The best boat refrigerator is ...

What features should a boat refrigerator have?

Boat refrigerators are designed for small spaces , they must be not very noisy , they must be able to cool even when there are very high temperatures on board. Usually in boats, refrigerators must work in low voltage, ie the appliance must use the battery current at 12Vdc or 24Vdc.

What features will a refrigerator need to have to last a long time on board?

A good refrigerator designed for yachts must be built with salinity-resistant materials and must have superior thermal insulation To those of a domestic refrigerator to reduce battery consumption. Furthermore, if we consider sailing boats, it is important that the refrigerator motor ( compressor ) is able to work even in the presence of a certain degree of slope. The fridge must have a door with strong closure that avoids opening during navigation, and shelves with well-secured anti-fall edges or better drawers in which food or bottles will always be safe.

Is it possible to use a domestic refrigerator in a boat? What differentiates a boat refrigerator from a domestic one?

First of all, we must consider the working voltage: usually in boats the electrical appliances work in low voltage (12Vdc - 24Vdc) while the domestic ones on the market operate at 220Vac. Therefore they need an inverter or a modification that replaces the original 220Vac motor with one that works at 12 / 24Vdc. Rather expensive modification which also entails the forfeiture of the manufacturer's warranty. Domestic refrigerators also usually have thin insulation, unsuitable for the temperatures on board, and they almost never have a handle that ensures that the door is closed during navigation (especially if the boat is under sail). Even the glass shelves, without anti-fall edges, which are usually found in domestic refrigerators, are not suitable for use on board because they are fragile and unsafe.