In-boat cooler insulation

[KG's Supra24]

Who has added additional insulation to the in-boat cooler and how did you do it? How were the results?

[Razzman]

Do a search for that and you'll find more than a few threads with dismal results.

[KG's Supra24]

yea i did a search, i was hoping to accumulate thoughts in one place and try to compare strategies. There has to be a solid solution.

[Razzman]

Well i tried them all; foam, HVAC insulation, insulating blanket. All were a waste of time. I even HVAC insuled the seat bottom, nope. Finally put a small igloo marine cooler in the starboard locker, problem solved, more capacity and ice for days. The seat cooler is now small item storage.

On a side note i discovered when winterizing the boat that the under seat cooler had cracked on the bottom. It's made from plastic and i could seal the crack easily but i might just cut the damn thing out all together. Useless it is.

SC could easily make better coolers and for the life of me i can't figure why they don't.

[dusty2221]

Razz, where is your cooler? I think ours is in a different location than yours.

So none of the remedies yielded any noticeable results?

[sandm]

mine is the rigid plastic unit under the seat directly behind the drivers seat. believe most have it there. I gave up on it as a cooler after the first try. no drain and no insulation make it useless as a cooler. it does however work real well to keep the boat snacks in just incase something leaks/melts or spills. keeps it out of the carpet. that's what mine has evolved into..

[Razzman]

Here's where the cooler is, see it? :p

Saw no real noticeable results, still had to add ice everyday. The only way i could see to get noticeable results would be to use liquid expanding foam but i wasn't doing that as it would be almost impossible to remove.

[dusty2221]

Sandm, your 20 has no drain? Mine had a drain that went into bilge. Our best method was corking the drain, laoding the cooler, and PACKING as MUCH ice as possible into it. When we just used 1 bag, it was always gone asap. Normally, 2 reg size bags and the cork would keep ice all day, not a ton, but enough to keep everything nice and cold.

[dusty2221]

Here's where the cooler is, see it? :p

Saw no real noticeable results, still had to add ice everyday. The only way i could see to get noticeable results would be to use liquid expanding foam but i wasn't doing that as it would be almost impossible to remove.

Theres a cooler in that picture?

[Razzman]

mine is the rigid plastic unit under the seat directly behind the drivers seat. believe most have it there. I gave up on it as a cooler after the first try. no drain and no insulation make it useless as a cooler. it does however work real well to keep the boat snacks in just incase something leaks/melts or spills. keeps it out of the carpet. that's what mine has evolved into..

Well at least mine has a drain, not that it matters.

[KG's Supra24]

Yea, i have been using a drain plug to keep cold water in. Fill up at a "twice the ice" machine and im set. Just end up with alot of water by the end of the day.

Dusty, Razz has a better knack for posting pictures. :D

[you da man]

My XLV has the in-floor cooler. With an expansion plug it willl hold ice all day. Remove the plug when going back to the dock and the water drains into the bilge. I think that this clean water helps keep my bilge looking clean. When I remove the boat drain plug all the water coming out is totally clear.

[sandm]

mine did not come with the cooler from the factory. it was promised at purchase. the dealer was 600 miles away. they shipped it to me along with the bimini 9 months later, so I installed myself and there was no provision for the drain, but as soon as I saw it, I knew that it was going to be a joke.. I actually use a real cooler in the drivers rear locker as I rarely carry a bag back there. out of the way and convenient to get to :)

[kaneboats]

Checked again and still don't see a cooler in that picture.

[dusty2221]

Yeah, I zoomed in on it....I think you posted the wrong pic.

I'm not sure what they are selling in this pic, but I'll take it!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v235/dusty2221/Untitled2.jpg

[moombadaze]

Who has added additional insulation to the in-boat cooler and how did you do it? How were the results?


I went with option "R" and removed the ice melter the boat came with and stuck a ballast bag under the seat. Now I just use a smaller cooler and it works great.

[bzubke1]

I use the cooler to store my tsunami pump for extra sacs so the carpet doesn't get wet. I put a bottle of engine and v-drive oil in there too so if they leak or bust in drains to the bilge.

[saskyrider]

that is an excellent idea Bzubke!! I was really unimpressed with mine and was planning on just putting a small cooler in the cubby whole where the batts, and stereo equip. I figured i could plumb a drain into it that runs back to the bilge without to much trouble. There are so many things i want to do to my boat! :p

[mmandley]

I use the cooler to store my tsunami pump for extra sacs so the carpet doesn't get wet. I put a bottle of engine and v-drive oil in there too so if they leak or bust in drains to the bilge.

