Sail Life - Fridge build part 2 - DIY sailboat project
Вставка
- Опубліковано 5 жов 2024
- This week I finish the fridge box build (except the last two coats of pigmented epoxy). The fridge is now ready for installation and for hooking up the compressor and holding plate. The wood for the galley only needs the last coat of varnish (waiting for dry weather). I also managed to get a little bit more fairing compound on the hull.
Mix ratio link: www.epoxyworks...
** Links **
Sail Life Shop:
(Items are shipped from both the US and EU)
saillifeshop.com/
Sail Life on Patreon:
bit.ly/SailLife...
Sail Life on Instagram:
/ madsdahlke
Sail Life on Facebook:
bit.ly/SailLife...
Sail Life on Twitter:
bit.ly/SailLife...
Donations for the sandpaper fund:
www.paypal.me/...
I can't believe Mads doesn't have way more subscribers. This is one of the best boat DIY channels out there.
I totally agree! BoatWorksToday (Andy) recommend this channel a few years ago when I asked about interiors and I'm so glad he did. These two channels are my favorite boating DIY channels.
I started from watching this channel a year or so after he started this project so I went back to the beginning and binge watched all of them until I was caught up (I'm a few weeks behind again now but I'll get caught back up soon)
First. - Far and away the best story teller and video journal on UTube. Other channels should take lessons on the brevity of time spent on repetitive or long tasks. Mads gets more done efficiently in 20 minutes that others by half. He ALSO takes the time to respond to comments and suggestions that reveal what must be hours of research behind the scenes. Well done!!
:D
For future panel finish work, a handy tip I picked up from working at a cabinetry place: Finish your backs first, not your fronts.
Gives you a head's up if something is wrong with your finish before you get to the side you really care about, and if you manage to mar a finished face while doing the other side you've marred your back - And it is easier to get a back looking 'good enough' than it is to redo a front panel and ensure it matches all the others.
...and I suppose you are less likely to mark the more important fronts when as the backs are done. Great tip! :)
I think one thing is for sure, she will be the best warrior 38 out there when you're done!
Couldn’t agree more, I really wouldn’t know where to begin, I binge watched the Athens refit videos, and I have to say, for DIY and amateur video production, not even mentioning the great skill and attention to detail, and English being a second language, absolute legend as we Irish would say!! Thanks Mads for all the hard work, when I saw how many issues the poor design caused water ingress resulting damage, I really admired the stoic determination and level of repairs that were undertaken. Thank goodness my boat is structurally sound, especially considering she’s a well raced old girl. I should start a channel also, the more of us out there refitting old sailboats, and sharing the experience, the better.
Only the utmost video content and production warrants such a high number of coulda-shoulda-woulda comments. Nice work on that fridge Mads.
Fridge looks great Mads. Really looks like something from a factory and likely better built as well. Glad you reference Nigel's book. It is the DIY boatowner's bible.
Be carefull using aluminium stribes in the fridge. I did that and it ended up causing condesation and ended creating mold in my fridge. I ended up using plastic stribs... But else looking good
Wow Mads, fantastic looking job on the fridge box & top. It looks like a factory job indeed. The cabinet doors are looking fantastic too.
That fridge sure is mighty spiffy!
We are diving into application number two on our topsides. We went with Epifanes two part. I had hoped to watch you make mistakes before I applied mine but it is not to be. We will be slinging more paint before you even get started. Perhaps you can watch for our mistakes. First application went south due to not cleaning tipping brush enough. We used the same brush to cut in and by the time we got halfway around the first side the paint was drying on the brush. Tip with a clean one and cut in with a separate, also clean one. We sanded it all off. We are going with navy blue as the boat was already blue and we did not want to get into changing colours. Kinda wish I went with white now. Good call. Keep it simple. Love your videos. A Sunday tradition at our house. Thanks.
Your planning of the details continue to amaze me Madds. Great Job
Thank you so much :)
A tempered glass shelf from a old fridge works great for mixing 2 part compounds. It won't absorb the moisture from the mixture and with a razor blade cleans up for a fresh surface every batch.
