When I first investigated adding refrigeration to my 1981 H33 I had sort of settled on the Frigoboat Keel Cooler unit. What I didnt like was that it would require another hole in the hull. Then I discovered the Isotherm unit which utilizes a combination keel cooler/sink drain thru-hull unit. Its just a question of replacing the original galley sink drain thruhull with their supplied unit. The condensing coils are integral to the thruhull unit and work by transferring the heat directly into the water. At this stage of the installation everything is done __EXCEPT__ the installation of the keel cooler. That will happen in about a month when shes short-hauled for new bottom paint. As soon as that happens Ill post a sequel to this article showing the complete installation.

See compressor installed

And thats the way it will stay until I short haul the boat for new bottom paint and change out the thru-hull. Ill post another article after thats done to show the completed (and cleaned up!!!) installation.

See Location of reefer box to compressor location

Although the instructions said that I could install the compressor fairly distant from the reefer box and thru-hull I realized that I had the perfect location in that first portside settee locker forward of the galley. The forward wall of the reefer was just behind the bulkhead and the existing thru-hull was right there. All I needed would be a secure level mounting platform for the compressor.

See mounting shelf installed

by glassing in a shelf (a scrap piece of mahogany was used) forward of the thru-hull I would have the perfect mounting spot for the compressor without it interfering with any of the wiring running through that locker.

See Reefer interior before evaporator installation

When sizing the refrigeration system I came up with an extremely rough approximation of 7 cu.ft.The standard evaporator/freezer box which came with the system sized to my box would have turned more than half the box into a freezer leaving very little room for refrigerator. So I went to a different model which came with a flat plate evaporator which you can bend into whatever shape you want.I also had to worry about where the refrigerant and thermostat lines would exit the box to get to the compressor and thru-hull. Ultimately it worked out fine in that I drilled an 1-1/2 hole in the lower right corner of the forward wall. The reason for the 1-1/2 diameter was that the connector plugs for the refrigerant lines had to pass through that hole. Later in this article youll see the result.

See Every freezer needs a lid!

Starboard to the rescue again. Clean