www.iFourWinns.com

Hi everyone. Merry Christmas!!

I am in winter mode, so that means I frustratingly driving myself crazy looking at things for a boat that is stored indoors at a marina 2 hrs. from me, and I am not able to just walk ouside and pull the cover off of. This is the first boat that I have not stored in my yard, and I am not sure if I will survive the whole winter without moving her closer..hehe.

Okay, so here's my question: We will be living aboard our 245 Sundowner for 4-7 days at a time. We will have shore power and access to bagged ice at the marina. My question is about the built-in cooler in front of the passenger seat. Is this a fully insulated cooler, or just a plastic tub that will let the ice melt fairly quickly? I want to add some sort of fridge/freezer to the boat, but if the cooler is sufficient, I could probably live without it. A good fridge that is designed for 110/12v operation and runs a compressor for 'real' cooling, not thermoelectric, will run me between $400-700, but my main issue is the heights will all be taller than the back underseat storage, so it will have to reside in the cockpit floor space, which is not appealing to me.

my other alternative is getting a well-insulated cooler, like a coleman extreme to use with ice and slide in and out from under the seat.

My main concern will be foods like hamburgers, steak, anc chicken, where I get concerned about food safety more than having an ice cold can of whatever.

Your input on the effectiveness on keeping things on ice in the built-in would be great. Thanks so much.
-Gary

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Gary & Diane
1996 Sundowner 245
Lake Winnipesaukee, NH

If you can find a place on the boat to install a fridge - that's obviously the best way to go. Make sure you have a battery bank and charger/alternator to support running it.

The stock cooler from FW is more than likely just a plastic tub. If you're lucky, there's some spray foam around it (but I doubt it).

Your most effective alternative is to find a good, portable cooler that you can pack and shove under a seat or out of the way.

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2008 318 Vista -SOLD, but I am still around!
All Night Long, Seattle WA

Following up on CougarCruiser....if I recall correctly, the on board cooler (not the removable one) in my H200 has some sort of insualtion around it, but its not much. Your best bet is getting a Coleman Extreme cooler. We used one a couple years ago on a week long trip where the cooler was in the sun ALL day. Sure, we had to put fresh ice in it daily, but it did and EXCELLENT job.

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Current Boat:
2004 Sea Ray 320 Sundancer "Nauti Luvin'"

Previous Boats:
1999 298 Vista "Seas The Day"
2008 H200SS "Nauti Luv"
2006 Tahoe Q4

We never used that for a cooler in ours. I always tucked a cooler under the aft seat. I found one that would fit perfect under there.

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2001 328 Vista "Nauta Dream 2"
AB Inflatable 10AL "Little Dreamer"
2000 248 Vista
1997 225 Sundowner


Mike

We use the in dash cooler all the time. It is only good for an afternoon of keeping your choice of beverage cold. Ice melts rather fast in it.

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1989 205 Sundowner
5.0 HO OMC Cobra

Hey Gary,

I have a 1998 245 Sundowner. I love the boat and have spent many nights on mine...up to two weeks at a time. The integrated cooler
in front of the front passanger seat is not insulated very well at all. the ice will melt pretty quick on a hot day...I use mine to store all my dry foods then use a extreme cooler for my cold storage.

Tom.

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Tom
Current:
2007 FourWinns 318 Vista
5.7 GI/DP-A 280hp x 2

Previous:
2012 Crownline 260 CR 350 Mag/Bravo III 300hp
1998 FourWinns 245 Sundowner 5.7 GSI/SX 280hp

Thanks, Tom. I ended up using the cooler as a dry food and supply storage area for the summer. I ended up buying a waeco/dometic fridge for the cold stuff. Runs off a battery for days before killing it. Very efficient.

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Gary & Diane
1996 Sundowner 245
Lake Winnipesaukee, NH