Boat show gadgets

Our gadget this year is a counter top ice maker. Life just got better!

Nice. I have been thinking of removing my larger ice maker on the aft deck and putting in a refrigerator instead. Would love something like this. Who makes it? How long does it take to make ice?

Dometic. I had two glasses of ice in 15 minutes! $165.00.

Greetings,
That's expensive ice...How many amps does it draw and where is the water supply?

2 amps while releasing ice from the mold, 1/2 amp while making ice. Water is from a built in reservoir.

12 or 110?

Greetings,
Mr. BC. Thanks.

110volt

Last time I looked Welcome had a couple used ones for sale. Not sure what brand they were.

WalMart has them for about $120.00.

Bought one a few years ago from Walmart for $139. Brand is Magic Chef. Great unit. 3 sizes of "cubes" and it's fast.

Think I'll buy one and try again. We purchased ours from Best Buy 3-4 years ago and had two in a row leak all over our countertop so opted for a refund. Aside from that we loved it.

My B-in-law just put the Walmart version on his sailboat. He thinks its the greatest thing since he discovered sliced bread.

They are good if you have unlimited power as in running the genny alot. We bought a Dometic and tried it, but took it back. Our 1000 watt inverter would not run it. It made ice great if the genny was on but we try to live mostly without it.

Mine runs fine on the inverter. But the cheap plastic scoop that was suppose to move the ice broke. Still use it sometimes, but must remember to scoop the ice by hand. The ice has a lot of air in it, so it melts FAST! It's quick to make some ice for a Sundowner.

What most do not take into account is the actual temperature of ice itself and the cooling effects delivered.

Do these ice makers make "warm" ice or "cold" ice? I noted in a post that the ice from these units melts quickly... embedded aeration was mentioned and could assist in the fast melt... but, even more so...factor of machine producing too "warm" ice enables quick melt too.

BIG difference in melt times between "warm" ice that is just below the 32 d/f freezing point, say + 30 d/f ice... as compared to "cold" ice that is well below freezing, say - 10 d/f ice.

BTU to alter BTU is basically linear. Colder the ice... longer, more efficient (faster) the cooling process per cube. "Cold" Ice = less ice used to accomplish desired temperature = more drinks per ice making sequence. Of course, colder the ice made = more electric energy needed and maybe longer spans between cube delivery!

In life - "trade off for everything"!

Happy Libation-Cooling Daze! - Art

When we use ours it runs all night on the inverter with minimal effect on our batteries. Last night we went to dinner with dock friends. I ordered a Long Island Iced Tea. Then asked if they use warm ice or cold ice. We were all asked to leave at once.

hmason said:

When we use ours it runs all night on the inverter with minimal effect on our batteries. Last night we went to dinner with dock friends. I ordered a Long Island Iced Tea. Then asked if they use warm ice or cold ice. We were all asked to leave at once.

Click to expand...

You should have simply requested warm ice - Long Island mix tastes better not too cold!

LOL!!!

If someone's interested, here's one for about $175 delivered to your door. Looks like a great appliance for a boat.

Dometic HZB 12SA RV Portable Ice Maker Top Load 120V SS Blk New | eBay

That's the one!

Warm ice? Drink faster.

In the spirit of today...does it make inflated or deflated ice?

You don't even need ice if you install a few of theses.

To anyone getting terribly excited about these things....there is no cooling mechanism in the machine itself. IOW, once the ice is made, if it is not harvested, it will melt and go back into the water supply for the machine. So one has to be prudent in harvesting ice as it is made.

At the Trawlerfest I saw a demo for the "ultra Anchor" from quickline. The weighted tip and bouyant shank is supposed to make it rest on the bottom tip first, and dig in within the length of the anchor.

Also they had a neat bridle with a rubber stretch shock absorbers on each leg of the bridle. I'm pretty sure the rubber parts would not last a major storm, but thought it would tend to chafe the bridle less while it lasted. Overall would expect the bridle to work longer with the combination.

And lots of boats... Who knew that Nordhavn boats are designed with 50 cycle power? Not me.

stubones99 said:

At the Trawlerfest I saw a demo for the "ultra Anchor" from quickline. The weighted tip and bouyant shank is supposed to make it rest on the bottom tip first, and dig in within the length of the anchor.



Also they had a neat bridle with a rubber stretch shock absorbers on each leg of the bridle. I'm pretty sure the rubber parts would not last a major storm, but thought it would tend to chafe the bridle less while it lasted. Overall would expect the bridle to work longer with the combination.



And lots of boats... Who knew that Nordhavn boats are designed with 50 cycle power? Not me.

Click to expand...

Of course they can/do. It depends on how they are ordered. The 50hz boats were ordered specifically that way.

Baker said:

To anyone getting terribly excited about these things....there is no cooling mechanism in the machine itself. IOW, once the ice is made, if it is not harvested, it will melt and go back into the water supply for the machine. So one has to be prudent in harvesting ice as it is made.

Click to expand...

True, but it makes ice continuously so harvesting is not an issue unless you are having a party.

May daughter and I went to the Seattle Show Saturday and found it disappointing this year. Did not seem to be as many boat in the in-water portion and not as many vendors at the Expo Center. Of course Orrin Edson's old 164' Westport, Evivva, renamed Astara, was the gem of the show. Apparently he is having a new one built. We didn't get the list on it, but were able t go aboard. Pretty nice.

Saw this and thought of Marin-a true "flying boat". Fly in, mount the fishing seat on the bow and fish away.

Also saw a beautiful runabout from Coeur D'Alene Boats-not cold molded but real plank of frame. A beautifully finished boat.

Found one on Ebay last year for $90 new made by IGLOO.. Works great. It makes a lot of ice from a gallon of water. We just harvest it and put it in the Refrigerator freezer...

Frank

About those counter-top ice-makers... A friend has one and I've done a bit of research on Amazon regarding same. The one you want has an oval control panel on the front -- different manufacturers, but that oval is made the "best" according to reviews.

Jerry has one and always uses distilled water. The tap water (according to him) caused failures. His is a couple years old.

The container the water freezes around the tubes in -- one of the two knobs broke. A hose clamp fixed that.

Basically the ice is made, dumped into a tray and used or melts back into the water reservoir. The ice is not COLD cold -- it's got bubbles so it does melt fast even in an insulated cup. Figure the cubes to be 1/2 size in a half hour. But by then wouldn't you like yours topped off?

They do put out heat (at the back of the unit) -- the coils could be wiped occasionally, especially if you have dust. Taking the unit apart to get to the coils is not difficult. If I had room, I'd consider owing one. I do like ice and at about $175 it isn't outrageous for the convenience.

Free advice: I would be sure to use distilled water or RO if available.