If your boat doesn't have a built in fridge, and the cool box just isn't cool enough, you may have considered buying a portable solution. As the boat I have been on most of the season has been without one, I thought it would be interesting to see what the advantages were. So I took a WAECO TropiCool TC-35FL out for a test drive to find out if it would make me want to part with £236.97.
Specification:
- Gross capacity: approx. 35 litres
- Voltage: 12/24 volts DC and 230 volts AC
- Average power consumption: 60 watts at 12 volts
75 watts at 24 volts
70 watts at 230 volts
- Temperature range:
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Cooling mode: 1ºC to 15ºC (up to 30ºC below the ambient temperature)
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- Heating mode: 50ºC to 65ºC
- Insulation: Polyurethane full-foam insulation
- System: Wear-free thermoelectrics (Peltier-System), cold transmission to the interior by dynamically ventilated aluminium heat exchanger, heat dissipation to the outside with high-performance heat exchanger and brushless, wear-free fan.
- Material: Sturdy, injection moulded parts
- Colour: Dark grey/pale grey
- Weight: approx. 10.0 kg
- Test marks: TÜV/GS, e-approved according to 95/54/EC (EMC guidelines for vehicles)
- Accessory: Universal fixing kit
The WAECO TropiCool was very easy to use. After reading the instructions, it was just a case of plugging it in and switching in on. With a choice of a British or European two pin plug as well as a car cigarette lighter attachment, there are plenty of ways to power this unit. The clearly marked buttons are coated in plastic, making it easy to clean if operating with sticky fingers. It did however produce a humming sound all the time it was in use, which was quite irritating when exposed to for extended periods of time.
At approximately 10kg, the fridge was easy to carry with the aid of the folding out handles. Standing slightly larger than your average cool box (550 x 460 x 350mm), it fitted comfortably into a hatchback boot, taking up half of the space. The hinged lid, which can be completely removed if necessary, is flat on the exterior of the box and has cup holding facilities on the interior. Within the unit there is a single moveable divider which can be slotted into a variety of positions depending on the contents. It seems quite durable and could cope with items falling on top and sliding across the cabin floor, though I don't think it would cope very well if the fridge was dropped itself. Because of this it would have to be stowed on the floor of a yacht.
I was using the TropiCool in a room with an ambient temperature of roughly 20ºC, and was slightly disappointed with its performance. Despite what is claimed on the WAECO website, the minimum temperature I could get it down to was 10ºC. This temperature increased proportionately with the amount of content, and when the fridge was only a quarter full, I was only able to achieve 13ºC while in cooling mode. The function was slightly redeemed by the fact it only took 10 minutes when empty to get to this temperature so you're not left standing around for too long.
At 35 litres, the fridge could hold an adequate amount of food for a small crew's day sailing. It can hold the equivalent to six 2 litre bottles or eight wine bottles standing comfortably, or 20 cans of beer. Alternatively for dry ships, the rectangular interior makes it simple to stack boxes or flat food packages.
The WAECO TropiCool also has a heating mode. It can produce temperatures of more than 50ºC; perfect if you have cooked a roast at home and want to serve it up at sea. Again I found it managed to heat up in just over 10 minutes. This feature could come in more useful than the fridge at this time of year.
Now I know what you're thinking, if you're a sailor - “That's going to drain my batteries!” And yes fridges do use a lot of power. The unit draws 5 amps in refrigeration mode in an ambient temperature of 20ºC, but with the use of a solar panel to recharge the battery, so you are replacing the power drawn when the fridge is being run, it is do-able. Alternatively you could only turn it on while attached to shore power in harbour, or when using the engine, and trust the TropiCool's insulation qualities to keep it cool.
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Though it is a bit of an extravagance, it is extremely nice to take out a cool beer on a hot day or alternatively a warm meal on a cold one. The WAECO TropiCool didn't go quite as cold as I expected, but certainly enough to keep things fresh for a couple of days. However it does take up a lot of room on the cabin floor, so if you have space issues I wouldn't recommend it. Definitely more suited to power boats with bigger batteries and less heeling.
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