This is my first time leaving a comment for you but I have some insight on your lovely fridge. I have a trawler with a very similar fridge. The top access is great for retaining cool air in the fridge when open but my issue is that the food needs to be stacked in the fridge and that is very cumbersome to access the food on the bottom of all of the other stuff. I would recommend thinking about a sliding shelving system in the fridge so the food can be stacked nicely on the shelves and they can be moved side to side to provide access to other things that are on the bottom. I would also think of how milk cartons and butter and eggs can be placed in an area for quick access. These things are miserable to access when covered with piles of other food. Just a thought. Love the show, I watch it religiously.
Still enjoying watch you work!
Great work on the fridge! Funny thing about making things and ideas... Everyone has their own. I like that you are open to conversations about products, methods and ideas. And ultimately it's your boat and your decision... Great part about working for yourself, you decide what is best for you.
Hmm, R-19 for my fish boxes was too much? Well it did keep 1,500 lbs. of ice for 9-days 🙂
Hi Mads, For better results you could use far less course sandpaper when wet sanding epoxy and varnishes, 120 is very course 240 would be better hear, makes for less sanding overall ie: better finish sooner, and hey what about those guide coats, makes sanding easier, but as always your choice, don't suppose a base coat before epoxy could help with the fridge bits and other things, great job as always hope you get some better weather soon, to much sunshine hear in Aus, deep blue with a very fine gold stripe would look super classy, white is good though, all the best, Allan
Wow. Serendipitously discovered this channel today. You're flow is like project farm and full of great info. Subscribed!
Great video again. I think, even with your lid seals you will need a drain. Opening the lid in normal use and restocking the fridge will introduce moisture. If you haven’t already considered this I would suggest installing a computer fan fitted inside pvc pipe to pull the cold air from the bottom to the top of the fridge space. We have a top load fridge with holding plate and found items at the bottom froze. Having the small fan running evened out the temp.
Great video. The cupboard doors look superb and the fridge awesome, better than any commercial unit! Still waiting to see those hinges... Don't do it, painting your boat orange that is! A readily available shade of white will make maintenance a doddle.
Keeping the original colour is also better WHEN you scratch it.
A midnight blue with a white stripe - absolutely spiffy imo. Have fun choosing Mads :)
Having thought about the colour I think you are right to go with white, if you get a scratch which goes down to the gel coat it won't be so obvious. The boat looks so much more modern without the blue stripes!
A possibility is after you have painted the hull you get a vinyl wrap in some crazy bright neon orange or yellow or colour shift? That way you can have a bit of fun with colour but if you hate it just peel it off.
I would paint the boat ORANGE, BRIGHT ORANGE! You will always be seen and never have trouble finding your boat!
HAVE YOU WATCHED ODD LIFE CRAFTING. THEY SPRAYED THEIRS ORANGE AND ITS STUNNING.
Great job on the cooler. It does look pretty professional as if you purchases from a manufacturer.
Mediterranean White by International /Interlux is a really great choice. I used it on my boats hull top sides. 90% of the work is preparation. You must use the white two part primer as well though. Tipping caused me more headaches than just plain rolling. Use only plain white foam rollers, as little paint as possible, light pressure and roll slowly. If you get bubbles it's because the roller has to much paint on it or you are rolling to fast. The paint when mixed properly flows out super glossy smooth. I did water paper wet sand very lightly with 600 grit between coats. My friends don't believe me when I tell them it's rolled on and not sprayed! Good luck with your paint job! You definitely want warmer drier conditions and no cool evening condensation. In fact I may go so far as to advise building a cheap plastic temporary tent covering while applying the paint topcoat.
I say go grey, or blue. White is classic and traditional, but live a little hahaha. Fridge is awesome!
Always enjoy your updates - your great attitude is infectious and sets the tone for my Sundays. Think of us when you are talking to the camera - we are with you in spirit, here in sunny southern CA.
I think you've done an incredible job building that fridge, regardless of the naysayers. Cheers, Mads!
I honestly have... had... doubts about this refrigerator.. but i think its going to work now. Looks great.
