New Nova Kool RFU9200 Fridge arrived!!

If you are looking to replace your Norcold DE-461 fridge, here's a review of one of the options, a Nova Kool RFU9200.

I picked it up yesterday after a 10 day journey across the country from Sure Marine Services in Seattle WA. Great experience with SMS, they took time to answer a lot of questions, and all in was the best price I could find including shipping.



Got it home and unboxed. Comes in a black finish, but panels are replaceable. I have a sheet of Sovereign Cherry laminate to recover the cabinet (still needs to be done), so I should be able to do matching door panels.



Side View




Cooling Units - I ordered the RFU9200 that has 2 compressor units, one for the fridge and a separate for the freezer section. Maybe its complete overkill, but I didnt want to go to all the trouble of getting the old one out and a new one installed and saying "I should have gone with the dual compressor".

The RFU 9000 is a single compressor unit, and is less expensive.

So far, one of the best aspects of this fridge is that it is almost silent, as opposed to the rattle and hum of the old Norcold. I imagine that once in the cabinet on the boat, this will be nearly silent. If its still too loud, the fans are replaceable, and Noctua make some that are quiter...we shall see.






Freezer Section Looks to be big enough to keep a 20# bag of ice (maybe 2), and ice cream! This is the whole reason to go with the dual compressor version. My wife and daughter love their ice cream. I (like most of us), like ice for drinks. I bet this will make some nice big cubes for bourbon! I think I need to try that out!!







Fridge Section - Fridge section is a nice size and looks to be a lot bigger than the Norcold, primarily because the cabinet is a full 23" deep, were as the Norcold was 18" the other 4"-5" was taken up by the cooling unit on the back.

The doors seal with a (replaceable) magnetic seal, the door latches positively locks the doors closed, and are easy to open with one hand. There is a locking latch if needed.

The light is a nice touch, not sure how useful it will be once loaded, but hey its in there.

The shelves are standard white wire, and they have a trap door on each side to be able to stand up tall bottles like wine! That will make the wife happy. Looks like plenty of tracks to move the shelves up and down to allow various sized items to fit.

Door looks to be able to fit all kinds of bottles, cans and condiments.

Crisper drawers are a little odd, as they aren't on a track, or sealed away, but will be useful enough.


Overall, I think solidly build and a great improvement over the Norcold. Now to get this thing in the boat. Wish me luck!

dtfeld said:

If you are looking to replace your Norcold DE-461 fridge, here's a review of one of the options, a Nova Kool RFU9200.

I picked it up yesterday after a 10 day journey across the country from Sure Marine Services in Seattle WA. Great experience with SMS, they took time to answer a lot of questions, and all in was the best price I could find including shipping.

View attachment 139656

Got it home and unboxed. Comes in a black finish, but panels are replaceable. I have a sheet of Sovereign Cherry laminate to recover the cabinet (still needs to be done), so I should be able to do matching door panels.

View attachment 139660

Side View

Cooling Units - I ordered the RFU9200 that has 2 compressor units, one for the fridge and a separate for the freezer section. Maybe its complete overkill, but I didnt want to go to all the trouble of getting the old one out and a new one installed and saying "I should have gone with the dual compressor".

The RFU 9000 is a single compressor unit, and is less expensive.

So far, one of the best aspects of this fridge is that it is almost silent, as opposed to the rattle and hum of the old Norcold. I imagine that once in the cabinet on the boat, this will be nearly silent. If its still too loud, the fans are replaceable, and Noctua make some that are quiter...we shall see.



View attachment 139661


Freezer Section Looks to be big enough to keep a 20# bag of ice (maybe 2), and ice cream! This is the whole reason to go with the dual compressor version. My wife and daughter love their ice cream. I (like most of us), like ice for drinks. I bet this will make some nice big cubes for bourbon! I think I need to try that out!!

Fridge Section - Fridge section is a nice size and looks to be a lot bigger than the Norcold, primarily because the cabinet is a full 23" deep, were as the Norcold was 18" the other 4"-5" was taken up by the cooling unit on the back.

The doors seal with a (replaceable) magnetic seal, the door latches positively locks the doors closed, and are easy to open with one hand. There is a locking latch if needed.

The light is a nice touch, not sure how useful it will be once loaded, but hey its in there.

The shelves are standard white wire, and they have a trap door on each side to be able to stand up tall bottles like wine! That will make the wife happy. Looks like plenty of tracks to move the shelves up and down to allow various sized items to fit.

Door looks to be able to fit all kinds of bottles, cans and condiments.

Crisper drawers are a little odd, as they aren't on a track, or sealed away, but will be useful enough.


Overall, I think solidly build and a great improvement over the Norcold. Now to get this thing in the boat. Wish me luck!

Click to expand...

Damage$$?

Here were my options listed below.

I really wanted a dual compressor as we want to be able to keep ice cream, so that left the NovaKool RFU9200, and the Isotherm CR195 (stainless). The Isotherm is about 2" thinner, requiring more cabinet work, and it is smaller than the other options (its really a 130l fridge bolted on top of a 65l freezer). It was also a good bit smaller, we need the space. If I didnt go with the dual compressor, I was going to install the Vitrifrigo, likely in stainless.

All of these units use the Danforth/Secop BD35 cooling units, so the mechanical side was about the same. Just have to decide if you want dual vs single compressor, bigger vs smaller, Black vs SS. All of them I think will make a very nice upgrade, just depends on what you like to keep in the fridge/freezer.

To be honest, this was one of the hardest decisions I've had to make on the boat, just because there were so many variables, and its a big ticket item that I only want to have to fool with once.

