Nav Station Fridge

by Larry Calfee, Top Priority #375

After reading Steve Michel's message board post concerning the perfect refrigerator for under the nav station, I purchased the Sears Kenmore Model 91245 compact 2.5 cubic foot refrigerator for approximately $140. The message board posting said some modifications to the box would be needed but it took me most of the day to install it. This is an AC unit which I intend to use mainly at the dock using shore power but will also use with the inverter while away from the dock. I have not yet accurately calculated the energy requirement for the inverted power. I placed an additional AC outlet under the nav station using an outdoor weather proof receptacle box mounted on the aft wall under the nav station and taking power from the nav station AC outlet. Wiring was run through the locker aft of the nav station. The forward feet and rear motor mount need to be removed as well as the decorative plastic top trim. A new motor mount was fabricated from 1" x 1/4" aluminum flat stock. To make room for the motor to be displaced upward, the condensation tray was removed and the drip tube plugged. Condensation may now collect in the box, but will probably not be a problem as we will not be using the refrigerator on a continuous basis. The holy and teak floor panel for this area was removed and set aside to prevent potential scratches to that surface. The support leg for the nav station must be removed. Now the unit may be wedged in place. In retrospect applying wax to the sides of the unit may have made the insertion easier. After the unit is inserted as far as possible, the decorative top may be cut down to the appropriate size to cover the exposed section.