They call me the chucker. Well, at least one guy did one time during our junior year in college. I got the temporary moniker because if I spotted food left in the communal fridge for more than four days, into the rubbish bin it went. No discussion, no investigation. As far as potential pathogenic bacteria are concerned, I take zero chances. Homey don’t play food poisoning. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service, the “danger zone” is between 40 degrees Fahrenheit and 140 degrees, the range in which bacteria grows most rapidly. In fact, bacteria levels can nearly double in only 20 minutes. That’s why USDA and food safety experts recommend setting your fridge at 40 degrees or colder. One of life’s true joys is eating on a boat. For some reason, the food tastes better, and that’s probably true of all outdoors eating. Truth be told, I could live on — maybe not for very long — cold fried chicken, hard-boiled eggs (crab spice a must), and icy beer. I’m almost obsessive-compulsive about making sure food and drink are properly cared for, especially when I’m out in the summer sun. Here’s a look at how to keep your cool during the hot months. Yachts over 60-foot typically have regular appliances and/or sub-zero built-in modular fridge systems, says Daniel Deal of Kompletely Kustom Marine. So for the sake of this conversation, we’re going to focus on boats that are 50 feet or smaller. Deal says for this category of vessel, self-contained refrigerator units are plenty suitable. Dometic and Norcold are two of the popular brands, he says. “Some refrigerators have dual-power capabilities, meaning they can run off batteries or AC shore power,” he says, adding that the benefits of this setup are straight-forward: If you lose AC power, the fridge automatically reverts to battery power, and your food won’t spoil. Interestingly, modern marine refrigerators do not draw a lot of juice overall. The biggest battery drain, says Deal, comes from the initial startup cycle of the compressor, but that’s only a short burst. Many of the fridges found on boats today are sealed systems, making service and upkeep minimal, Deal says. He suggests making sure connections are clean and tight and regularly cleaning the unit’s intake air grill, which is built into the refrigerator. You can often remove flange and use a shop vac to suck out the dust. Deal says follow these basic steps, and your food and drink will stay nice and chill.

Everything’s Nice on Ice

Cooler maintenance can be an art in of itself, especially when skiff camping or spending a summer’s day on a small craft. I admit I’m a bit of a cooler snob. I leer contemptuously at styrofoam jobs and find myself routinely beating back the urge to stomp the inanimate life out of them. Thankfully for me and others in my tribe, there are several higher-end coolers on the market, including Yeti, Engel, Pelican, and Icy-Tek. (Editor’s note: Full disclosure, CD Outdoors, a fishing outfitter owned by the author, is a Yeti dealer). The main difference in these coolers — besides the price, and they’re definitely not cheap — and your typical WallyMart cooler is the design, materials used, and manufacturing process. The walls are thicker and filled with insulation. The seals and latches create an awesome seal; it holds up to the marine environment. As kayaks are, these coolers are made using a rotational-molding process, which makes them more durable and tougher. I’m a firm believer they keep ice longer. Speaking of ice, I much prefer to use block ice for food items and cubed or crushed ice for drinks. Does that mean I need two coolers? In an ideal world, absolutely. Block ice lasts longer than shaved or cubed ice. But cubed ice more quickly cools beverages. For the food cooler, I freeze water in two seedling planters (approximately 9” x 6” x 4”). They fit perfectly in my Tundra 45 and last many hours. Fishermen often prefer a slurry of shaved ice to quickly chill their catch in conjunction with block ice to ensure it stays cold and fresh until they return to the dock to properly process the catch. Cooler manufacturers recommend filling your cooler with as much ice as possible. A 2:1 ice-to-contents ratio, they say, is optimal. Whether you’re a live aboard, weekend cruiser, or day tripper, nothing spoils an outing worse than tepid beer or spoiled food. Don’t be a chucker. Put it on ice.

by Capt. Chris D. Dollar