from someone that works on yachts for a living, if your having trouble with stripped screws you should not use the butyl tape. butyl has no adhesive qualities so the screws are the only thing holding the hatch down. if the screw holes are stripped or questionable then at least the sika will bond the hatch in place and you could even remove the screws when its cured and fill the holes with more sika. btw the epoxy you used is just adhesive. that stuff is always very soft. you need to fix the holes with something like west system / laminating epoxy. its runny but much harder and you can thicken it with different fillers or chopped up fiberglass.
Spot on. The uneven surface of your butyl makes it worse too. The wood screws have to put a large amount of force on the tape to flatten it and you're going to struggle to build something strong enough for the screws to pull against without stripping. Caulk is the product for the job.
What about epoxied stainless crew inserts? Plus you should have tried to have the butyl as one continuous piece. Each one of the breaks is a potential water leak. HTH
I also add that using the screws to force the butyl down will only lead to more stripped holes. You can always epoxy a wood or plastic dowel in the hole. Then pre drill a hole slightly smaller then the screw. If you are insistent on using the butyl I’d suggest using a clamp to force the hatch down then use the screws to hold the hatch down once you have the desired “spluge”
I would also suggest using the drill fill drill approach. Drill a larger hole, epoxy that larger hole, then drill your screw in that fibreglass. This will make it much more rigid, not strip and at the same time protect the wood around the whole from getting wet and rotting over time. If you’ve watched SailLife, this is always the méthode he uses when filling with epoxy, that and using fibreglass strands in the epoxy for strength.
We just installed an isotherm drawer frig/freezer in our boat. We absolutely love this unit. It increased the amount of “stuff” we could load into it...for the same footprint. Nothing is lost and forgotten in the back cuz the back is visible each time it is pulled open. The drawback was a TINY freezer. So bought a separate chest freezer unit and we now have so much space to supply our boating adventures. (We are retired 75 year olds exploring the Pacific Northwest).
Ok guys let me tell you about refrigerator freezer units. There are two versions of small units. One is for open space installation, (on the counter)and the other is for under counter install. The difference is the way that the unit cools itself or gets rid of the heat. The countertop model (usually cheaper) dissipates the heat By allowing air to move round the unit and the heat radiates from the sides. The under counter unit ( the one you need) is more expensive ,Of course. It takes cool air in from the bottom front of the unit and it rejects it from the top by use of a small fan. Make sure you customize your cabinet to accommodate the airflow. Hopefully this will help with you next project. Kevin K!
For the screw holes.... Chop up some fiberglass cloth in small 1/2" x 1/2" or so... Use regular boat resin and pack the holes with that mix... Pack each hole tightly with the mix. It will be as strong as your deck is.... Cheep and works great...
Many RV type fridges have panels on the doors that can be changed out to match the decor. And when tightening screws into fiberglass don’t use powertools. Put them in with a screwdriver by hand.
We have the isotherm cr 130 on our catamaran… have had to defrost it every few weeks. The eco controller isn’t set up for lithium. It’s for lead acid based on the voltages so eco overcooling just keeps the fridge on and it freezes the fridge. The voltages can not be set up for the lithium. So the higher lithium voltage of 13 volts inadvertently tricks the eco controller into thinking there is extra power available and it will freeze your refrigerator food…Having to unpack and defrost it every few weeks is somehow related to the cold plate size snd it’s essentially the outside of the little freezer…. However once you get it defrosted it’s all on solar and it draws 2.5 amps when the compressor kicks in. It’s about 2/3 the energy of the 40qt Engle freezer when it doesn’t need defrosting but when it needs defrosted it keeps the compressor on all the time and uses 1.5 x the power of the Engle… humidity and room temp make a difference. Defrosted it again today! And when it needs defrosted it starts to not cool the fridge down far enough when it’s hot hot hot out. We even put in a internal blower to move the air around in the fridge… cools down faster. And defrosting can’t be a pick… have to let it heat up and melt…
Being a Kiwi and having sailed add these locations to where you want to go in summer. Bay of Islands, Abel Tasman, Marlborough Sounds, Akaroa. Further South and the West Coast will risk beating your boat up well worth exploring more but I would choose a mono hull and solid core glass construction as a minimum for Stewart Island the Fiordland Sounds and the exposed rugged west coast also Marlborough to CHCH or Akaroa is pretty shallow inshore. If from Akaroa you choose to go by car add the Catlin's and Queenstown area fly to Stewart Island or Milford Sounds and figure out if you want to see more.
I had a dometic CR50 the compressor had to work hard as there was no ventilation by the heat exchanger. This may be an issue with the cr50 placed a fan to take away the stagnant air and it worked very well. This was on a camper van. Have a read up. Keep up the good work been following you for ages since the episode you went to Mexico to get dental work. Keep living the dream.
The very first thing I like about you guys is that you are never unhappy.. You catch whatever the life throws at you and make the best use of it.. Second thing is that you have a very good sense of humor. Well, that's what keeps you happy.. Loads of love from India and all the best for the upcoming projects.. (I even don't know whether you are already back on water!! I am no patreon!)
during summer come down south, trully awesome down here. Further south you go the more amazing the sounds get, Milford and doubtful and Dusky are the ultimate
I didn't read all 540 comments but something you might want to think about is that most "frost free" refrigerators use heat to melt the frost. This causes 2 potential issues on a boat. 1 self defrosting freezers are not good for long term food storage as the food at least partially thaws on a regular basis and the defrost cycle uses a fairly large amount of heat which means it uses power. Just some things to think about. Keep the good stuff coming guys.
Guys with regards to your fridge and freezer the old one you had in there had plates designed to store the cold and slowly release it into the fridge /freezer,the units you are now looking at are more like a house fridge that just cut in and out all day so the Energy is now stored somewhere else I.e. your batteries so you will notice the extra power use. Have you looked at the pull out draw type as they dump less cold air out on the floor when opened so might be more efficient. Regards Neil
When filling the holes that you need to fix put small pieces of wood the length of the hole in with the epoxy. It will be much stronger, otherwise the screws simply chew away the epoxy...
Yep, epoxy is not a good material for wood or sheet metal screws. Drill out the hole and epoxy in a piece of hardwood dowel and drill in a pilot hole in the center of the dowel. Add a couple of drops of liquid urethane finish to the pilot hole to minimize water absorption in the wood, then screw in the metal screw. Do not use a drill or power screw driver to put the screw all the way. Use a screw driver for the final torquing of the screw. You will be less likely to strip out the screw......
Remember the frost free ones suck all the moisture out which will destroy your veggies, along with keeping them at the wrong temperature of course. Have you looked at the Under Counter Drawer style fridge freezers?
Stay away from Dometic!!! We've had 3 dometic's - all garbage! They never froze ice cream & they all sweat like crazy so there was always puddles of water in the fridge & the freezer always iced over. We had to defrost it at least once a month. We finally switched to the Isotherm and we Love it! It's been a year and a half now and no problems whatsoever. It's never iced over. Even though the Isotherm is a bit smaller, it actually fits more stuff in it!! No regrets at all. Thanks for all the wonderful content, we love your channel ❤️
my "2 cents worth" for the epoxy job: So when you do repair the stripped issue, use a hand screwdriver as you can control the strength of it so as not to have the screw pull the new threads out. If you use a power tool you risk the chance of it stripping out again. If you could, it would be better to use a fiberglass resin and fiberglass type material to repair the screw holes instead ( or somewhat like materials). Just using epoxy only seems to me just to be a temporary fix. Good Luck with this.