The fridge looks awesome! Great job!
Really love your videos, if for no other reason than that you are so positive and enthusiastic about everything you do (even the oh glorious sanding). It’s so infectious. Thanks again for filming and sharing it.
I completely understand about the weather, I'm in Ireland in the middle of a refit myself, and it feels like it has been raining since spring! Absolutely love your channel, inspired me to take the plunge and get a boat myself! keep up the awesome work!
Once I start your videos I literally can’t stop watching till the end. Usually I can muster the restraint to stop watching until I have my next break. These ones no chance. Great stuff !!
You mentioned that you're planning to visit cold places, but your fridge is a cold box inside a warm box (your accommodation) inside those cold places, and you'll be consuming diesel to maintain those temperature differences. It might be worth thinking about how you could use cold air from outside by convection to cool your fridge.
It's always inspiring to see how you put Athena together.
Thank you for always going an extra mile for the videos. Good luck Mads
Brilliant craftsmanship
Love following your adventure. Any concern about difficulty opening the fridge? I agree with your drain assessment, but that little bit of vent could also make opening easier. I guess we'll see :) Thanks for sharing.
Mads, I’ve been watching you refit Athena since the very beginning. My dreams of becoming a live aboard boat owner crash and burned, but watching your videos give me a lot of pure joy. Thank you so much for sharing your skills and decisions on her with all of us. Take care!
I would just use a wet dry vacuum to clean the fridge and to remove the water. And they make them small and 12v DC with automotive plugs. And with a hole in the fridge it would be hard to get bad milk smell out of the bilge.
It's so nice to watch your videos.
That’s a cool fridge!!
Great looking fridge !!!
Beautiful work on the cabinet doors Mads. The refrigerator being removable is definitely a good idea. I think Athena should be painted colors that reflect the Danish flag so everyone who sees it know it is Mads and Ava from sail life. Thank you for a relaxing Sunday afternoon (even though you had to work) video. Take care, stay well and my best to Ava.
Very nice Mads - looks great
October! , I am very excited to see her painted and in the water !
Keep it up, Mads! your videos have become something I really look forward to every Sunday morning (west coast, USA)
Same, I'm in BC canada.
Another informative and entertaining video Mads thanks again
Can you please share the brand of your temperature and humidity sensor? It looks very cool!!
I still think Danish Flag Red is the colour for Athena. If you must go with white then at least highlight it with your native land. Some argue that dark colours fade (yes but so does white gelcoat) and others say it is too hot, but because you plan to stay north for a while a warm boat will make Eva happy.
Hello mads from sunny and very hot Northern Ontario Canada. Sad your having weather related issues with the refit. Maybe I'll send you some of our dry hot weather, we sure could use some rain. Forest fire are now becoming a consurn. Love your updates and look forward to them each week.
That Rochelle Red is a lovely shade of white...
Red would be awesome!!!
From what I have read, red fades too quickly on boats.
I loved my endeavor blue hull. I did not notice a temperature problem inside (in San Diego).
@@Uukrul1 Red ink, red paint, red dye all bleach out faster than other colors in bright sunlight. The UV exposure attacks them.
@@lyfandeth My car agrees with you. The replacement wing and door have changed noticeably compared to the factory paint. :o(
Just a quick note on the hull painting process. When you are rolling it's very hard to get more than a DFT of about 40 microns, which means lot's of coats to get near the 300 microns that should be considered the minimum target. Spraying really is the only practical way to get a decent DFT end result.
Have a look at the various airless spray machines that are available, they give nice results with much less overspray than you might be used to. If it's isn't windy there is little chance of damaging anything more than a few metres away.
I like that you're building each component with the ease of maintenance in mind. That will definitely pay off in the future.
Now that you are world's famous Magnificent Mads, you should emblazon the boat with your name. BTW, that fridge is amazingly damn spiffy!!
Orange 🍊 is a great choice 👌, cool video thanks.
That fridge looks soo good Mads. And yes I am still watching with great interest.You’ve come so far since those first obelix videos. Well done bro.
