Project Cool box

The boat came with a large 12v Shoreline fridge.  It was not really what I wanted so I sold it on ebay.  I replaced the power supply for a fridge with something a little more substantial but current funds do not allow for the purchase of a new one.  12v fridges are very expensive and what is particularly galling is that they are only standard 240v ones with a retrofitted 12v compressor.  As I am planning to stay off grid, I would not be able to run a fridge in the winter anyway so I decided to make a cool box to see me through until I can afford a fridge and generate the power to run it.

Off the shelf cool boxes can be good but the better performing ones can carry a hefty price tag too.  A bit of research indicates that performance is directly related to the thickness of the insulation.  I also wanted a box that would fit in a kitchen cupboard, the best option then was to make one.

It is built from 100mm foil backed foam, (found in a skip) glued together with silicon.

I then wrapped the whole thing in parcel tape.

And then in foil tape.  I am not sure this adds to the insulating properties, but it was a quick easy way of getting a nice finish.  The sides of the box had to be trimmed down to 75mm in order for it to fit in the cupboard.

The lid is a piece of mdf hinged with a bit of recycled piano hinge, with a foam 'plug' that fits snugly in the top of the box.

The whole thing is mounted on a couple of old drawer runners so it is easy to move in and out of the cupboard. 

It will be interesting to see how it performs.  It only cost me the price of the foil tape (£5.99) so I cant be too disappointed if it is not very effective.

Bit more tiling and goodbye to the bedroom carpet

I finished off the tiling around the fire.  It will need another good scrub to remove the last of the grout, but its all done .  In fact, I am pleased to say that the saloon and kitchen are just about finished now.  There will be a few more things to add, but these are things I am not sure about until I actually start living on the boat.

Sadly I had to say goodbye to the bedroom carpet.  It harbored the kind of life forms that Kim Jung - un would welcome in his biological warfare labs.  Replaced with some laminate donated by my lovely crew member Lorrain.  

Oh fickle me

I planned to tile the back of the fire this weekend.  I decided on a combination of grey 100 x100 tiles and some patterned 200 x200 'feature' tiles.  So this is what I did.

 

 

I looked at it then looked at it some more and then decided that I didn't like it so off they came.

 

 

And I replaced them with just the grey tiles.  Unfortunately, this meant that I did not have enough to finish the side panel.  A job for next weekend.

 

 

Oh and one more thing.  Don't go looking for that bit of tile you dropped behind the stove earlier, once you have lit the fire.  You might burn yourself.  You dozy prat!

 

Next were the sexy red glass tiles for the splash back.  Two high behind the hob and one high behind the sink, glued with good old CT1 on a ply backing.

On went the 'dado' along the left side of the saloon.

And on the other side the 'bureau' was cut and shut to fit.

I have to say that this weekend, the boat was somewhere I wanted to spend time, rather than just somewhere to crash while working on it.  Has an important corner been turned?