Yep. I would drill out the holes to clean out all of the caulk and epoxy first. Then cut narrow strips of fiberglass cloth, soak the strips in resin, then push them down in to the holes. Maybe add a bit of extra resin to completely fill the hole. Once cured they should drill pilot holes for the new screws and hand tighten.
It’s one thing to be confident in all things you do in life but not even doing a couple hours research before doing something you have no experience with, is another and far from smart Jason….😉
Not my expertise, but… Is there some type of marine fastening anchor just for those purposes? (stripped holes) Like the wall anchors u can get for your house. I imagine u might need to drill the holes slightly larger to accept the anchors.
Engel’s are very reliable and energy efficient due to their Japanese swing motor design. I have used one of the chest-types off-roading in Africa for over a decade, and it was already 5 years old when I bought it. They are more expensive, probably because they charge for their reputation, but this is warranted as they are tried and tested. That said, I cannot speak for their upright models. As I understand the majority of other 12v fridges now use Danfoss compressors which are variable speed, and therefore more energy efficient, but this also comes down to the quality of the insulation and door seals. A drawer-type is more efficient compared to a front-opening door type as all the cold air doesn’t ‘fall’ out every time you open the door, resulting in more energy to get it down to set temperature again. Good luck with the search! We love your channel!
I agree with the comments re: expoxing in wood dowels and wood add the following, if you aren't already doing this. When your repair is cured, use the screw setting on your powered driver with the clutch settings on a no. around 2 or 3. That should help from stripping out the repaired hole. Then to tighten and set the screw fully, tighten the remainder manually with a screwdriver or turn the clutch setting up a slightly higher number until the frame is tight to the deck. Best of luck. 🔧 🔨 👍
Take an olds mechanics advice, leave the power drill in the box when driving in screws in material like fiberglass. Hand tighten only, drills are only good for removing and making holes. Driving screws in hard materials that strip easily should always be done by hand. You should pre drill the filled holes as well, the epoxy just splits if its not pre drilled. I would throw that butyl tape in the trash as well. The silicon is what should be used to install the hatch, it actually glues it down. You almost don't even need to worry about the stripped screws, once the silicon cures, that hatch isn't going anywhere.
Not true! the power tools being used have torque limiting capability and settings for "drill" and "screw" that enable and disable the torque limiting (there may also be a setting for Hammer drill, but I can't tell at this point). When used to screw in fasteners, set to "Screw" and the lowest torque setting (not "drill"!) at first, NOT at a "9" (see 6:57) to start. Increase the torque to suit OR let go of the Trigger and rotate the tool manually until "snug" (the torque limiter disengages under low and no power from trigger). As always, throw away any screw bit that gets worn and "jumpy"; worst tool in the world is one that causes more damage than repair when used,
Dometic are great! They're perfect for small spaces. They're an NZ brand, and locally supplied from Auckland. Auckland has just dropped to level 3 so they're able to work now too!
We have a dometic in our RV and I wouldn't go any other way. It's been reliable and has worked extremely well in all sorts of temperatures. It didn't freeze up when we had a few nights at 4 degrees Celsius (days not much warmer) and it kept up when we had a week at 38-40 degrees Celsius with nights not much cooler. Our portable fridges have never been able to handle extremes. I believe they can be easily serviced in a lot of places as well.
Been following you guys since your RV days. We got our RV because of your influence. We even found a way to move to Japan temporarily. Keep on doing what you’re doing.
New Zealand is so beautiful. They have crazy charges for use of the bathrooms but still beautiful. Thanks for sharing your experience and troubles of the repairs. We have to replace just about all of our port lights and hatches. It’s nice to see what works and what doesn’t.
Hi, if you can't get the machine you want in the right colour you could think about wrapping them in any colour you like just as they do with cars. living on a boat from 1905 myself I always try to install normal household appliances as much as possible because of a wider range to choose from, more available support and better prices. And just run them from the inverter. good luck with solving the puzzle!
One thing that helped me early on in understanding fundamentals is that there is no such thing as "cold" only the absence of heat. Heat is what the frig removes from the inside and the product within and then rejects it outside. No or low heat rejection = no or low refrigeration. Eventually it as the copper winding in the compressor overheat and become resistant (higher Amp draw and failure) the oil cooks and becomes acidic as well contributing to failure.
It is a good approach that when things are not going well and getting frustrated with it, "walk away" for at least a day and then come back to it. Amazing how things get much better at finishing the task, not unnecessarily damaging something in the frustration and avoid getting hurt.
Hi, using some finely chopped fibreglass mixed with your epoxy is a good idea. Also and most importantly is pre drill the holes and ditch the drill/driver. Screw them in by hand.
Hi guys. We have the Isotherm drinks version. It’s great. I was soo over defrosting and scraping ice out of the icebox. We are NZ based too and got ours through Burnsco.
Thank you for another great video. I also love looking at other boats as so many of them have their own personality and stories. Feel free to show more of them in your travels. :)
I use Dometic for overloading. The CSX3 75DZ. It has both freezing and cooling capabilities and, while it is different from your use case, I could not recommend it more. The product is solid and their service and support excellent. Best of luck to you.
I was looking for your video yesterday. Saturday LOL I was wondering how the problem with your refrigerator was working out when I thought maybe you should reach out to a manufacturer to see if they could do a special order for you. What would be close to work for you could possibly be modified by their engineers to help you. It may cost a little more but is worth trying. Contact a few of them see what they will tell you! Thank you for your videos good luck.
Great to get off Curiosity and see the surroundings. I expect getting some freedom of movement for you feels spectacular. I have found in life when a project gets frustrating, walk away for a bit and come back later. Almost always works when a fresh eye sees what was holding up progress. Great video. Thanks for sharing.
Hello Nikki and Jason, loving all your videos. Such an amazing story and inspiration to so many. Nikki, may I ask what down jacket that is? Absolutely love it. Size and compatibility.
What a fun video! I love skipping school when the weather is nice! Quick tip for the screw holes...it may be better to insert some wooden dowels and epoxy that in place first. Then use the fresh wood to screw into. You may need to drill out the existing epoxy to get a fresh hole and then start from scratch. You will probably get a better bite with the screws as most epoxy types will be hard and brittle when fully cured. Good luck!!
Thanks for all your videos.. for your fridge situation I’ve had Norcold and dometic, didn’t like both either. I just bought a vitrifrigo for my overland truck I’m building. If it were my boat, I’d take out your stove/oven since you don’t use it.. remove the cabinet to the left of your stove and possibly put it where the old fridge was if it fits.. then build in your fridge and freezer in the ‘U’ so that you can cut a ventilation hole through the back wall and properly vent the cooling units. From experience if you don’t have that ventilation your fridges will fail… if the single cabinet doesn’t fit I would then build a cabinet where the old fridge was and you have twice the storage you had… did that make sense?
Sometimes that can work, but it depends on accessibility to the underside, and putting a hole all the way through the deck where there was not one before creates additional leak risks.
Its what I would do, with domed nuts on the inside. I would rather risk some damp than loose a hatch. Looks like the tape is not a good idea, especially with all the gunk around the screw threads. If I had to use the tape I think I would offer up the hatch to the deck and then use an awl to make holes for the screws through the compressed tape (and seal the screws with tube sealant). All easier to say than do!