I had to make the same decision about a drain in my fridge. I finally put one in but I almost always keep it sealed with a plug. But to give it a big clean I wash it out with soap and a lot of water and then the drain comes in very handy. But really that’s the only time I use it. So you are right it is not needed but I’m happy I have it. But this is not something to stress over.
Loving the fridge, looks as good if not better than a shop bought one, good job, well spiffy
hey there .
my name is Dave
just love your channel .
thanks for all your sharing , its been a ritual of love watching Athena come together over the years.
just curious , since its going to be raining all week ,im wondering if you possibly had access to a smaller shop /room/basement/garage, or something similar where you could just put a dehumidifier , then you might be able to finish up .
my apologies if i sound impatient , i dont mean to sound dumb lol.
im sure its likely possible that you might have already thought about that .
im just very excited to see everything coming together.
thanks again .
A led light or light strip is very useful in a refrigerator. Also, you may want to put a removable thin aluminium plate in the bottom to protect the insulation from big dents from dropped items (don’t ask me how I know).
That weather.... I hope to see the fridge ready next week. it will look very nice i think
Thank you for the quality vid and craftsmanship.
Interesting, as always. Thanks, Mads.
Mads, Have you tried a heat gun or torch to smooth and remove bubbles from your epoxy after application.....works very well for me. White is a great choice for the field but most importantly what color is the stripe/stripes going to be ??
Great workmanship as always. As a domestic appliance technician I'm a little worried about not having a water drain. Fruit and vegetables give off surprising amounts of moisture, which will condense on the evaporator, I think if it was me I would be adding some water management just to keep life hassle free for the future, even if it was some kind of removable tank under the evaporator. Best wishes for the ongoing build. 👍
No drain necessary. Good choice. The box will be fine. It's well built and well insulated
Blue like ocean Sir
Imo, the Matterhorn White looks like a good option. It's got a touch of gray for a modern scheme.... but still white.
Classic Battlestar Galactica Vipers are grayish white with a orange trim.
That pigmented white epoxy in the fridge looks fanfreakingtastic!
With the lid and the custom seals it looks very professionally done so far. I need to dig out my book and read the fridge section again but I still think the ability to use ice in a pinch is an overwhelming reason to have a drain. It would be so easy to put one in now and just have a valve under it if you are worried about cold air escaping out the bottom. If you used a fiberglass tube you could have glassed it into the inside surface for an absolutely waterproof and solid scupper-like installation.
This fridge is HUUUGE, and you are planning on a separate freezer in addition to it? I thought for a while early on that you were going to partition this giant space for both a freezer and fridge.
Our built-in top-loading ice box is about 1/3 or maybe even 1/4 of that size inside, but we have thicker insulation. We usually go 3-5 days between getting ice depending on how hot it is outside and how much food we have versus ice that we pack it with.
Eventually we will get refrigeration. I'm looking at the Ozefridge system right now as my top contender. I can't wait to see which system you go with this time and if you will use the same product that you did with Obylix.
Got to love the know nothing keyboard Warriors, because of course you set about building a fridge without doing any research, nice job it looks awesome
I wonder why aerogel is a bad choice for insulation. I have quite a bit of it and it’s insulation properties are amazing. I was planning to consider how I might incorporate it somehow in my fridge freezer build. It would have to be completely contained. It seems like I could sandwich it between two thinner layers of foam or something like that.
Amazing work as always. You are such a solid and consistent inspiration.
White is the way to go !!
Be brave, man!! Go with some wild color!!
Hull, go with a great orange, go a little wild. Love your videos. They make my weekend. Cheers.
Mads two things:
1. You know more than. The keyboard warriors out there. Don't let them discourage you. I've been following for many years now Long before Athena, and your work is impeccable.
2. Dare to go bold. I know you love a clean look. I'm with you on that 99.9% of the time. However this one and only time I can say I honestly disagree with your choice. You have a great opportunity to be seen when you pull into a new anchorage. Why not let it be known that "Hey, that's Mads Warrior 38!". I have a boat that's not often known and pulling into a new anchorage is always fun. Especially when the questions and head scratching starts. Have a little fun, it's just paint you can always paint it over later if you need.
