxing rigid insulation around the food compartment section of the unit. I left the mechanical end, with its louvered vents, completely exposed. I then cut a rectangular hole in the side of the aft table settee wall, directly in line with the frig's compressor vents. I installed a plastic rectangular louvered vent cover (West Marine) over the cutout. I similarly installed a louvered vent on the other side, into the head compartment. This gives direct ventilation from the bilge space, plus ventilation from under the table and from the head. This arrangement seems to be working very well. To create a flat floor to set the Engle on, I custom cut blocks of rigid foam to fit alongside the ballast tank hump, to create a level, solid surface for the unit to set on. This also served to give me additional insulation value. The lid of the Engle 35 sits below the level of the settee, so the factory seat lit fits fine. I had about 1/2 inch of space below the lid, and glued a panel of flexible closed cell foam insulation (like some backpacking pads are made of), to the underside of the lid panel. This further insulated the food box, and gave the lid panel more rigidity. Regarding solar panel support here locally, I did take the boat out to the San Juans for 10 days this past July. We had clear skies about 60 percent of the time, laid over 3 days, and motored at least part of the time on the days we moved. Operating in that fashion we had no problem keeping the battery up in the 12.6 to 12.3 range. I don't know if the panel would keep up if we anchored for several days in a row, or pure sailed for an extended time. I suspect it would do pretty well if the skies remained clear, but overcast conditions would probably require motoring or a marina plug in to catch up.

[Trouts Dream]

We sail in northern waters but have had weeks of +30 C temps (85 to 95 F) and use the two cooler method.
5 day cooler under the aft table seat for the food and smaller cooler for the drinks. We have found that about 3 days in we need to buy a new block for the food cooler and use the leftover ice block for the drink cooler. Keeping the wine and beer in the bilge area is a good temp for wine and acceptable for the beer. Chip off some ice for the rum and coke or martinis.

To avoid melt water causing problems in the food cooler we user a kayak dryback and place the ice in it. Keeps food dry, easier to transport to the boat (no more wet leg) and some very cold water when for the really hot days.

Will need to rethink system if I head further south or global warming turns out to have an effect

[rockman]

I installed a 60litre Waeco in the spot in the rear birth of my 2006 M, but have recently moved it to opposite the centreboard case, on the seat. I removed the cushion opposite the head and it sits there well. At the moment there are some temporary mounts, but I will modify the seat so it sits down into the seat cavity. This space was not being used and it means that the rear berth has not lost any space.

I have a 125Watt solar panel I use if away for more than a day or two. The size of the panel required will depend on how much motoring you do. I wanted a solar panel that would supply sufficent power when we are not motoring much. Also we turn the fridge down extra low during the day - while there is plenty of sun (and the batteries are full). Then turn it off when we go to bed to avoid the noise while sleeping.

Cheers