Ever since we purchased our boat the Admiral and I have been less than pleased with the refrigerator onboard. We never found it convenient to lean over and reach down to find cold items for our meals in the refrig that Catalina installed in our boats, besides, it was always a hassel to clean as well. So, I decided to search for a frig that would fit in to our galley without taking up too much room, you know, something like a compact size.
After measuring the available space and searching extensively, we located a Sanyo 110V refrigerator (albeit a small one) that fits almost perfectly. The very first thing I had to do was to relocate the trash container. I then removed the s/s grab bar, shaved off just a little bit of wood from the companionway steps and then wedged it in to fit tightly. In fact, it fits snug enough that we don't have to worry about the door coming open while underway. It even has a small freezer. Notice the little table and drawer that is underneath it, which provides another area to stash who knows what.
Take a look at the way it fits.
I placed the trash container on the bulkhead in the aft cabin.
Glenn Druhot
Carpe Diem
New Bern, NC
35* 6' 10" N / 77* 2' 30" W
2001 C36, Hull #1965
Std Rig; Wing Keel; M35B


You have a very nice writing style, Glenn. I can almost picture your modifcation in my mind's eye. Maybe others would appreciate a photo when you get it to load, though. ;)
Duane Ising - Past Commodore (2011-2012)
s/v Diva Di
1999 Catalina 36 Hull #1777
Std rig; wing keel, M35B, Delta (45#)
Punta Gorda, FL
http://www.sailblogs.com/member/diva-di/
My thanks goes out to Larry Brandt for assisting me with some of the technology of posting photos online.
Glenn Druhot
Carpe Diem
New Bern, NC
35* 6' 10" N / 77* 2' 30" W
2001 C36, Hull #1965
Std Rig; Wing Keel; M35B
Nice photos, Glenn. Thanks for sharing all that.
Duane Ising - Past Commodore (2011-2012)
s/v Diva Di
1999 Catalina 36 Hull #1777
Std rig; wing keel, M35B, Delta (45#)
Punta Gorda, FL
http://www.sailblogs.com/member/diva-di/
Thanks Duane, I have a whole lot more coming. I will post them next week sometime. I have made more thatn 30 upgrades to [COLOR="Blue"][B][I][COLOR="Navy"]Carpe Diem[/COLOR] [COLOR="Black"][B][I][B][I][B]so far[/B][/I][/B][/I][/B][/COLOR].[/I][/B][/COLOR] This is a great place to learn and share what we have done to personalize our boats isn't it?
Glenn Druhot
Carpe Diem
New Bern, NC
35* 6' 10" N / 77* 2' 30" W
2001 C36, Hull #1965
Std Rig; Wing Keel; M35B
I really like your installation, Lord knows I'm tired of sticking my head down into the "cave" myself. My only concern would be how quickly it can be moved in case you need to get at the engine RIGHT NOW. Is it pretty easy to get out of the way? Looks really nice!
Deja Vu
1991 MK I # 1106
Marina del Rey, CA
Mike, that was one of my biggest concerns of removing the engine cover in an emergency. That is not a problem whatsoever. We did a couple drills of doing just that - quickly removing the engine cover. Thank you for the compliments. I meant to add the actual model number previously, it is a Sanyo SR-A2480(W/K/M).
Glenn Druhot
Carpe Diem
New Bern, NC
35* 6' 10" N / 77* 2' 30" W
2001 C36, Hull #1965
Std Rig; Wing Keel; M35B
Good to hear, Glenn. This would be a great modification for liveaboards. When I lived aboard, my GF got so tired of the small frig that she made me build an AC Norcold into the dock steps for extra food storage. Wish I had thought of this then.:rolleyes:
Deja Vu
1991 MK I # 1106
Marina del Rey, CA