1997 330 DA Refrigerator Replacement

Boater420

Well-Known Member
Mar 11, 2015
1,259
Clearwater, FL
Boat Info
'97 330 Sundancer
V-Drives
Westerbeke 4.5BCG
Engines
Twin Merc 454's
Hello,

I need to replace the cockpit and cabin refrigerators on my boat. Who has also done this and what models did you install. I'm not interested in Norcold replacements as they have a pretty bad reputation Never-cool!

NovaCool
Vitrifrigo
Isotherm

I am looking for a direct replacement AC/DC fridges. Plug & Play. If that's not possible then models with little to no cutting if possible. I don't mind trimming in a little extra space with molding.

Any information would be very helpful.

Thanks,
Kevin
 
Hello,

I need to replace the cockpit and cabin refrigerators on my boat. Who has also done this and what models did you install. I'm not interested in Norcold replacements as they have a pretty bad reputation Never-cool!

NovaCool
Vitrifrigo
Isotherm

I am looking for a direct replacement AC/DC fridges. Plug & Play. If that's not possible then models with little to no cutting if possible. I don't mind trimming in a little extra space with molding.

Any information would be very helpful.

Thanks,
Kevin

I just replaced mine with a Nova Kool 5810. Others have posted with installs of the same model. It looks like the fit varies depending on the plant the boat was built in. Mine was a tight fit with a bit of trimming of the opening. Its a nice unit and is 5.8 cu ft compared to the OEM unit that is only 3.1 cu ft. And it has a light too.

Here is the before dead Norcold:
IMG_0038.JPG


And the new Nova Kool 5810;

IMG_0045.JPG
 
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That Nova Kool is nice.

Last summer I pulled the refrigerator out on my 330 so I could run new coax cable for DirecTV. I found there was enough dead space behind my refrigerator to hide a body.
 
Creekwood that looks great! Love the light and the thought of having more space!!

Matt


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
I second the Nova kool 5810, we installed this in our 330 Sundancer. We trimmed about a 1/4" off the top off the opening only, to almost double interior volume was a no brainier! This fridge is super efficient and totally silent!
 
Thank you all for your suggestions. Looks like the Nova Kool 5810 is the winner. Where did you purchase the unit from Creekwood?
 
That Nova Kool is nice.

Last summer I pulled the refrigerator out on my 330 so I could run new coax cable for DirecTV. I found there was enough dead space behind my refrigerator to hide a body.


You got one of the few boats produced from the Jersey plant. SSHHHH! It's a secret! :wow:
 
Thank you all for your suggestions. Looks like the Nova Kool 5810 is the winner. Where did you purchase the unit from Creekwood?
http://clubsearay.com/showthread.php/73651-1997-330-DA-Refrigerator-Replacement

I bought it on line from a Canadian Marine supply called Marine Outfitters in Kingston, Ontario. Buying from US suppliers can get expensive in Canada with duties and fees charged by the shippers so I have to avoid buying from the US. Nova Kool is a Canadian company based in Vancouver but others have bought in the US so hopefully someone can help you out. The CAD$ is now less than US$0.80 so you may even be able to buy from Canada and get a decent price.

That Nova Kool so far is great. I spent two nights and 2 1/2 days on the hook about a week ago and didn't start the engines once. (I don't have a generator either). The battery levels did not drop much at all over that time, compared to the past with the Norcold. And the Nova Kool is silent compared to the Norcold. On calm nights when on the hook, I could hear frogs splashing on shore outside the boat from bed, but the fridge didn't wake me up once kicking in. The Norcold would sometimes wake me when it kicked in and ran.
 
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Here are the pictures of the new Vitrifrigo c11! After careful consideration and another post here on CSR I decided to go with the Vitrifrigo. It was local, priced around the same, and I didn't have to wait 2 weeks to get it. The flange that holds the fridge in place was special ordered and drop shipped from a wholesaler in Florida. The only special order flange they make is for the 330DAs with the Norcold since they were so popular.

http://s51.photobucket.com/user/Boater420/slideshow/
 
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Boater 420 - great pictures of the fridge. I tried researching the C11 and can't find anything. What year is your 330? I have a 340 and it's the first year 1999 (same boat as the 33 but the berth a little different) DE541 is toast and really liked your fridge.

Any help is appreciated!!!

Steve
 
Hi Steve,

Here is the model number I installed:
[h=1]Vitrifrigo C115IBD4-F[/h]
The flange is Part # R128110.C

Here are the instructions I followed to do the install. Follow these and you'll have no problem. You will need someone to help lift it out of the hatch and the new one back down. I wrapped my old unit with truck straps to make a handle at the top so it was easier to lift out of the boat through the hatch.
http://clubsearay.com/showthread.php/54129-cabin-refrigerator?highlight=vitrifrigo+flange+c11

Kevin
 
Boater420,

The link listed about in post#12 is no longer any good. Do you happen to know what the thread title was?
 
I put that same fridge in my 99 340. Awesome unit! It has such an awesome seal when you close it make sure you double check that it’s pressed closed.I did not get it all the way closed one weekend and had quite a mess. FYI. So now it’s a habit every time I go in the cabin I just give a little press on the fridge to verify it’s closed because the seal is so awesome. Enjoy a cold beer man!
 
I tried looking but couldn't find it. What do you need to know?
 
Wasn't that I needed to know anything but a step-by-step instruction list is never a bad thing to have. I think I did find it on another site. Looks like I will be trying it in a week or two.
 
Wasn't that I needed to know anything but a step-by-step instruction list is never a bad thing to have. I think I did find it on another site. Looks like I will be trying it in a week or two.
Can you forward the site where you found the instructions please? I'm going to need to do the fridge update in the near future myself.
 
Here are the pictures of the new Vitrifrigo c11! After careful consideration and another post here on CSR I decided to go with the Vitrifrigo. It was local, priced around the same, and I didn't have to wait 2 weeks to get it. The flange that holds the fridge in place was special ordered and drop shipped from a wholesaler in Florida. The only special order flange they make is for the 330DAs with the Norcold since they were so popular.

http://s51.photobucket.com/user/Boater420/slideshow/
Can you send those pics to me? George48051@yahoo.com
 

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