NEED INPUT: ICE MAKER OR 2nd FRIDGE? What is better?

Blueone said:
Now that’s how you roll people
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My 46 has two ice makers and love them! Never run out of ice for making Orange Crushes and Margarita's ...
I actually down sized the twin sub zero's when they gave out. Put in a side by side and made room for a beer/wine cooler.
 
We had the same decision to make this year when our cockpit icemaker quit working, and we went with a fridge in the cockpit (and a bag of ice in a cooler/insulated bag for the mixed drink makers). You can't overestimate the convenience of NOT going down to the main fridge to get a cold beverage :)
 
For true ice aficionado's, double boil some water (preferably spring water), pour into some 2" square silicone ice cube makers, freeze, and serve your favorite bourbon on the crystal clear "rock"!
 
ttmott said:
A lot of people have those countertop ice makers and seem pretty happy with them. If you find your boat is short on refrigeration space then that maybe an option to replace the OEM ice maker with a refer. However, the ice makers are pretty narrow, like 16 inches; you may not find a refer that fits that narrow space.
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We’ve got one. It does just fine for keeping up with drink ice. We can even bag some and throw it in the freezer. Wouldnt want to try and fill a yeti however! Id vote for the fridge. I had a 320da and we used the hell out of the cockpit fridge. The OP answered his own question when he asked “would it be better to get the fridge to avoid constantly going below?” YES
 
Blue, you left the hassle factor out out your equation. You don't have to worry about buying ice when you have an endless supply.
 
Wow! - A lot of good responses. Thank you everyone for your input and view to this dilemma.
 
I never realized ice vs frig was so POLARizing. This is moving towards the andriod vs apple territory.

We had a frig in the cockpit and a large yeti on the swim platform with a cushion on top. Tons of ice and cold storage and a comfortable place to watch the going-ons when backed into the islands.
 
My vote is for the countertop version. I'm in that dilemma of fix/replace the original icemaker for 500-1500 or go buy a countertop one for 100-200. Dollars and sense wise I don't think it makes sense to spend all that money on an ice maker anymore. The fridge is more practical in a broader of situations.
 
Skuza said:
My vote is for the countertop version. I'm in that dilemma of fix/replace the original icemaker for 500-1500 or go buy a countertop one for 100-200. Dollars and sense wise I don't think it makes sense to spend all that money on an ice maker anymore. The fridge is more practical in a broader of situations.
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An Isotherm Cruise 42 will fit nicely in your boat. The compressor has to be relocated and the fridge is still $1k+ by the time it's delivered. They will fit 3 small ice trays in the freezer portion quite nicely :)

Cover your eyes, @Blueone

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Blueone said:
I see there is no hope for you fridge people...

Accountant man!!......how is the math working now?
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Hey, I'm no accountant. More of a product portfolio manager. I look at market problems, business cases, trade-offs for various options, build buyer personas, use cases to meet demands, and how to solve customer problems.

On the trade-offs between fridge and freezer, you're right that OP is going to buy one of the two. On average, the costs are going to be about the same. A fridge might actually cost more because there are more sizes available.

I would hold my analysis is still useful. It illustrates the trade off cost between additional refrigeration and on-board ice production. It also demonstrates the financial value of the ice and the incremental cost of buying ice. One can assess the convenience value of not having to stop and buy ice.

A user persona evaluation might be useful.
Persona 1: Craig.
Craig likes to be self sufficient when on the water. He and his frequent guests enjoy cocktails with fresh ice. He wants to head directly to the boat without having to stop for ice on the way. He also doesn't like paying extra for frozen water when it could be waiting for him on the boat. Craig also tends to spend multiple days away from the dock without access to stores. He has a generator and he's happy to have it run for prolonged times, and has a reliable shore power connection.
Solution: Ice maker.

Persona 2: Joe
Joe has a boat with multiple levels. His knee is starting to both him, making frequent trips below to get beverages harder. He mostly drinks canned beverages that are just as enjoyable when simply cooled. Joe likes to keep the conversation going with his occasional guests instead of leaving the cockpit. He doesn't like using his gas generator too much, but has an inverter that can power a small appliance. Joe's main fridge can make and store 2 trays of ice, which typically is fine for his normal day trips. For a longer weekend he doesn't mind filling a cooler with ice from the 7-Eleven.
Solution: Cockpit fridge with purchased ice, or cockpit fridge with countertop ice maker.
 
I thought an ice maker would be cool, but them realized that we don’t drink water from the tanks and don’t do mixed drinks. I have a portable 12/120 cooler on the bridge for drinks and water. Boat never had a cockpit or bridge ice maker or fridge. Also have a countertop ice maker and a couple gallons of purified water to make ice with. We’ve never used the ice maker. An installed ice maker would be something else to winterize that never gets used. Kind of like the water maker I’m going to remove this winter.
 
b_arrington said:
Well lets look at it from a payoff perspective. If the ice maker costs $1500, ice costs $3/5lb bag, you can buy 2500 lbs of ice for the same cost. If you buy 2 bags per boat visit and visit the boat 25 times, that's 10 years worth of ice. Maybe not a great ROI?
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Since when do boaters consider ROI? If we did, there would be no pleasure boaters. Ice makers are all about convenience. Nice to be able to relax after a hot shower before cocktails and not have to walk somewhere to buy ice.
 
Richard Carlisle said:
I thought an ice maker would be cool, but them realized that we don’t drink water from the tanks and don’t do mixed drinks. I have a portable 12/120 cooler on the bridge for drinks and water. Boat never had a cockpit or bridge ice maker or fridge. Also have a countertop ice maker and a couple gallons of purified water to make ice with. We’ve never used the ice maker. An installed ice maker would be something else to winterize that never gets used. Kind of like the water maker I’m going to remove this winter.
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People who do not drink tank water are people who do not do proper tank maintenanc.
 
sbw1 said:
Since when do boaters consider ROI? If we did, there would be no pleasure boaters. Ice makers are all about convenience. Nice to be able to relax after a hot shower before cocktails and not have to walk somewhere to buy ice.
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That was partly tongue in cheek.

Its about priorities and needs. I rarely drink anything on the boat that would need ice, have ample refrigeration to cool canned drinks, and a dedicated freezer. I can buy a 20 lb bag of ice, store it, and have it last much of the season. I considered installing an ice maker but it would have meant deleting a storage cabinet and drawer that gets a lot of use.

Your use case is clearly different because you like to make cocktails, which always taste better with fresh ice.
 
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