[PUP] Refrigeration revisited (or how to start a lifestyle on the water)

[John Marshall]

I've got subzeros in my house and on my boat, and so far, only one  
service call to deal with a mfg defect that came up right after  
commissioning. But they are indeed energy hogs due to the defrost  
cycle, and the fact that the compressor (on the boat) in beneath units  
and its hard to get good air circulation down there without an aux  
fan. But my wife really loves them and they are a deluxe touch, with  
zero evidence of frost buildup as long as defrost cycle is engaged.

But the cost is about an extra hour of generator run time a day over a  
more efficient refrig system, or so I estimate. And I can bulk charge  
at a rate of 220 amps (24v) into the battery bank.

Boat has one large subzero refrigerator and two subzero freezer  
drawers, plus a chest freezer of another brand. I've got (8) 8D AGM  
batteries in house bank and I can barely make it through 24 hours with  
refrigeration loads alone running on inverter (if the defrost cycle is  
enabled) -- at 50% discharge point of battery bank.

Without defrost cycle, frost builds up inside. If I shut units off at  
night, temps to rise about 10 degrees by morning. Not ideal either way.

But I've learned to live with them.

After all, a happy wife is a happy boat, and when it comes to long- 
term travel and living on boat, bringing along the comforts of home  
has made it all possible. Your mileage may vary.

At the risk of overgeneralizing things, one of the secrets of  
Nordhavn's business (that most of people don't talk about in forums  
like this) is that they sell the boats to men and women completely  
differently (most of their customers are couples in their 50's and  
60's and approaching retirement). For guys, its a robust, long-range  
passagemaker that can take them, and their dreams, anywhere in the  
world in safety. For wives, its got gobs of familiar creature comforts  
and probably a more deluxe kitchen than they have at home. Which says  
many of them are more willing to buy into the "go anywhere" dream  
(which is usually more of a guy thing, at least at the outset). Which  
is why most Nordhavns (and I suspect Selenes, who are following the  
same design/marketing model) spend a lot of time either traveling or  
hanging on the hook somewhere, at least as compared to most other  
brands of "fancy" yachts.

Once the owners have six to twelve months of cruising under their  
belts, couples fall into one of two groups: those who are super- 
enthusiastic about expanding their cruising grounds and doing some  
real passages (who see it as a lifestyle) and those who decide to sell  
the boat and follow another dream. But with these boats, that decision  
is based on being "out there" for a while, as opposed to not getting  
off the dock in the first place. And given the high and easy resell  
opportunity (historically), there wasn't much financial risk of trying  
it.

This is, of course, a completely different path of discussion than the  
usual "passagemaker" tilt of things. Or even where this tread started.  
But its relevant for a lot of couples.

John Marshall


On Dec 6, 2008, at 7:23 AM, Jon Boy aka:TrawlerGuy wrote:

> Thanks all for the info on the Sub-Zero units lack of quality and  
> efficiency.
>
> I've not actually got to the business of resarch on the best  
> "consumer unit" for replacement and only threw out the name as it's  
> what my partner likes. It's a looks thing.
>
> I'll have to research the units available.
>
> John
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