If you can't find a stainless steel fridge you can always attach a piece of stainless on the front, or options are put a wood veneer that would match the rest of the boat, or spray paint it whatever color you want. You could also remove the front of the door and go to a metal fabricator and have them make you a new front face. They are usually just attached with a few screws.
BTW, I just left a comment on Kara and Nate's (2.58M subscribers) recent EarthRoamer video suggesting that they do a collab with you guys and Kara said YES!!! Hope you guys can work something out. I love both your channels.
My heart sank with that 1st screws in, but its fixable :) Can't wait till all the work is done. And y'all get back in the water. Texas is still rooting for you!
Also look into a Canadian brand, Novakool. We have one in our RV and love it. They are made for the marine market. Rugged, efficient Danfoss compressors. Simple, well insulated. Lots and lots of sizes. Replaceable door skins.
I think I would’ve epoxied some small dowels into the screw holes. That would give some wood to screw into. I’ve used that technique before, and it works great. Good luck!
Option for window..small shims of wood "almost like tooth picks" coated in good wood glue..pack holes full and tap with hammer to tighten...once dry chisel top flat and Re drill holes..use smaller bit..
Its a good idea to ask your viewers for their feedback regarding fridge/freezers however many will not be yachties or if they are will not have your model of cat. Can I suggest you ask on both leopard forums/facebook pages as though there will be less people on their they are a lot more likely to have the information/experience you want.
Have you considered a water-cooled system vs. air cooled for your freezer/fridge? A little more plumbing (including through-hulls) but there are significant savings to be had, maybe especially valuable since you are off the grid for periods of time and primarily recharging with solar…also cuts down on interior temperature of the boat. I installed a NorCold system on my sailboat years ago, and it worked flawlessly-did have to add a small computer fan in the fridge’s interior to circulate the air for even cooling, though-otherwise the stuff on the bottom would freeze.
I've always thought it would be nice to have a self-contained refrigerator and freezer but I think in my case, and probably yours too, there are several big disadvantages. You lose the space equivalent the size of the compressor and condenser from the cooling compartment as these components are no longer located remotely. Secondly, you'd need to provide ventilation to cool the condenser and compressor. If this space is built into the all-in-one design, then those air channels are again deducted from the available space. If not, you'd need to leave room for air flow and probably add a fan. This is even more important in the tropics. How about reinsulating your old cabinet and putting in new refrigeration components? Your old units used holding plates. I think this is no longer considered the efficient way to go. You could just use simple evaporators, lining one or two sides of the compartments. I'd be tempted to go with a compressor each for the freezer and refrigerator compartments. These components are readily available, even here in NZ. You can locate the compressors remotely where you are less likely to hear them running. A side note: I think you'd need to use some kind of thickener mixed in the epoxy (micro balloons or chopped glass fibers) if you're going to use epoxy as a filler to rethread screws in your deck. Alternatively, could you thru-bolt the hatches with fasteners (barrel nuts) like the ones in the link below on the underside? These are available in NZ from Anzor Fasteners in stainless steel. www.anzor.co.nz/nuts/barrel-nuts/truss-phillips-barrel-nuts/14-304-truss-phil-barrel-nut Good luck with the projects! Rich and Cyndi on Legacy (Auckland now).
Dometic has drawer style fridges, check them out as you can use one as fridge the other a freezer when you catch the big one! Jason needs to put on his kill switch band every time!! Great little pocket coat you have Nikki!! Hope you get your windows fabricated soon!!
I cant possibly be the first one to suggest this with regards to the stripped screw hole but here it goes. Get a couple of wooden matches or a few slivers of wood. Dip these into the epoxy then drive them into the stripped screw holes. Let it harden then re-screw.
installed a dometic crx 65 this summer (Croatia) in my Merry fisher speed boat, its worked perfectly, handled choppy seas and cools great, ever when it’s super hot. Just makes sure the fridge has ventilation
My input, Dometic, for me is 50/50. Of the 4 units I own, 2 have died within 6 month and the other 2 are still going strong after 4 years. As for your predicament, I would not reuse the old housing and go with the largest units that will fit in that space. I'm sure Jason can build a new countertop and facade to make them look awesome. Hope to see you back out sailing and visiting new and exciting places.
@LTDunltd - I tend to agree with you on putting two units in that space. With a little preplanning (and a little clever fabricating), I would think they could easily keep most of the housing (especially the countertop) to help maintain the stock look. Also, far as the warranty goes (whichever model they end up with) they absolutely need to look into putting the units on whichever credit card offers the best extended warranty and then make sure to call the CC company and get the units registered under the CC's extended warranty plan ... so many folks overlook the extended warranty feature that many/some CC companies still offer.
Love the area tour with Minion. Filming is great just makes me feel like I'm there.. Nice to see a clear day and some R&R.. I wish cool weather would get to Texas 55 degrees sounds really good.. Wishing a speedy recovery for Curiosity.. Fred in Texas
A thought - A top loading fridge / freezer , You have the main part there , the cabinet . Iv used them on many of my yachts , Freezer below & baskets above , Top loading keeps the cold in , Efficient . Theres a reasonable freezer unit that can be bought & fitted near the F/F & it comes ready gassed ready to go . The work would be in the cutting out the midle of the unit , Glass , foam & making a top hatch to fit (Professional) But iv found them the best in the tropics (Nothing falls out or goes clunk in the night . Good luck. Oh there are draw F/Fs witch are OK but a bit hungry on Power .
Fiberglass is a lousy medium for fasteners. Drill through and back a stainless machine screw with a cap nut on the inside. Yes you can see it but it will never strip. And you can torque it as much as you want.
I don't know if you can access some lead wool. Plumbers used to use it to seal cast drain pipe. It is shaved lead. Pack it into your stripped screw holes, tamp it compact with a large nail set, predrill for screw size. Use your power driver sparingly so you don't overdrive and strip again. Works really good, and won't absorb water as wood dowels would.
❤❤ I don't think your epoxy had anything more than foam to grip on to. I think your clutch was set to drill causing to over tighten. Is the new fridge D/C 12 v, 24 v, or A/C 110 v, or 220 v ? Also , it looked like they opened in the front. I would have thought that they would open on the back seeing how water would be coming from the front. Love your videos. 👍👍
Engel has draw types each with their own compressor. I have seen 3 mounted on top of each other and look really nice. Yes I have an Engel portable as my third fridge on my Leopard
more options is if a black/white one you prefer how about get a stainless vinyl wrap, I did it years ago on a home fridge, doesn't show up finger prints as much. smooth hole from stripped screw and just putting a filler in will never hold, New screw and nut above ceiling panel and roof,
Whoa Minion looks super sparkly clean, great to see her and you guys out n' bout. Just remember in NZ you need to wear life jackets on all boats under 6m. Lucky you didn't come across the Coast Guard. Look'n forward to next week.
I agree with some of the other posters that you could fit a slightly bigger fridge/freezer in that space and build a new cabinet around it. That might give you a lot more options. Also, you can get a counter top or portable ice maker for cheap and have more space for food in the fridge/freezer.
@@jimb6087 I had one (full size kitchen model) that was frost free by some sort of humidity reduction mechanism. No frost and no cyclic defrost, but EVERYTHING had to be in sealed containers or it dried out noticeably in days.
You are awesome guys, l discover your channel two months ago and l really enjoy it. Gives me extra motivation to keep moving forward with my project. Last year l install fridge ''Dometic'' Works very well happy so far. With epoxy, you have to be careful how you are mixing it if you place too much the hardener it could become too soft as you have now.
