1990 45C Cockpit Freezer

[capttonyf]

Anyone have a Fort Lauderdale contact for a top load Bait Freezer repair. The bait freezer plate needs to be replaced. We've for the last few years been doing band aid fixes to the corroded tubing going into the plate and recharging the system but that's finally reached it's end.

I don't know the validity of this but I was told it's copper into Aluminum so they can't just replace the plate and solder the tubing together at or near the plate with the existing tubing coming through the box from the engine room. That they would have to pull the old tubing and drill a new hole at the box from behind in the engine room to pull through the new tubing and make the new connection inside the engine room.

He said it looks like it would've been connected before the deck was put onto the hull/engine room, so it's difficult to get to and that's why he'd have to drill a new hole and make the connection in the engine room. Not sure why if he can make the connection in the engine room before running the remainder to the compressor, why he cant make it in the box?

Any insight on this?

Thanks

Tony

 

[Tim Powell]

Anyone have a Fort Lauderdale contact for a top load Bait Freezer repair. The bait freezer plate needs to be replaced. We've for the last few years been doing band aid fixes to the corroded tubing going into the plate and recharging the system but that's finally reached it's end.

I don't know the validity of this but I was told it's copper into Aluminum so they can't just replace the plate and solder the tubing together at or near the plate with the existing tubing coming through the box from the engine room. That they would have to pull the old tubing and drill a new hole at the box from behind in the engine room to pull through the new tubing and make the new connection inside the engine room.

He said it looks like it would've been connected before the deck was put onto the hull/engine room, so it's difficult to get to and that's why he'd have to drill a new hole and make the connection in the engine room. Not sure why if he can make the connection in the engine room before running the remainder to the compressor, why he cant make it in the box?

Any insight on this?

Thanks

Tony

Toney
I had a 45 and the ice box lines were molded in the lining of the freezer they always gave me a headake .I took the whole thing out and slung it overboard. Made it into a ice box.

 

[Captcoop]

I think the comp. that makes the plates is refrigabar. Not sure about the spelling. I got the name
from Sams Marine. I think they are in your area.
Good Luck

 

[capttonyf]

Toney
I had a 45 and the ice box lines were molded in the lining of the freezer they always gave me a headake .I took the whole thing out and slung it overboard. Made it into a ice box.

Yes, they're molded in, but have a decent length exposed at the top where the exits the fiberglass and raps around and into the plate. I figured you be able to cut them there and just solder them to the new freezer plate. But according to the guy that looked at he he said you can't connect them in the box because it copper to aluminum. The new plate has a long length of tubing, and he said you'd have to drill a hole from behind and run that tubing into the engine room and then connect it with a connector to the tubing that runs to the compressor.

Tony

 

[capttonyf]

I think the comp. that makes the plates is refrigabar. Not sure about the spelling. I got the name
from Sams Marine. I think they are in your area.
Good Luck

I'll give them a call today and see what they they recommend.

Thanks

Tony

 

[Cricket]

If you're thinking about replacement refrigerated plates Sea Frost in NH made the stainless refrigerated boxes for our mezzanine, have 2 buddies use them since for similar projects and Cleave, the owner, has been GREAT to work with, especially since we pretty much did the install ourselves except for the purging and start up. A lot of the custom builders are using C-Bea from northern FL for their refrigerated boxes/plates, there has to be others in South Florida that can make them too. Btw, not a huge fan of Frigibar's plates when they're mounted inside of a box, their products seem to be fine when the refrigerant lines are on the other side of a box not exposed, think the aluminum is just too soft and prone to issues. My first winter (1990) in South Florida I quickly became sick of arriving at the boat and all of the drinks in the cockpit being warm, there was a guy that did a lot of AC and refrigerant work in the marina, he installed stainless plates and compressor for around $600 which was working untouched until we ripped it out winter of 2012-13 for the mezzanine. Of course he's long gone.