I understand your thinking but with Oil not sure your Bilge pump can pump that out and even if it does you dont want a patrol of any sort to see that.

You can be charged up to 1 mill in damages for environmental. I would at least keep the oils in a plastic bag of some sort.

[Razzman]

I keep fluids in a heavy duty Ziploc freezer bag in my canvas tool bag.

[bzubke1]

I understand your thinking but with Oil not sure your Bilge pump can pump that out and even if it does you dont want a patrol of any sort to see that.

You can be charged up to 1 mill in damages for environmental. I would at least keep the oils in a plastic bag of some sort.

They are in two wal-mart bags. So the oil should never actually get to the bilge.

[mmandley]

They are in two wal-mart bags. So the oil should never actually get to the bilge.

Sweet then your golden bro

[DOCDRS]

Here's where the cooler is, see it? :p

Saw no real noticeable results, still had to add ice everyday. The only way i could see to get noticeable results would be to use liquid expanding foam but i wasn't doing that as it would be almost impossible to remove.

What cooler?

[Razzman]

What cooler?

The built-in under seat cooler.

[brain_rinse]

The only way i could see to get noticeable results would be to use liquid expanding foam but i wasn't doing that as it would be almost impossible to remove.
I really like that idea. You're right it would be tough to undo. But assuming you did it clean I can't think of why you'd want to remove it. It's just wasted space anyway right? I might be hesitant to try to foam the bottom side though. Maybe some rigid foam board insulation for the bottom and expand-o-foam for the sides?

[DOCDRS]

Could you not spray foam insulate it out side of the boat, then cut away any foam that binds or prevents the cooler from seating all the way back in the compartment?

[brain_rinse]

The cooler isn't removable, it's all glassed in with the top deck.

[kaneboats]

I am sure I remember that someone tried this and it didn't work worth a crap.

[kaneboats]

Found it. It was Razzman. Her's one of the threads that mentioned it:

https://forum.moomba.com/showthread.php?t=10708&highlight=cooler

[Razzman]

Yeah I tried just about everything to insulate that POS and nothing worked! Now it's a Koozie & small item repository :p

As i said before I tried HVAC insulation, Foam sheet in various thichnesses and densities to no avail. I even put insulation on the bottom of the seat! Unless you encapsulate the entire cooler with at least an inch of foam and find a way to seal the seat at the base it's useless to even try imo.

Here's my beef with it, SC knows it's a POS and very easily could have rectified that way back with an actual insulated cooler like some of their competition. I mean seriously, if it doesn't keep things cool then why even have it? Leave a space and supply a real softside cooler or something!

So on a sidenote; when cleaning up the boat for winter storage my wife was cleaning that useless space and called me over to show me a large crack across the cooler bottom! How do you like that, couldn't even use it as a cooler now even if i wanted to!

[kaneboats]

Thanks! I just figured out how I'll know when it's time to cut it out.

[Razzman]

Yeah huh! I may be cutting mine out in the spring. Use it for something purposefull! :p

[jmvotto]

Razz, cut it out sooner and send it my way so we can use it to form ice blocks in the snow for igloos.:p

[Razzman]

good one! Or maybe a form for an ice luge? :p

[kaneboats]

Razz, cut it out sooner and send it my way so we can use it to form ice blocks in the snow for igloos.:p

That thing will just melt your snow.

[JesseC]

I still use it as a beer can collector. Crush and toss the empty can in there and at the end of the day, just hose it out. It goes into the bilge with all the other pleasant smells and out the drain hole. Keeps the cooler less cluttered without all the empty beer cans.

[STANG KILLA SS]

Finally put a small igloo marine cooler in the starboard locker, problem solved, more capacity and ice for days.

which model? dimensions?

[Razzman]

which model? dimensions?

This is it here; Igloo 36 Quart Marine Cooler (http://www.igloocoolers.com/Coolers_3/Marine/36-Quart-Marine)

Exterior Dimensions (L x W x H) 24.25" x 13.56" x 13"

[SC_LSV]

I keep my extra oil in the ice melter also. Igloo Cube 60 qt fits in the V-drive compartment in front of stock ballast bags, not sure about 750s though. Keeps it out of the way and out of the sun. Also the addition weight for surfing helps out too when you can "drinks" plus 40 lbs of ice.