An old trick for stripped screws that works every time is to just use a small wood wedge of some sort. I often use a piece of a toothpick. Place it in to the stripped hole and hold it there with a bit of caulk or b tape, then screw the screw in as usual. the wood sliver acts as a binder between the screw and the screw hole and holds the screw fast. Good Luck!!
Another trick: using either wood glue or epoxy, put the glue/epoxy on the toothpicks or fiberglass, and then jam as many picks or fiberglass as you can in the hole. Let dry for 24 hours. Then cut/trim the portion of the toothpick(s) or fiberglass (or some other marine plastic) that are sticking out of the hole. Sand smooth. Now you have a filled hole, with secure wood/fiberglass/material, which the screw can bite into and very securely hold in place. DON'T over-tighten. If you are using an electric drill, you need to set the clutch very low so that the drill stops tightening long before you get to stripping out the hole. And if your electric drill doesn't have an adjustable clutch for driving screws -- don't use it as a screwdriver, it's not designed for that and you will be destroying shit.
As mentioned before, use a hand screw driver for securing the hatch. You can also go with normal screw and nut setup, so the screw is held by a nut from the inside.
It depends on the size of drill - if it's just the 'core size' on the screw, then it maybe ok. Epoxy is really the wrong 'fix' here as it is so hard and brittle - as soon as the screw goes in, it cracks and you're back to square one.
Have you talked with JC Refrigeration (Dutch Aire) in Shipshewana, IN? They make conversions for RV fridges which are terrific. They may be able to design one for your current fridge/freezer. They have a 2 compressor system that is 12v that we installed and it works super.
I’ve finally caught up to you guys! I’ve started watching your oldest videos last month and now I’m here! ☺️🤍 I’m so glad I binge watched your videos. I feel like I’ve been with you guys and explored so many different places in the comfort of my home. All the love from the Philippines 🇵🇭
This is what I would've looked into as well. You got two perfectly fine custom fitted insulated cabinets. Just get new 12/24V compressor unit and either use the existing cooling elements or get new ones. I think there are even sets you can buy that aim to convert gas fridges in RVs or boats into electric.
Try putting a bit of steel wool in with your epoxy, that gives strength to the epoxy and something for the screws to grab into. Sort of like putting rebar in cement.
When I was a cabinet maker we would drill out stripped holes and fill with a hardwood dowel and epoxy. I’ve never worked on a yacht but don’t see why it wouldn’t work
We used dowels or matchsticks and regular Capernters wood glue. Worked every time and no need to mix epoxy. I can see where the epoxy would give a quicker bond though. Those hinge screws were always troubling if you had to take the doors off.
You should not do the wood dowels in this marine application, especially the top deck. No amount of sealant will prevent water from eventually seeping in around the screws, and even the best wood bits will swell and rot because it will never fully dry out.
I'm a cabinet maker myself, but for a uber-wet situations like a boat's deck I'd use a forstner bit and drill an oversized hole (not through-hole) and epoxy (or poly/vinylester) in a dowel made of recycled/plastic decking board. Totally rot resistant, holds screws like they are welded, and easy to work with.
for a quick fix in striped screw holes, keep a supply of wooden toothpicks or plastic ones. pound them into the hole and snap them off flush. install the screws back in. The toothpicks fill the space and wedge into the old threaded holes. the screws lock into the reduced hole and you're done. I've never epoxied one in and never had one fail as long as the structure around the hole is sound.
Just curious, couldn't you use a simple "anchor" (lead or plastic insert that expands tight against the fiberglass shell when a screw is tightened into it???) to hold the hatches down???
I've been the a crew member of a 2004 42 Leopard Liahona. Been there done that! Same issues you are having Liahona had, the life raft locker and front windows! Keep on, Keeping on!
Jason: It's gonna easy-peasy! Narrator: *It wasn't easy-peasy* You could say you were screwed. The curse continues...well you tried 😂 and that's what counts. Even from and on the water, NZ has unique sights to discover. I mean, a boat from 1933...has a tale as old as time. And if cuteness overload was a boat...it would be that little fishing boat at 11:43. NZ truly is an explorer's paradise.
@@gonewiththewynns Nikki, can you share what puffer jacket you are wearing in this video? Looks very compact for travel. Also, would you do a video about your storage and organization aboard Curiosity? You seem to have a great wardrobe, shoes, food, plenty of supplies and so this would be interesting. Love your channel & enthusiasm for exploration!
I forgot today was Sunday. Opened TH-cam and saw the notification I love seeing Sunday morning from you guys. It just makes my day! You really make my life better thank you guys so much :) Excited for the new fridge. Lots of good cooking to look forward to.
Watching your fridge choices with interest. Thanks for taking us on a trip out n about too. A beautiful Wharram (T38 Sea sprite I believe) at 13.08. NZ is full of such a variety of craft. All the best with your repairs, now that Auckland is at L3 it should be easier.
Defrost isn’t necessarily a benefit when you’re counting ah’s because that defrost feature is basically a melt cycle that burns more energy than a non self defrosting unit
Frigoboat standard on Catana and still going strong. Ours is from 2003...Stainless cabinets and they do custom sizes...The keel cooler units that we have are the most efficient for cooling in the tropics as well...
from someone that works on yachts for a living, if your having trouble with stripped screws you should not use the butyl tape. butyl has no adhesive qualities so the screws are the only thing holding the hatch down. if the screw holes are stripped or questionable then at least the sika will bond the hatch in place and you could even remove the screws when its cured and fill the holes with more sika. btw the epoxy you used is just adhesive. that stuff is always very soft. you need to fix the holes with something like west system / laminating epoxy. its runny but much harder and you can thicken it with different fillers or chopped up fiberglass.
Spot on. The uneven surface of your butyl makes it worse too. The wood screws have to put a large amount of force on the tape to flatten it and you're going to struggle to build something strong enough for the screws to pull against without stripping. Caulk is the product for the job.
What about epoxied stainless crew inserts? Plus you should have tried to have the butyl as one continuous piece. Each one of the breaks is a potential water leak. HTH
I also add that using the screws to force the butyl down will only lead to more stripped holes. You can always epoxy a wood or plastic dowel in the hole. Then pre drill a hole slightly smaller then the screw. If you are insistent on using the butyl I’d suggest using a clamp to force the hatch down then use the screws to hold the hatch down once you have the desired “spluge”
Dow 795 all the way.
I would also suggest using the drill fill drill approach. Drill a larger hole, epoxy that larger hole, then drill your screw in that fibreglass. This will make it much more rigid, not strip and at the same time protect the wood around the whole from getting wet and rotting over time. If you’ve watched SailLife, this is always the méthode he uses when filling with epoxy, that and using fibreglass strands in the epoxy for strength.
We just installed an isotherm drawer frig/freezer in our boat. We absolutely love this unit. It increased the amount of “stuff” we could load into it...for the same footprint. Nothing is lost and forgotten in the back cuz the back is visible each time it is pulled open. The drawback was a TINY freezer. So bought a separate chest freezer unit and we now have so much space to supply our boating adventures. (We are retired 75 year olds exploring the Pacific Northwest).
For the hatches, use stainless steel flathead bolts with stainless washers and lock nuts underneath. Forget the screws you have.
