Fruits Of My Labor (A-113)

[ebb]

OK Tony, you pushed and I ordered the Engel. Parts of it are arriving, the blanket and the mounting plate in separate cartons look like they came round the horn.
So I haven't got the fridge here yet....to see what alterations could be done to the lid.
I will also have to do something - my install has even less top opening than you have.
First, immediate solution is to remove the hinges.
But accessing that way means dealing with a big chunk of hard slippery plastic.

So: instead of a hard top, why not consider a soft top? One that replaces in form the supplied lid.
There is an expensive but very nice looking/feeling polyethylene CLOSED CELL foam called Minicel. No smell. Non toxic (no cfc or hydrocarbon blowing agents) - impervious to mold and bacteria - and can be found in 'skinned' versions. This is the foam used in athletic equipment, knee pads, seats. Kyackers use it and expertise and ideas to be found on their DIY sites.

Could do a slicedbread design with separate pieces side by side and contact cement or MarineGoop webbing material OR vinyl upholstery material, OR Sunbrella, on top that will stiffen/unitize the pieces into a bendy substitute lid. Also keep water from entering.

In bun form Minicel foam can be shaped - so if there is a rabbet jog needed around the edge, that can be done.
Different densities make for stiffer foam that can span the fridge opening without sag. Research.

OR the foam lid can just be a single piece of whatever thickness required. Could even be a little thicker I'd guess. You know, so the champagne cork will be accommodated in a dimple with the lid shut. Would be easy to remove, and a nicer thing to have floating around the cabin.

California is beginning its winter rain season with near freezing temps at night. They say global warming will bring on a new ice age. Has to do with ocean currents changing their customary routes!

[Tony G]

That's thinking outside the box, Ebb. So you're talking about mixing a roll-top desk, Roman shade and a roll-up garage door? Why the heck not?! It surely will be as insulated as the original hinged hatch is and far more "Ebb friendly" for your install. It's not like you're going to be standing there with the lid rolled open staring into the fridge wondering how old that slice of cheescake is. Go for it, man!

I just spent the morning cutting out our galley and salon. Carried a lot of weight off the boat again...reminiscent of a couple of years ago when I cleaned out the forward compartment. Looking forward to redesigning it and putting it back together(again). The shining star was the ocillating multi-tool. Virtually no dust or odor at all. If I had hooked up the shop-vac I would have been spoiled rotten!