Unexcused Absences

Fridge and freezer options for boats are almost infinite. Our fridge is a regular 120 Volt AC home appliance that runs off our inverter, but many boats, especially sailboats, use a cold-plate system that uses a compressor attached to the main engine. There are also 12 Volt DC systems, and even fridges that run on propane.

For our cruising style, we needed a deep freeze that could run efficiently off the house battery bank, which is charged by either solar power or generator when we are at anchor. Since we tend to anchor for days at a time, we like to minimize generator use, and the best way to do that is to wring out inefficiency in our electrical system.

Whynter makes a whole line of DC fridge/freezer chests (45, 65, and 85 quarts), available from Amazon using this link.

One thing that attracted us to the Whynter freezer is that it uses ambient air for dumping excess heat, not seawater like some DC systems. While a water-cooled system might be more efficient electrically, I didn’t like the idea of yet another through-hull or relying on something that could clog with ocean-borne debris. A water-cooled system also requires a permanent installation, and we like the fact that the freezer is somewhat portable and free-standing.

As a bonus, the unit is a dual-power system; if 120 Volts AC is present, the freezer uses that power, but if absent, it defaults to using 12 Volts DC. This way, whenever we are plugged in or running the generator, the unit does not draw from the house bank, which ultimately reduces recharging time for the batteries. The connectors are a standard American 120V AC plug, and a standard 12V DC car adapter.

Whynter Portable 12V Fridge/Freezer

My one main complaint is that it cycles a bit more than it probably should; set at zero degrees, it runs for 20-25 minutes and is only off for 7-9 minutes. Thicker insulation, at the cost of loosing some interior volume, would probably be more appropriate. Or perhaps the company could offer two types of units, one for people with excess power, and one with more insulation for people with limited available energy.

The Bottom Line – 4 out of 5

The Whynter 65-quart freezer is a terrific addition to our boat that gives us true, zero-degrees Fahrenheit freezing in a stand-alone package. It opens up a whole host of options for food storage; the ability to make ice cubes, room for our ice-cream maker cold-pack, plus storage for the fish we catch. And the best part was there was no installation; just take it out of the box and plug it in.

Pros:

• True freezer capability down to minus 8 Fahrenheit; can also be used as a fridge up to 50 degrees.
• Portability; can take it off the boat and plug it into a 12V DC car socket or an American 120V AC socket
• Quiet operation
• Intuitive user interface

Cons:

• Could have given up a bit of interior volume for additional insulation
• When the 120V power is disconnected, the whole unit powers down, then has to re-start to run on 12V power. It restarts automatically after about 10-15 seconds, but the changeover is seamless when going the other way (from 12V to 120V).