Ok guys let me tell you about refrigerator freezer units. There are two versions of small units. One is for open space installation, (on the counter)and the other is for under counter install. The difference is the way that the unit cools itself or gets rid of the heat. The countertop model (usually cheaper) dissipates the heat By allowing air to move round the unit and the heat radiates from the sides. The under counter unit ( the one you need) is more expensive ,Of course. It takes cool air in from the bottom front of the unit and it rejects it from the top by use of a small fan. Make sure you customize your cabinet to accommodate the airflow. Hopefully this will help with you next project. Kevin K!
Sunday morning, Wynns o’clock! ⛵️
For the stripped screws epoxy a wood dowel in and screw in to the wood. The dowel expands when you screw into it.
For the screw holes.... Chop up some fiberglass cloth in small 1/2" x 1/2" or so... Use regular boat resin and pack the holes with that mix... Pack each hole tightly with the mix. It will be as strong as your deck is.... Cheep and works great...
Excellent advice 👍🏽
Many RV type fridges have panels on the doors that can be changed out to match the decor. And when tightening screws into fiberglass don’t use powertools. Put them in with a screwdriver by hand.
Thanks for showing the Whangarei Heads. So beautiful. I will always miss New Zealand until I can return. 🥰 Good luck on your projects!
We have the isotherm cr 130 on our catamaran… have had to defrost it every few weeks. The eco controller isn’t set up for lithium. It’s for lead acid based on the voltages so eco overcooling just keeps the fridge on and it freezes the fridge. The voltages can not be set up for the lithium. So the higher lithium voltage of 13 volts inadvertently tricks the eco controller into thinking there is extra power available and it will freeze your refrigerator food…Having to unpack and defrost it every few weeks is somehow related to the cold plate size snd it’s essentially the outside of the little freezer…. However once you get it defrosted it’s all on solar and it draws 2.5 amps when the compressor kicks in. It’s about 2/3 the energy of the 40qt Engle freezer when it doesn’t need defrosting but when it needs defrosted it keeps the compressor on all the time and uses 1.5 x the power of the Engle… humidity and room temp make a difference. Defrosted it again today!
And when it needs defrosted it starts to not cool the fridge down far enough when it’s hot hot hot out. We even put in a internal blower to move the air around in the fridge… cools down faster. And defrosting can’t be a pick… have to let it heat up and melt…
Being a Kiwi and having sailed add these locations to where you want to go in summer.
Bay of Islands, Abel Tasman, Marlborough Sounds, Akaroa.
Further South and the West Coast will risk beating your boat up well worth exploring more but I would choose a mono hull and solid core glass construction as a minimum for Stewart Island the Fiordland Sounds and the exposed rugged west coast also Marlborough to CHCH or Akaroa is pretty shallow inshore. If from Akaroa you choose to go by car add the Catlin's and Queenstown area fly to Stewart Island or Milford Sounds and figure out if you want to see more.
Good filming out in the harbour. Amazing scenery of the mountains. Loved that pack'away jacket. Keep safe.
I had a dometic CR50 the compressor had to work hard as there was no ventilation by the heat exchanger. This may be an issue with the cr50 placed a fan to take away the stagnant air and it worked very well. This was on a camper van. Have a read up. Keep up the good work been following you for ages since the episode you went to Mexico to get dental work. Keep living the dream.
The very first thing I like about you guys is that you are never unhappy.. You catch whatever the life throws at you and make the best use of it.. Second thing is that you have a very good sense of humor. Well, that's what keeps you happy.. Loads of love from India and all the best for the upcoming projects.. (I even don't know whether you are already back on water!! I am no patreon!)
during summer come down south, trully awesome down here. Further south you go the more amazing the sounds get, Milford and doubtful and Dusky are the ultimate
I didn't read all 540 comments but something you might want to think about is that most "frost free" refrigerators use heat to melt the frost. This causes 2 potential issues on a boat. 1 self defrosting freezers are not good for long term food storage as the food at least partially thaws on a regular basis and the defrost cycle uses a fairly large amount of heat which means it uses power. Just some things to think about. Keep the good stuff coming guys.
Always look forward to Sunday mornings with my two favorite mariners! See you next week. Be safe!
Guys with regards to your fridge and freezer the old one you had in there had plates designed to store the cold and slowly release it into the fridge /freezer,the units you are now looking at are more like a house fridge that just cut in and out all day so the Energy is now stored somewhere else I.e. your batteries so you will notice the extra power use.
Have you looked at the pull out draw type as they dump less cold air out on the floor when opened so might be more efficient.
Regards Neil
When filling the holes that you need to fix put small pieces of wood the length of the hole in with the epoxy. It will be much stronger, otherwise the screws simply chew away the epoxy...
Yep, epoxy is not a good material for wood or sheet metal screws. Drill out the hole and epoxy in a piece of hardwood dowel and drill in a pilot hole in the center of the dowel. Add a couple of drops of liquid urethane finish to the pilot hole to minimize water absorption in the wood, then screw in the metal screw. Do not use a drill or power screw driver to put the screw all the way. Use a screw driver for the final torquing of the screw. You will be less likely to strip out the screw......
I use wooden match sticks for the purpose.
So refreshing to see two people having fun together. 🤗🇨🇦
Remember the frost free ones suck all the moisture out which will destroy your veggies, along with keeping them at the wrong temperature of course. Have you looked at the Under Counter Drawer style fridge freezers?
Drawers create wasted space and sealing issues. Top door are more efficient but consume counter.
Stay away from Dometic!!! We've had 3 dometic's - all garbage! They never froze ice cream & they all sweat like crazy so there was always puddles of water in the fridge & the freezer always iced over. We had to defrost it at least once a month. We finally switched to the Isotherm and we Love it! It's been a year and a half now and no problems whatsoever. It's never iced over. Even though the Isotherm is a bit smaller, it actually fits more stuff in it!! No regrets at all. Thanks for all the wonderful content, we love your channel ❤️
my "2 cents worth" for the epoxy job: So when you do repair the stripped issue, use a hand screwdriver as you can control the strength of it so as not to have the screw pull the new threads out. If you use a power tool you risk the chance of it stripping out again. If you could, it would be better to use a fiberglass resin and fiberglass type material to repair the screw holes instead ( or somewhat like materials). Just using epoxy only seems to me just to be a temporary fix. Good Luck with this.
Yep. I would drill out the holes to clean out all of the caulk and epoxy first. Then cut narrow strips of fiberglass cloth, soak the strips in resin, then push them down in to the holes. Maybe add a bit of extra resin to completely fill the hole. Once cured they should drill pilot holes for the new screws and hand tighten.
It’s one thing to be confident in all things you do in life but not even doing a couple hours research before doing something you have no experience with, is another and far from smart Jason….😉
Not my expertise, but…
Is there some type of marine fastening anchor just for those purposes? (stripped holes)
Like the wall anchors u can get for your house. I imagine u might need to drill the holes slightly larger to accept the anchors.
@@riggermorpus yes, it’s called fiberglass. The same stuff that the boat is mage of. You just fill the holes with fiberglass fill and boat resin.
Engel’s are very reliable and energy efficient due to their Japanese swing motor design. I have used one of the chest-types off-roading in Africa for over a decade, and it was already 5 years old when I bought it. They are more expensive, probably because they charge for their reputation, but this is warranted as they are tried and tested. That said, I cannot speak for their upright models.
As I understand the majority of other 12v fridges now use Danfoss compressors which are variable speed, and therefore more energy efficient, but this also comes down to the quality of the insulation and door seals. A drawer-type is more efficient compared to a front-opening door type as all the cold air doesn’t ‘fall’ out every time you open the door, resulting in more energy to get it down to set temperature again.
