Replacing cockpit fridge with ice maker in 2005 390 Motor Yacht

J

Joel_MD

Member
Jun 20, 2016
210
Chesapeake Bay
Boat Info
390 Motor Yacht, 2005
Engines
Cummins 480 CE
Hi everybody, we've had our 390 MY for a couple of months and we're thinking about replacing the Norcold DE0040 fridge with an ice maker. I understand there was a factory option to have an ice maker instead of a fridge, and upon searching this topic I see a lot of people seem to want to convert the other way, from an ice maker to a fridge. But we really want an ice maker, and I have a few questions about this:
- What model ice maker did SR install in these boats at the factory?
- Has anybody done this fridge-to-ice maker conversion themselves?
- Does anybody have an ice maker that they removed and want to sell?
 
We swapped a fridge for an ice maker when we bought our boat new from a dealer. Dealers buy these boats for cash from the manufacturer new and try to guess what the buyer will want. My dealer tells me they guess wrong half the time. It is a simple swap but not as straight forward as you might think. The deminisions are usually off by a small amount so there is glasswork involved. Adding an ice maker means a little plumbing is needed. Not a big deal but still some labor. The biggest issue is rebuilding the enclosure to make things fit and attaching the facade to the appliance to insure things look factory original.
 
The cockpit ice maker in our boat is a U-Line. When we bought the boat I thought we would swap it out for a fridge right away. We decided to try it for a few weeks and today I couldn't imagine living without it.

It should be a simple plumbing job... If I remember right you have a sink and faucet close ..... so your just tapping off the water supply.
 
I have a refrigerator in my 40MY and prefer that. But, do take a good look under the sink for the water line. Mine has the ice maker supply installed. Perhaps they did that across the board or it could have been like sbw1's case and the original owner swapped it out but worth a search.
 
It is a u-line marine icemaker. They come in 14" and 15". Take out the refrigerator and take very precise measurements of width height and depth. Then go to a local distributor for uline and order one. Ferguson enterprises would be a good choice. I am in the appliance business, PM me if you need more help. I am planning on doing the same thing as you in the spring.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Id order the Wynter ice maker. Comes in 15" width and fits like a dream. Makes amazing amount of ice too...

oh and costs a thousand dollars less that uline! Wish I had one at the house too. image.jpg
image.jpg
 
Buy a good ice chest...
 
Thanks for the replies.

I'm assuming these ice makers operate only on 120 volts, not dual voltage like the refrigerators.
 
Keep the fridge. Get a counter top ice maker from CostcoSam's for about $130. Best of both worlds. Need more ice? Get two, or a small Yeti. Either way, you are better off financially and in terms of utilitarian value.
 
dpmulvey said:
Keep the fridge. Get a counter top ice maker from CostcoSam's for about $130. Best of both worlds. Need more ice? Get two, or a small Yeti. Either way, you are better off financially and in terms of utilitarian value.
Click to expand...
I respectfully disagree. There are boaters who use and enjoy the utility of ice makers. Sure you can trudge down the dock and look for an ice machine and buy ice at marinas. We used to do that all the time. It's better to make your own ice so you you can have it when you want it and not have to go looking for it when you are hot and tired after a day of boating. We drink a lot of ice water when on the boat. No calories and it keeps you hydrated in hot weather. We make more than we use and give it to sail boaters who always seem to need ice. Built in ice makers are better than things that get in the way and need to be stowed for traveling.
 
Just offering an alternative. I know folks who could not see the added value in a new U-Line over a counter top model seeing production over 24 hours was comparable. Agree on the storage aspect. Boat storage is a premium regardless of size.

As an aside, I would recommend the OP truly evaluate the usage of the second fridge. I know folks who have made the switch both ways with mixed results.
 
Last edited:
My 2004 390MY with a cockpit fridge also has the plumbing under the sink installed for the icemaker. Seems like it was preplumbed on all.
Rob
alnav said:
I have a refrigerator in my 40MY and prefer that. But, do take a good look under the sink for the water line. Mine has the ice maker supply installed. Perhaps they did that across the board or it could have been like sbw1's case and the original owner swapped it out but worth a search.
Click to expand...
 
I've seen a 390MY with an Ice Maker under the Front Stairs, opposite the Washer/Dryer.

It was a ULine and the job looked custom. The compressor had been moved from the bottom to sit beside the unit. It was all paneled in and looked factory.
 
Our experience was the ice maker was slightly larger than the fridge. So, the dealer removed the fiberglass side wall of the compartment and glassed in a new piece of structural fiberglass for the wall and gel coated the visible vertical edge to make it look like it came that way from the factory. Also needed a water line but the bar sink is in the same location so that was a simple tee fitting. The front door of the ice maker got the Tiara factory trim that matches the Tiara wet bar. This trim piece was removed from the fridge and reinstalled on the ice maker. Like I said, not complicated but it is fussy work that must be done perfectly on a brand new boat.
 
Jmwarren said:
I've seen a 390MY with an Ice Maker under the Front Stairs, opposite the Washer/Dryer.

It was a ULine and the job looked custom. The compressor had been moved from the bottom to sit beside the unit. It was all paneled in and looked factory.
Click to expand...
That's an interesting idea. I'm going to look at that area on mine. As I recall there is a shelf that I use to store some laundry stuff.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Forum statistics

Threads
113,162
Messages
1,427,574
Members
61,071
Latest member
TellurideBoater
Back
Top