52 Hatteras Convertible cockpit freezer ?

[Sea Horse]

Has anyone got a suggestion for a compressor assembly for my standard factory installed Frigbar Cockpit bait freezer. Boats a 1986 and the estimates to replace the compressor assembly in the engine room are very high IMO. Has anyone replaced the freezer section with one that would drop onto the cabinet if you cut the original out or found a reasonably priced replacement. I can’t understand how a 3.5 cubic ft chest freezer from Lowe’s cost $119.00 and they want over $2000 for a replacement compressor only for existing unit. I know the Lowe’s freezer is not marine and it’s air cooled and the factory one has a salt water pump and copra nickel coil but even if it only lasted two years and I throw it out and buy a new one and just drop it in that’s a lot of years of use for next to nothing in cost. Any ideas?

 

[jim rosenthal]

Can you get a look at the old one and see who made it? Maybe Grainger or McMaster-Carr can cross it over to one that they sell? It sounds like Frigibar are trying to nick you for the 'marine' markup..

 

[Cricket]

Sea Frost in NH makes some very good equipment. They made all of the stainless liners wrapped with coils and supplied the compressors which are cooled by air and or water for our mezzanine. In our previous tackle lockers we had a fiberglass wrapped with coils drop in box that I got from Viking which used a relatively inexpensive standard type 110v air cooled compressor mounted in the ER, went through maybe 4 of those over 20 years.