Good luck with the search!
We love your channel!
I have a Norcold fridge in my camper. 16 years old, works perfectly still. I have a Dometic A/C unit, same thing. 16 years and runs perfect.
I agree with the comments re: expoxing in wood dowels and wood add the following, if you aren't already doing this.
When your repair is cured, use the screw setting on your powered driver with the clutch settings on a no. around 2 or 3. That should help from stripping out the repaired hole. Then to tighten and set the screw fully, tighten the remainder manually with a screwdriver or turn the clutch setting up a slightly higher number until the frame is tight to the deck. Best of luck. 🔧 🔨 👍
Take an olds mechanics advice, leave the power drill in the box when driving in screws in material like fiberglass. Hand tighten only, drills are only good for removing and making holes. Driving screws in hard materials that strip easily should always be done by hand. You should pre drill the filled holes as well, the epoxy just splits if its not pre drilled. I would throw that butyl tape in the trash as well. The silicon is what should be used to install the hatch, it actually glues it down. You almost don't even need to worry about the stripped screws, once the silicon cures, that hatch isn't going anywhere.
All true.
Not true! the power tools being used have torque limiting capability and settings for "drill" and "screw" that enable and disable the torque limiting (there may also be a setting for Hammer drill, but I can't tell at this point). When used to screw in fasteners, set to "Screw" and the lowest torque setting (not "drill"!) at first, NOT at a "9" (see 6:57) to start. Increase the torque to suit OR let go of the Trigger and rotate the tool manually until "snug" (the torque limiter disengages under low and no power from trigger). As always, throw away any screw bit that gets worn and "jumpy"; worst tool in the world is one that causes more damage than repair when used,
Dometic are great! They're perfect for small spaces. They're an NZ brand, and locally supplied from Auckland. Auckland has just dropped to level 3 so they're able to work now too!
We have a dometic in our RV and I wouldn't go any other way. It's been reliable and has worked extremely well in all sorts of temperatures. It didn't freeze up when we had a few nights at 4 degrees Celsius (days not much warmer) and it kept up when we had a week at 38-40 degrees Celsius with nights not much cooler. Our portable fridges have never been able to handle extremes. I believe they can be easily serviced in a lot of places as well.
I'm happy you are able to haul out finally!
You guys are my favorites! Hopefully one day we'll run into you on the water, keep living the dream!
Been following you guys since your RV days. We got our RV because of your influence. We even found a way to move to Japan temporarily. Keep on doing what you’re doing.
Have you considered drawer fridge/freezers? I feel like they might work in your existing box. Checkout Sub Zero, Summit, Frigobar and LG. Good luck.
New Zealand is so beautiful. They have crazy charges for use of the bathrooms but still beautiful. Thanks for sharing your experience and troubles of the repairs. We have to replace just about all of our port lights and hatches. It’s nice to see what works and what doesn’t.
Aerogel insulation around the unit makes it really efficient. Had an old built in unit retrofited. Pretty amazing stuff
Hi, if you can't get the machine you want in the right colour you could think about wrapping them in any colour you like just as they do with cars. living on a boat from 1905 myself I always try to install normal household appliances as much as possible because of a wider range to choose from, more available support and better prices. And just run them from the inverter. good luck with solving the puzzle!
One thing that helped me early on in understanding fundamentals is that there is no such thing as "cold" only the absence of heat. Heat is what the frig removes from the inside and the product within and then rejects it outside. No or low heat rejection = no or low refrigeration. Eventually it as the copper winding in the compressor overheat and become resistant (higher Amp draw and failure) the oil cooks and becomes acidic as well contributing to failure.
It is a good approach that when things are not going well and getting frustrated with it, "walk away" for at least a day and then come back to it. Amazing how things get much better at finishing the task, not unnecessarily damaging something in the frustration and avoid getting hurt.
Hi, using some finely chopped fibreglass mixed with your epoxy is a good idea. Also and most importantly is pre drill the holes and ditch the drill/driver. Screw them in by hand.
always finish with hand tight 'turn of the nut method'
Hi guys. We have the Isotherm drinks version. It’s great. I was soo over defrosting and scraping ice out of the icebox. We are NZ based too and got ours through Burnsco.
Thank you for another great video. I also love looking at other boats as so many of them have their own personality and stories. Feel free to show more of them in your travels. :)
I use Dometic for overloading. The CSX3 75DZ. It has both freezing and cooling capabilities and, while it is different from your use case, I could not recommend it more. The product is solid and their service and support excellent. Best of luck to you.
Thank you for this weeks update on your life I found it relaxing interesting and thought-provoking and I also thoroughly enjoyed reading the comments.
Glad to see things slowly moving along
I was looking for your video yesterday. Saturday LOL I was wondering how the problem with your refrigerator was working out when I thought maybe you should reach out to a manufacturer to see if they could do a special order for you. What would be close to work for you could possibly be modified by their engineers to help you. It may cost a little more but is worth trying. Contact a few of them see what they will tell you! Thank you for your videos good luck.
'Custom' means expen$ive. I would expect to triple the co$t of a base unit if you customi$e it.
Great to get off Curiosity and see the surroundings. I expect getting some freedom of movement for you feels spectacular. I have found in life when a project gets frustrating, walk away for a bit and come back later. Almost always works when a fresh eye sees what was holding up progress. Great video. Thanks for sharing.
Hello Nikki and Jason, loving all your videos. Such an amazing story and inspiration to so many.
Nikki, may I ask what down jacket that is?
Absolutely love it. Size and compatibility.
What a fun video! I love skipping school when the weather is nice! Quick tip for the screw holes...it may be better to insert some wooden dowels and epoxy that in place first. Then use the fresh wood to screw into. You may need to drill out the existing epoxy to get a fresh hole and then start from scratch. You will probably get a better bite with the screws as most epoxy types will be hard and brittle when fully cured. Good luck!!
Another Sunday morning with the Wynns…always look forward to your update.👍😎
Thanks for all your videos.. for your fridge situation I’ve had Norcold and dometic, didn’t like both either. I just bought a vitrifrigo for my overland truck I’m building. If it were my boat, I’d take out your stove/oven since you don’t use it.. remove the cabinet to the left of your stove and possibly put it where the old fridge was if it fits.. then build in your fridge and freezer in the ‘U’ so that you can cut a ventilation hole through the back wall and properly vent the cooling units. From experience if you don’t have that ventilation your fridges will fail… if the single cabinet doesn’t fit I would then build a cabinet where the old fridge was and you have twice the storage you had… did that make sense?
Can you use a nut and bolt and just run them all the way through the deck so there's nothing to strip the fiberglass?
Sometimes that can work, but it depends on accessibility to the underside, and putting a hole all the way through the deck where there was not one before creates additional leak risks.
Its what I would do, with domed nuts on the inside. I would rather risk some damp than loose a hatch. Looks like the tape is not a good idea, especially with all the gunk around the screw threads. If I had to use the tape I think I would offer up the hatch to the deck and then use an awl to make holes for the screws through the compressed tape (and seal the screws with tube sealant). All easier to say than do!
Or just use a larger diameter screw.
@@BenjaminFranklin2u agreed!
If you can't find a stainless steel fridge you can always attach a piece of stainless on the front, or options are put a wood veneer that would match the rest of the boat, or spray paint it whatever color you want. You could also remove the front of the door and go to a metal fabricator and have them make you a new front face. They are usually just attached with a few screws.
