JACK BENNY COOLER

[Bob23]

   Let me preface this by stating that in my opinion, Jack Benny is one of the greatest comedians ever, period. I remember seeing performances where he would appear on stage, say absolutely nothing and just standing there, have the audience in uncontrollable stiches! They don't make comedians like Jack anymore.
   I also loved his cheapskate persona, something I can personally relate to. The JB cooler is named after him because I tried to keep the cost as low as possible while striving to achieve what every sailor dreams of: Cold beer without refridgeration.
Here's how it works: I built an insulated box using 2" Home Depot foam glued together:

The lid was also built with the same foam:

This is the test cooler: A 34 qt.  Coleman el cheepo:

Now for the test. In order to simulate real life conditions, I placed cold cans of Pabst Blue Ribbon and 4 qts of frozen ice....(is there any other kind of ice?) into the cooler:

put on the primary and secondary lids and so began the test:


Note the Radio Shack indoor/outdoor test thermometer.
  Here are the test results: I started out with an outside temp of 81f and inside of 50f. In 24 hours, the inside temp dropped to 43f and gradually rose, over a period of 41 hours to 59.6 f.
  The test was an ok success, but my goal was to have cold beer for 5 days so I increased the ice to a 1 gallon block and 2 frozen quart Gatorade bottle and 15 cans of PBR. Again with a starting outside temp of 81f, which continued thoughout this 2nd test, I was able to maintain an inside temperature of between 43f to 53f and ending with 55.4f almost 5 days later. I proclaimed the test was a success and further therorize that, by using a more efficient inner cooler, the time could be easily extended to 6 days. In contrast, my Igloo 48 st. 5 day cooler only keeps beer cold for about 3 days.
  The real reason for this test is that I'm toying with building a built-in foam outer cooler into my 23 somewhere. I'd probably glass the inside as well as the outside and finish all exposed parts with wood. The lid would also be wood with foam for insulation. A higher grade inner cooler would be placed in the foam cooler and the dream of long lasting cold beer, milk and whatever could become a reality!
  Thanks for enduring this somewhat long post...feel free to add input...with all the great minds here on the site, the sky's the limit!
bob23

[crazycarl]

jack, er...bob, i love this idea.  i too have been toying with the idea of using a cockpit locker as a cooler so i don't have to leave the helm in order to procure a tasty beverage.  the cooler would need to be semi permanent.  (removal to get to the stern ladder or motor mount) it would also need a drain.  perhaps into the bilge, where a pre-cooler could be kept for items not needing the extreme cold as say a ...pbr?  the locker lid could also be insulated.

well, there are much more creative personas on this board than me, so i'll retreat back into the shadows and watch this thread,     carl

[NateD]

I made a much smaller one out of 2" foam, but I doubled it up to make each side 4" thick. I wanted a cooler that would fit under the companionway step alongside the garbage can I keep under there, and there weren't any high quality coolers that would fit that space. Because the walls are so thick on mine, the interior space is very small, approximately 6" x 7.5" x 11" tall. The goal was to keep a small amount of meat cold for up to 5 days. I can fit 2 1L bottles of ice, 2 lbs of hamburger, and 2 steaks. If at least one of the hamburger chubs goes in frozen, the whole thing will stay cold enough for 5 days with the frozen hamburger still solid in the core.

As it turns out the area under the step isn't square on my 23/3, it tapers back, so I had to shave the lid of my cooler down.


I also put a thick bead of caulking down on the mating surfaces between the lid and the cooler, laid some wax paper over it, and smushed the lid down onto it in an attempt to make a better seal around the lid.




I also did some data logging to see how the cooler compared to the small plastic one that I had been using. It wasn't a completely fair comparison because the commercially purchased one had more interior volume, so there was more air to cool, but after 20 hours the commercial cooler was back to room temperature while my homemade one was still below 45 degrees after 25 hours. Caulking the seams (inside and out) kept it about 3 degrees cooler inside than no caulking.

I can't fit much beer in mine, but I don't drink. I use UHT or evaporated milk on the boat, so the only thing that I need to keep cool is meat and cheese.

[Bob23]

Nate: That is excellent! Glad to see I'm not the only foam cooler nut case around here!
 I also glued all my seams with construction glue but did not make a seal for the lid. Instead, the lid dropped down 4" around the cooler sides. I thought that would be adequate and it seemed to work.
 I like your scientific approach using the graph. I thought about it, but being a bit techno-challenged, decided not to.
 My idea of the cooler within a cooler was motivated by a few things. First, I didn't want the outer cooler to have to drain into anything. Second, I wanted to just removed the inner cooler for cleaning plus the inner cooler could be loaded with the ice, food and beer on land and just brought to the boat.
 Thanks for sharing your project! Jack would be proud!
Bob23

[brackish]

Great ideas!!  Have to admit have been thinking along those lines, however, have a feeling before I get finished Jack would not be proud of the final cost.  What I want:

1. has to fit under the step, but be tall enough to work. 23IV only has 14" vertical clearance.
2. has to be built like a sliding drawer so it can be pulled in and out with ease. My current step support dropboard would become the front of the cooler drawer.
3. top has to be hinged in the middle so acess to the front part by only lifting the hinged step, not sliding the cooler all the way out.
4. has to have a drain to the bilge.  Thinking about a partial partition in the rear of the compartment to be loaded with block ice that could melt and drain without wetting the food section.
5. Five days would be nice, but so far the way I've cruised, three would do.  I don't even get five out of my Yeti and it is cumbersome and heavy.  I'm more interested in the ease of access and having it out of the way.
This is primarily a cruising food locker, I keep beverages that I need quick access too in my Polar Bear soft cooler, without a doubt the best soft cooler in the world.  Get two to three days from it depending on ambient temps.  tough as nails and easy to carry and store.  great for replenishing ice in the main cooler(s), wade or row to shore and walk to the ice source.  can get two ten pound bags in mine.

BTW, fully agree on Jack Benny.  I'm going to have to get a DVD or his old shows.

[NateD]

 I also glued all my seams with construction glue but did not make a seal for the lid. Instead, the lid dropped down 4" around the cooler sides. I thought that would be adequate and it seemed to work.
Bob23

Yeah, bringing the top down around the sides like that looks like it seals a lot better than the way mine is setup.

brackish: Thanks for bringing Polar Bear soft coolers to my attention. Most of my boat excursions are a single night, so I actually didn't use my foam cooler at all this year, just a small soft sided one that doesn't stay cold for more than 6 hours. I've put a 6-pack Polar Bear cooler on my Christmas list for this year.

[Salty19]

One thought on the cockpit locker. 

There isn't much room for the lid to rotate up, like normal coolers, if you're going to have a decent size interior.  Perhaps a sliding lid-or "inner lid" (or even an insulated port hole of some sort) would help create volume in the cooler without lid clearance issues.

[skip1930]

Go to any pharmacy and ask them for a 'pro-biotic' shipping container. Styrofoam box with chill pads.

skip.