Model/Size/Color/Compressor - Cost + Shipping = Total Estimate

Vitrifrigo 8.1 cu ft BLACK (Single Comp) - $1478 + $150 = $1628
Vitrifrigo 8.1 cu ft SS (Single Comp) - $1760 + $150 = $1910
Nova Kool RFU9000 9.1 cu ft Black (Single Comp) - $1706.47 + $350 = $2056,47
Isotherm CR195 6.9 cu ft SS (Dual Comp) - $2454 + $150 = $2604
Nova Kool RFU9200 9.1 cu ft Black (Dual Comp) - $2863.12 + $349.18 = $3212.30

dtfeld said:

Here were my options listed below.

I really wanted a dual compressor as we want to be able to keep ice cream, so that left the NovaKool RFU9200, and the Isotherm CR195 (stainless). The Isotherm is about 2" thinner, requiring more cabinet work, and it is smaller than the other options (its really a 130l fridge bolted on top of a 65l freezer). It was also a good bit smaller, we need the space. If I didnt go with the dual compressor, I was going to install the Vitrifrigo, likely in stainless.

All of these units use the Danforth/Secop BD35 cooling units, so the mechanical side was about the same. Just have to decide if you want dual vs single compressor, bigger vs smaller, Black vs SS. All of them I think will make a very nice upgrade, just depends on what you like to keep in the fridge/freezer.

To be honest, this was one of the hardest decisions I've had to make on the boat, just because there were some many variables, and its a big ticket item that I only want to have to fool with once.

Model/Size/Color/Compressor - Cost + Shipping = Total Estimate

Vitrifrigo 8.1 cu ft BLACK (Single Comp) - $1478 + $150 = $1628
Vitrifrigo 8.1 cu ft SS (Single Comp) - $1760 + $150 = $1910
Nova Kool RFU9000 9.1 cu ft Black (Single Comp) - $1706.47 + $350 = $2056,47
Isotherm CR195 6.9 cu ft SS (Dual Comp) - $2454 + $150 = $2604
Nova Kool RFU9200 9.1 cu ft Black (Dual Comp) - $2863.12 + $349.18 = $3212.30

Click to expand...

Thanks I was just curious because I know that day is coming for me. A few boats bucks anyway you slice it!

For me it was an happy albeit a expensive project to get rid of the old Norcold.

While there were things about the Norcold I hated, it did last 20+ years.

One other aspect of the NovaKool I like is the fridge is on top and bigger relative to the freezer section. Visabilty into it will be much better. We use the fridge section much more.

dtfeld said:

One other aspect of the NovaKool I like is the fridge is on top and bigger relative to the freezer section. Visabilty into it will be much better. We use the fridge section much more.

Click to expand...

When my norcold dies, the new one will def be freezer on bottom, unless it’s july and the back order is too long….

whatnis the advantage of 2 compressors over a single one?

Chris-380 said:

When my norcold dies, the new one will def be freezer on bottom, unless it’s july and the back order is too long….

whatnis the advantage of 2 compressors over a single one?

Click to expand...

One aspect was that we wanted to keep ice cream aboard. Nova Kool actually has a good explanation in their FAQ section about this. They actually thought about it, and the dual units can do a "better" job of this task.

I'm not sure 2 compressors were technically required because the norcold never was that good at anything frozen. This new unit is getting down into the 0F*-5F* range. Others have had good success with the Vitrifrigo unit, but not guaranteed.



The other aspect is with 2 compressors, when you load up a bunch of food for the weekend, the temperatures don't spike as much.

Checking the Freezer section. I have the thermostat turned all the way to full cold. Threw a temp sensor in to keep track.

Compressor cycling around -3*F to about 10*F, averaging around 3*F. That will keep things frozen solid.

Lookin good!

Strecker25 said:

Lookin good!

Click to expand...

Now to get the cabinet re-laminated and the fridge in the boat!

New matching Cherry panels installed. Heading to the boat in the morning, to recover the cabinet and get the fridge in the boat. Maybe not a complete install, but making progress.

Removed doors, hinges and latches. Myself and a dock neighbor lifted it right into the boat, no trouble. Door opening is about 23”, and the fridge cabinet stripped down is about 22”. 1 minute job,

Dry fit the unit into to the cabinet, fits like a glove.

Now need to re laminate the cabinet, and do a little electrical hook up.

You're going to love that fridge!. I installed that same model in a Cruisers Yachts I had and loved it! The cabin fridge was small and had a tube TV beneath it, so I removed both, cut the 2" of cabinet wood between the two and Nova Kool fit like a glove with out any modifications. I then made a wine rack out of the spot where the VCR was located beneath the TV.

Gettin it done. Cabinet laminate down. Whew. That was a tough job in the cabin. Not a perfect job, but I think will look very nice when everything back together.

Wax paper stuck to the contact cement, wasn’t expecting that, so had to pull up a few times and pull the paper. Everything happening fast. Helmet Fire! Not bad for a first timer.

Got it all laid down and rolled out.

Waiting for the glue to setup then I’m going to route the edges and call ok a nite.



Old meets new in the far corner that no one will see, but the seams matched up nicely.

Almost finished.

Dry fitting everything back together.

Plug it in and make sure it all still works

Beautiful job Sir! Do a couple more, and you'll be ready to upgrade boats and start all over again!

If this one doesn't kill me first.

It's trying!

dtfeld said:

Dry fitting everything back together.

Plug it in and make sure it all still works


View attachment 139857

Click to expand...

Very nice.