BTW, I just left a comment on Kara and Nate's (2.58M subscribers) recent EarthRoamer video suggesting that they do a collab with you guys and Kara said YES!!! Hope you guys can work something out. I love both your channels.
Both of you are a most welcomed part of my Sundays. Thank you for sharing.
My heart sank with that 1st screws in, but its fixable :) Can't wait till all the work is done. And y'all get back in the water. Texas is still rooting for you!
Also look into a Canadian brand, Novakool. We have one in our RV and love it. They are made for the marine market. Rugged, efficient Danfoss compressors. Simple, well insulated. Lots and lots of sizes. Replaceable door skins.
I think I would’ve epoxied some small dowels into the screw holes. That would give some wood to screw into. I’ve used that technique before, and it works great. Good luck!
Better yet, drill out the holes and epoxy in hardwood plugs to take the screws.
Either way works here; the plugs are about identical to dowels.
DON'T uses epoxy - too brittle for wood - use good waterproof wood glue.
Option for window..small shims of wood "almost like tooth picks" coated in good wood glue..pack holes full and tap with hammer to tighten...once dry chisel top flat and Re drill holes..use smaller bit..
Its a good idea to ask your viewers for their feedback regarding fridge/freezers however many will not be yachties or if they are will not have your model of cat. Can I suggest you ask on both leopard forums/facebook pages as though there will be less people on their they are a lot more likely to have the information/experience you want.
Have you considered a water-cooled system vs. air cooled for your freezer/fridge? A little more plumbing (including through-hulls) but there are significant savings to be had, maybe especially valuable since you are off the grid for periods of time and primarily recharging with solar…also cuts down on interior temperature of the boat. I installed a NorCold system on my sailboat years ago, and it worked flawlessly-did have to add a small computer fan in the fridge’s interior to circulate the air for even cooling, though-otherwise the stuff on the bottom would freeze.
I've always thought it would be nice to have a self-contained refrigerator and freezer but I think in my case, and probably yours too, there are several big disadvantages. You lose the space equivalent the size of the compressor and condenser from the cooling compartment as these components are no longer located remotely. Secondly, you'd need to provide ventilation to cool the condenser and compressor. If this space is built into the all-in-one design, then those air channels are again deducted from the available space. If not, you'd need to leave room for air flow and probably add a fan. This is even more important in the tropics.
How about reinsulating your old cabinet and putting in new refrigeration components? Your old units used holding plates. I think this is no longer considered the efficient way to go. You could just use simple evaporators, lining one or two sides of the compartments. I'd be tempted to go with a compressor each for the freezer and refrigerator compartments. These components are readily available, even here in NZ. You can locate the compressors remotely where you are less likely to hear them running.
A side note: I think you'd need to use some kind of thickener mixed in the epoxy (micro balloons or chopped glass fibers) if you're going to use epoxy as a filler to rethread screws in your deck. Alternatively, could you thru-bolt the hatches with fasteners (barrel nuts) like the ones in the link below on the underside? These are available in NZ from Anzor Fasteners in stainless steel.
www.anzor.co.nz/nuts/barrel-nuts/truss-phillips-barrel-nuts/14-304-truss-phil-barrel-nut
Good luck with the projects! Rich and Cyndi on Legacy (Auckland now).
Dometic has drawer style fridges, check them out as you can use one as fridge the other a freezer when you catch the big one! Jason needs to put on his kill switch band every time!! Great little pocket coat you have Nikki!! Hope you get your windows fabricated soon!!
I cant possibly be the first one to suggest this with regards to the stripped screw hole but here it goes.
Get a couple of wooden matches or a few slivers of wood. Dip these into the epoxy then drive them into the stripped screw holes. Let it harden then re-screw.
installed a dometic crx 65 this summer (Croatia) in my Merry fisher speed boat, its worked perfectly, handled choppy seas and cools great, ever when it’s super hot. Just makes sure the fridge has ventilation
My input, Dometic, for me is 50/50. Of the 4 units I own, 2 have died within 6 month and the other 2 are still going strong after 4 years.
As for your predicament, I would not reuse the old housing and go with the largest units that will fit in that space.
I'm sure Jason can build a new countertop and facade to make them look awesome.
Hope to see you back out sailing and visiting new and exciting places.
@LTDunltd - I tend to agree with you on putting two units in that space. With a little preplanning (and a little clever fabricating), I would think they could easily keep most of the housing (especially the countertop) to help maintain the stock look. Also, far as the warranty goes (whichever model they end up with) they absolutely need to look into putting the units on whichever credit card offers the best extended warranty and then make sure to call the CC company and get the units registered under the CC's extended warranty plan ... so many folks overlook the extended warranty feature that many/some CC companies still offer.
I agree. Buy 2 units, one frig, one freezer, and build a cabinet to house them.
I love how you team up and fix your boat ♥️
Love the area tour with Minion. Filming is great just makes me feel like I'm there.. Nice to see a clear day and some R&R.. I wish cool weather would get to Texas 55 degrees sounds really good.. Wishing a speedy recovery for Curiosity.. Fred in Texas
It’s definitely beautiful I grew up in Whangarei but live in the Canterbury region of the South Island now, miss home
@@NZFarmboy80 From all that I have seen New Zealand is stunning.. I could live there in a heart beat.
A thought - A top loading fridge / freezer , You have the main part there , the cabinet . Iv used them on many of my yachts , Freezer below & baskets above , Top loading keeps the cold in , Efficient . Theres a reasonable freezer unit that can be bought & fitted near the F/F & it comes ready gassed ready to go . The work would be in the cutting out the midle of the unit , Glass , foam & making a top hatch to fit (Professional) But iv found them the best in the tropics (Nothing falls out or goes clunk in the night . Good luck. Oh there are draw F/Fs witch are OK but a bit hungry on Power .
Nice to see you had a break today :). Hope you find a good fridge / freezer.
Gotta love a little fishing boat with my name on it♥♥♥. Love Sunday morning coffee with you two AMAZING people. Love and light to you both!
Fiberglass is a lousy medium for fasteners. Drill through and back a stainless machine screw with a cap nut on the inside. Yes you can see it but it will never strip. And you can torque it as much as you want.
I don't know if you can access some lead wool. Plumbers used to use it to seal cast drain pipe. It is shaved lead. Pack it into your stripped screw holes, tamp it compact with a large nail set, predrill for screw size. Use your power driver sparingly so you don't overdrive and strip again. Works really good, and won't absorb water as wood dowels would.
❤❤ I don't think your epoxy had anything more than foam to grip on to. I think your clutch was set to drill causing to over tighten. Is the new fridge D/C 12 v, 24 v, or A/C 110 v, or 220 v ? Also , it looked like they opened in the front. I would have thought that they would open on the back seeing how water would be coming from the front. Love your videos. 👍👍
Engel has draw types each with their own compressor. I have seen 3 mounted on top of each other and look really nice. Yes I have an Engel portable as my third fridge on my Leopard
Good morning Wynns!
more options is if a black/white one you prefer how about get a stainless vinyl wrap, I did it years ago on a home fridge, doesn't show up finger prints as much.
smooth hole from stripped screw and just putting a filler in will never hold, New screw and nut above ceiling panel and roof,
Whoa Minion looks super sparkly clean, great to see her and you guys out n' bout. Just remember in NZ you need to wear life jackets on all boats under 6m. Lucky you didn't come across the Coast Guard. Look'n forward to next week.
I would also like to see you using a kill cord. I’d hate to hear you’d fallen out and been mowed down by your own outboard.