As always nothing but good vibes from us aboard S/V LongWinded to you. Cheers and we look forward to next weeks episode.
Great work Mads! I always appreciate your videos and they help me to slow down and do my projects better! Thank you!
Maybe a tip ..... When it's time to paint the hull, I think ALEXSEAL color is a better choice than AWLGRIP color because ALEXSEAL is easier to maintain / repair / polish. Have used both myself, but it is much easier to fix problems with ALEXSEAL.
Mads, I knew a guy who installed marine refrigeration and he reckoned he saw a lot of failed vacuum panels.. wouldn't touch them.
Can't speak from my own experience, but I'd definitely research them carefully before committing to them on the freezer.
Keep up the great channel 👍
I got that humidity sensor, it works great.
Could you give the brand/model? Looks like a nice sensor to have. Thanks in advance!
Metallic grey or navy blue are both subtle colour and less in need of constant cleaning
Fridge looks amazing. Great job. Can't wait to see it installed
That fridge looks amazing! I have been planning on redoing mine with better insulation, lots of good ideas here!
There is actually a good reason to stick with white when it comes to fiberglass. Temperature matters. And darker colors raise the temperature in sunlight. Aircraft designers know this, and wont allow aircraft made of fiberglass to use too much of a dark color normally. If memory serves (and it may not, I am not certain) 150 f is a critical temperature that fiberglass looses strength at.
You’re doing a great job and I wish I could do the same just don’t have the knowledge but watching you is very inspiring keep up the good work.
If you are unhappy with the satin finish resulting from the final poly coat, you can rub the surface with #00 steel wool. It will even out the small irregularities that chemical satin finishes often have and has the added benefit of removing any little bits of trash that inevitable creep in. All of our furniture finishes are "rubbed out" this way.
White paint! Your livin’ on the edge Mads...
Nice work! Its gonna work fine...
That refrigerator is going to be nice! Just wondering what ever happened with the diesel generator?
My understanding of fridge building is that you can actually "paint" the inside, but you have to use epoxy-based paint, not single-liquid, it needs to be a paint that requires a hardener much like west systems and the like.
Great job as always!
I am loving the fridge build! It's giving me ideas for a home fermentation chamber
Great work yet again cheers
Sooo well done, Mads! That is a *very* well-crafted fridge!
Ok, fresh experience from 3 weeks on board Artemis using the cooler (toploaded). Temps here in Ionic sea are 35+ during days and humidity is no more than 50%. I have had to pump out condensation in the cooler twice. So I have to correct myself. there is significant condensation here too.
That looks awesome. Great work on the fridge.
A deep Forest Green would match the copper coat. And would look mighty fine with red, yellow or blue sails. It would make your boat recognizable without being garish. Search for "Dale Sailing
Paint Spraying and Varnishing" and look at the "Jade green mist" is's beautiful. And a green hull looks cleaner for longer than a white hull.
If you're spending most of your time in higher latitudes a darker color is free solar heating. If you are going to end up cruising the tropics white is the answer. I'm kind of surprised you don't have a hull mockup where you could "paint" the hull at least on screen so you could see how you like it.
I think no drain is the way to go, a sponge will mop up any water in the bottom rapidly. Spillages that may contaminate the bilge are contained in an easy to clean area.
I have binge watched all of the Athena videos, You're quality of workmanship is high, sometimes I feel a little too high for certain things, an easy thing to do, as a person with an eye for detail, I know full well that once a blemish is spotted it will forever draw your eye...
Something I noticed in the earlier episodes which you haven't done in a while was to miss measure something, so if I had any advice for you it would be to try and get used to measuring everything in millimetres... Ditch those centimetres :-) With a few exceptions nearly everything in Europe in now measured in MM especially engineering and building materials such as wood. That way you'll probably only ever use a decimal point again is if you strip down one of your diesels and need to measure internal components, rudder stock etc. As an apprentice after school I had to ditch CM and get used to MM rapidly, whilst also learning imperial due to the age of some equipment we worked on... This is in no way meant to be a criticism of you or your methods.