Com-Pac Yacht Owners Association

So we wanted a solution to the poorly insulated icebox on our ComPac 27.  Adding a top end ice chest for truly perishable items such as meat, and using the galley ice box for things like adult beverages, seemed like the way to go.  Your priorities may vary. :-). I found that a Yeti Tundra 35 cooler fits perfectly in place of the helm seat.  Add a humped Bottomslider cushion, and it's better than OEM and you have much more, and better, cold storage.

Terry Ney
SV Paradiso

I have heard that Yeti coolers are the best.

I've heard the same. A friend who is active here, just bought one for his non-Compac boat so we'll give it the cold beer test this summer. I'm considering one for my 23. Sure, they are expensive but if it works, it's work the $$.
Bob23

I bought a Yeti Sherpa 50 several years ago because it was the only multi day cooler that would fit under the companion way on a CP23.  The clearance problem is the height on my boat, the electrical panel and back wiring limited that.  Initially I hated the Yeti.  It is very heavy even empty, so moving it in and out of that spot and taking it on and off the boat was a real task, so I quit using it.  Later on I modified the cabinetry installing a pull out drawer and put the YETI in permanently.  I never take it out, mostly just use sealed ice or block ice and at the end of a cruise use a big sponge to remove the melt and clean it. 

As far as ice retention I can get a few days but I was expecting more.  I read a review where all the multi day coolers were tested independently and the $80 Coleman extreme beat the $300 Yeti. 

So, If you want to spend a lot of money and break your back getting that thing to and from where it has to go, Yeti is your cooler.  Or if you have a bear problem on your boat and want to keep them from getting your food (YETI ads).:)  Certainly the roto blow molded construction is tougher than the competition.

Post on my drawer installation for review:

http://cpyoa.geekworkshosting.com/forum/index.php?topic=8357.msg62134#msg62134

I once used one of those Igloo marine coolers with a combination of freeze packs and ice. I wrapped it in my sleeping bag during the day, and I could maybe squeeze out use of the contents into the third day depending on the prevailing weather. I now use a 35 qt. Engle fridge/freezer on my boat and couldn't be happier. I use a tray to separate the top half. I can get a 24 pack of cans in the bottom or use it as a freezer. The top half holds enough perishables for many days of sailing, and they are not expired when the sailing trip is over. It is AC/DC powered and draws a small amount of current. My 50 watt solar panel keeps up with it during the day, and I typically turn it off at night, after some extra cooling when motoring in to an overnight spot. No ice to bother with, and no soggy food, and I can cool the beer the night before for a head start.

My pet peeves of small boat cruising are ice and port-a-potties. My Engle and C-Head composting head are stars in my enjoyment of multiple day cruising. Two items that were certainly worth the investment in time and money.

Engle also makes ice chests, but I have no experience with them. I know their fridge/freezers are produced in Japan, but anybody can make a plastic cooler with foam insulation, so they are likely from another source.

My research on boat refrigeration did turn up something interesting however. I don't recall the manufacturer's name, but there is a company that produces vacuum panels for insulation. They are expensive, but obviously they would be near perfect insulators.

Luckily we now have even more options than ever to solve our small boat blues, and there are also many more items that don't meet the merchandisers claims. The membership of this forum is a amazing resource of ideas and products that work for every application - and sometimes not.

I have a 35qt Yeti and love it.  Fits in the CP19 cabin footwell nicely.  Ice stays cold several days, but the cabin is pretty well ventilated and here in Ohio isn't the constant blasting heat of the SE most of the year. I also keep the cooler covered.

Like with any cooler it's helpful to stick in pieces of foam to fill the empty space so you don't have to cool the entire volume (ice lasts longer this way). 

Like Brackish, I just leave it there and clean it a few times a year and use frozen jugs for ice.

There is a knockoff brand, RTIC and others that are 1/2 price of Yeti. 

And there is always a DIY option to make one to exact fit where you want it.  This is the route I would take...thick pink foam from Home Depot, fiberglass it inside and out, maybe case it all in thin marine ply.  It would be very light and efficient, but not bear proof!

And there is always a DIY option to make one to exact fit where you want it.  This is the route I would take...thick pink foam from Home Depot, fiberglass it inside and out, maybe case it all in thin marine ply.  It would be very light and efficient, but not bear proof!

Had I not already purchased the YETI, that is exactly what I would have done.  That pull out drawer would be DIY cooler, slightly larger than the YETI to use the rest of the volume in that area.  I would put a middle hinged lid opening fore and aft so I would be able to get to things only pulling the drawer partially out.  The Yeti has to come all the way out to open the lid. I'd probably build the double walls, brace it inside and out to hold the shape and use two part expanding liquid foam.  It still might make the project list which would put the YETI on the market.  I'd just have to take my chances with the bears.:)

Quote from: Sunapee Sailing on April 08, 2017, 08:12:31 PM
I have heard that Yeti coolers are the best.

That may well be, but for what those Yetis cost they ought to brew that beer as well. 