I agree with some of the other posters that you could fit a slightly bigger fridge/freezer in that space and build a new cabinet around it. That might give you a lot more options. Also, you can get a counter top or portable ice maker for cheap and have more space for food in the fridge/freezer.
Check energy consumption on the frost free. Sometimes they use more.
Also the defrost cycle warms enough to lose the frost. Warming frozen food cuts down food life
@@jimb6087 I had one (full size kitchen model) that was frost free by some sort of humidity reduction mechanism. No frost and no cyclic defrost, but EVERYTHING had to be in sealed containers or it dried out noticeably in days.
You are awesome guys, l discover your channel two months ago and l really enjoy it. Gives me extra motivation to keep moving forward with my project. Last year l install fridge ''Dometic'' Works very well happy so far. With epoxy, you have to be careful how you are mixing it if you place too much the hardener it could become too soft as you have now.
An old trick for stripped screws that works every time is to just use a small wood wedge of some sort. I often use a piece of a toothpick. Place it in to the stripped hole and hold it there with a bit of caulk or b tape, then screw the screw in as usual. the wood sliver acts as a binder between the screw and the screw hole and holds the screw fast. Good Luck!!
Another trick: using either wood glue or epoxy, put the glue/epoxy on the toothpicks or fiberglass, and then jam as many picks or fiberglass as you can in the hole. Let dry for 24 hours. Then cut/trim the portion of the toothpick(s) or fiberglass (or some other marine plastic) that are sticking out of the hole. Sand smooth. Now you have a filled hole, with secure wood/fiberglass/material, which the screw can bite into and very securely hold in place.
DON'T over-tighten. If you are using an electric drill, you need to set the clutch very low so that the drill stops tightening long before you get to stripping out the hole. And if your electric drill doesn't have an adjustable clutch for driving screws -- don't use it as a screwdriver, it's not designed for that and you will be destroying shit.
A pencil or toothpick are what I usually use. I typically put wood glue on them before putting them into the hole.
As mentioned before, use a hand screw driver for securing the hatch. You can also go with normal screw and nut setup, so the screw is held by a nut from the inside.
After you fill the holes don’t use the drill to drive in the screws the drill will just strip away the work you’ve done, drive the screws by hand.
agreed
It depends on the size of drill - if it's just the 'core size' on the screw, then it maybe ok. Epoxy is really the wrong 'fix' here as it is so hard and brittle - as soon as the screw goes in, it cracks and you're back to square one.
Need to use the clutch on the drill,begin with seting 1 and go up un test it by hand with screwdriver
Have you talked with JC Refrigeration (Dutch Aire) in Shipshewana, IN? They make conversions for RV fridges which are terrific. They may be able to design one for your current fridge/freezer. They have a 2 compressor system that is 12v that we installed and it works super.
Is there a way to keep the refrigerator you have and just install a second compressor for the freezer half?
they've already said the insulation is inadequate
I’ve finally caught up to you guys! I’ve started watching your oldest videos last month and now I’m here! ☺️🤍 I’m so glad I binge watched your videos. I feel like I’ve been with you guys and explored so many different places in the comfort of my home.
All the love from the Philippines 🇵🇭
Perfect timing, just pouring my coffee, like many others. Greetings from Yacolt, Washington 😎🇺🇸.
The small green boat named Tara. I think it's a play on words? Tara was Scarlett's plantation if I remember correctly from "Gone With The Wind".
Another Compressor unit .Might be the go with that one. Engle make some good units .
This is what I would've looked into as well. You got two perfectly fine custom fitted insulated cabinets. Just get new 12/24V compressor unit and either use the existing cooling elements or get new ones. I think there are even sets you can buy that aim to convert gas fridges in RVs or boats into electric.
Try putting a bit of steel wool in with your epoxy, that gives strength to the epoxy and something for the screws to grab into. Sort of like putting rebar in cement.
When I was a cabinet maker we would drill out stripped holes and fill with a hardwood dowel and epoxy. I’ve never worked on a yacht but don’t see why it wouldn’t work
We used dowels or matchsticks and regular Capernters wood glue. Worked every time and no need to mix epoxy. I can see where the epoxy would give a quicker bond though. Those hinge screws were always troubling if you had to take the doors off.
Nylon or fiberglass rod? No chance of water rot?
You should not do the wood dowels in this marine application, especially the top deck. No amount of sealant will prevent water from eventually seeping in around the screws, and even the best wood bits will swell and rot because it will never fully dry out.
@@peterg.8245 makes perfect sense
I'm a cabinet maker myself, but for a uber-wet situations like a boat's deck I'd use a forstner bit and drill an oversized hole (not through-hole) and epoxy (or poly/vinylester) in a dowel made of recycled/plastic decking board. Totally rot resistant, holds screws like they are welded, and easy to work with.
for a quick fix in striped screw holes, keep a supply of wooden toothpicks or plastic ones. pound them into the hole and snap them off flush. install the screws back in. The toothpicks fill the space and wedge into the old threaded holes. the screws lock into the reduced hole and you're done. I've never epoxied one in and never had one fail as long as the structure around the hole is sound.
Just curious, couldn't you use a simple "anchor" (lead or plastic insert that expands tight against the fiberglass shell when a screw is tightened into it???) to hold the hatches down???
I've been the a crew member of a 2004 42 Leopard Liahona. Been there done that! Same issues you are having Liahona had, the life raft locker and front windows! Keep on, Keeping on!
Jason: It's gonna easy-peasy!
Narrator: *It wasn't easy-peasy*
You could say you were screwed. The curse continues...well you tried 😂 and that's what counts. Even from and on the water, NZ has unique sights to discover. I mean, a boat from 1933...has a tale as old as time. And if cuteness overload was a boat...it would be that little fishing boat at 11:43. NZ truly is an explorer's paradise.
😝👍
@@gonewiththewynns
Nikki, can you share what puffer jacket you are wearing in this video? Looks very compact for travel.
Also, would you do a video about your storage and organization aboard Curiosity? You seem to have a great wardrobe, shoes, food, plenty of supplies and so this would be interesting.
Love your channel & enthusiasm for exploration!
@@nicki8461 It looks like it said Columbia brand on the Logo.
@@nicki8461 found it! Kathmandu!
@@thejameslealartco.7625 Thank you.
hi guys. ive got a dometic frige on my boat ...works great but remember all fridges need good ventalation !
I forgot today was Sunday. Opened TH-cam and saw the notification I love seeing Sunday morning from you guys. It just makes my day! You really make my life better thank you guys so much :) Excited for the new fridge. Lots of good cooking to look forward to.
Watching your fridge choices with interest. Thanks for taking us on a trip out n about too. A beautiful Wharram (T38 Sea sprite I believe) at 13.08. NZ is full of such a variety of craft. All the best with your repairs, now that Auckland is at L3 it should be easier.
Defrost isn’t necessarily a benefit when you’re counting ah’s because that defrost feature is basically a melt cycle that burns more energy than a non self defrosting unit
Frigoboat standard on Catana and still going strong. Ours is from 2003...Stainless cabinets and they do custom sizes...The keel cooler units that we have are the most efficient for cooling in the tropics as well...
Coffee time! ☕ loved the guy dancing on the dock too in the first few seconds of the video. It's obvious everyone needed the sunshine 😊
Use fiberglass resin with a little bit of powdered glass/fibre in it. Put it in a pastry icing tube, fill and sand after complete curing.