Frankly, I'm just not convinced they're worth the money for any use I may ever have of them--Even less so now, having just watched a number of head-to-head backyard tests on YouTube, like this one (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K3l47v7fw3s), or this (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9WuoJn2pBdM), or this extremely "salty" one (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nVYisJefD0s), where the Yetis often did far less spectacularly than their spectacular price might lead one to expect.  Granted, we're not talking about Consumer Reports Laboratories here, but all the same. $350 buys a lot of ice, so for multi-day cruises and road trips I believe I'll just continue to muddle along with my big old trusty Coleman 48 that's served me well for nearly three decades and still looks and works pretty much like new.  Meanwhile, for shorter day sails I've got a little 12V Koolatron P25 26-Quart FunKool Cooler sort of like this one (https://www.amazon.com/Koolatron-P25-26-Quart-FunKool-Cooler/dp/B0001MQ7EK), but with a grey handle, that I got off craigslist for $20 to keep the drinks cold. On its own it does an honest 40° below outside temperature (I've measured it), toss in a frozen bottle of water or two, and the contents stay frosty as you like all day long and well into the night.

I dunno...If sailing in the Gobi Desert has somehow found its way onto your "Bucket List," then maybe you need a Yeti. We don't get nearly enough thirsty bears cruisin' the Potomac or Chesapeake to warrant a bear-proof cooler. For me on the needs scale it's somewhere below getting a gerbil polisher. Seeing as I currently have no gerbil, nor anticipate acquiring one, the Yeti sort of fills exactly the same need...namely none.

Speaking of coolers, here's the worlds largest cooler.
...Actually the guard shack at the Igloo cooler factory in Katy, TX, just west of Houston.
If you stop by during  business hours, they have a factory store where they sell blemished and factory seconds for cheap.
If I had a cooler full of beer this sized, I'll bet I'd have a lot more friends.
But then I would need a bigger boat.


(http://i1299.photobucket.com/albums/ag73/relamb01/Cooler_zpsrlmo7iid.jpg)

When we lived in eastern MT and I would drive up to Ft Peck Lake to sail for a couple of days. I would ice down a large YETI cooler and add a case or so of cold beer and some sandwich stuff.  The ice would last about 3+ days in 90° temps as long as I kept the cooler in the shade.  In MT is is always good to have a cooler in the pickup to keep groceries fresh and cold comping back from the store.  It served well and I think was worth the price.  However the thing did weigh a bunch so we gave it to our daughter in MN.  We just bought the Roadie, I drink less beer and we live closer to grocery stores.

regards charlie

I stay on the boat quite frequently, and was tired of all the icewater draining into the bilge, and having to find a place to buy ice every three days.  I considered the electric cooler option that many people like, but I didn't want something that would take up that much space.
I finally broke down and bought an Adler/Barber Cold Machine (now Dometic) and had it installed.  I love it !  It has a freezer compartment and you can make ice in there, or turn the thermostat down and the whole bottom half of the icebox gets frozen.
It does seem to run a lot and take a decent amount of power when its hot outside, but you can shut it off for a day and just the residual cold and two ice cube trays in the freezer keep it cold all day without running it at all, if you're going for an overnight.  For longer, crank it as cold as it will go for a few hours, with a bag of ice inside, then shut it off and that will keep for days

Agree, having the icebox drain into the bilge is unsatisfactory.   On our first C-27 I plummed in a foot pump to pump the water from the icebox drain into the sink.  The current '27 came with a small hand pump mounted by the sink faucets that is a better deal and serves the same purpose.. 

Keeping the cold water aboard obviously keeps stuff colder longer. I shudder to think of the contamination that could go from the bilge to the ice box.

Starting with a hot ice box, 20 lbs and an additional 10 lbs of ice the second day, I still had ice left after 4 days.

regards charlie

I found a new Johnson shower sump/pump box at a salvage yard that was cheap.  Basically a clear plastic sealed box with an internal float and bilge pump, strainer, and fittings for inlet/outlet hoses.   Originally bought it for the shower, but I've never showered in the boat, so I'm considering putting it on the icebox drain.
Even with refrigeration, I have to defrost and wash out the icebox, and whatever's in there goes to the bilge.  ....on spring break, we were out for several days and one of my kid's friends put an open bag of chex  mix in the fridge for some reason, and all the crumbs got into the ice and all over everywhere, then of course drained to the bilge.  What a fine smell down there after a few days!

I agree that dumping the ice water into the bilge is a bad idea for several reasons. I imagine the simplest solution would be to "Y" the icebox drain into the galley sink drain line to the existing throug-hull, with a valve. Charlie, did you consider doing that?

My 2004 came from the factory with the icebox drain plumbed to the sink drain, with a check valve so the sink can't back up into the icebox.  The only plumbing that drains into the bilge is the shower.

Terry Ney
SV Paradiso

Perhaps it may have been that way originally, although I did not see a T connection.  When I first bought the boat, I dumped a pot of coffee in the sink, then noticed a day later the black water in the bilge.    The previous owner was on a small inland reservoir (drinking water supply) and the local water and waste management people inspected every boat and issued a permit to be on the lake.  They didn't want anything going into the water.   So the sink drains for both the galley and head had been disconnected and the thru hulls plugged, and everything drains to the bilge.  Not only did I pour coffee in the sink, I washed out a pan and some bowls of chicken noodle soup.  It all ended up in the bilge,...where it got pumped overboard anyway.  But I had some fun stuff growing in the bilge for awhile.

Hey Wes:  If Terry wouldn't have said that his was plummed that way, I wouldn't think that it would work.  I thought that the through hull for the sink is higher than the drain on the icebox.  Obviously it isn't.

But to answer your question, I would rather pump the icebox into the sink.  It only takes a minute or two to pump out 20-30 lbs of ice water....and....it is good to keep the cold water in the ice box.  I usually pump down the level in the box when adding ice else it is hard to find the proper drink in the bottom.  I only keep drinks in the bottom other stuff I keep cool on the shelf.

regards charlie