[bonsiguy]

do any of you make your own block ice if so what do you use as a mold .i have lost my free ice conection and well how can i say it im cheep so i figure since i know how to make ice ill give it a try .

 

[RAW64]

I actually use small paint buckets i buy at home depot , then use a bigger bucket for bigger blocks . Just just place buckets upside down and spray with a hose and it releases. Have had same buckets for 3 yrs. Saved a whole lotta cash . i believe the small buckets are 1.5 quarts and the larger 2.5 gallon


This post edited by RAW64 10:03 PM 08/13/2008

 

[624397]

Cardboard milk containers work well too. I usually only drink water on the boat, so I got in the habit of recycling all my water bottles by filling them with water and freezing. It also works out if I run out of water onboard, I have ice cold water!
Since this time of the year I don't have much time to shop, my freezer is pretty much full of clams, bunker, and water bottles!

 

[Frigate]

I used soda bottles and fill them with saltwater. Saltwater ice is colder and lasts longer.

 

[bigfish123]

Just fill up some half gallon milk jugs.

 

[MakoMike]

Keep in mind that block ice "last longer" because it dosn't keep you fish as cold as smaller pieces of ice. The commercials use flake ice and bury the fish in it, which keeps the fish much fresher for much longer.

 

[TOMCHUM]

Plastic Tupperware containers. They won't split when frozen.Also comes out real fast.various sizes. If I don't want the water in the cooler,I use gallon plastic jugs keep them closed.

 

[Seajay2]

RAW64 wrote:
I actually use small paint buckets i buy at home depot , then use a bigger bucket for bigger blocks . Just just place buckets upside down and spray with a hose and it releases. Have had same buckets for 3 yrs. Saved a whole lotta cash . i believe the small buckets are 1.5 quarts and the larger 2.5 gallon


I have used this same exact method for many years with great success and much saving of my $, also the blocks last longer than purchased cubes, not so many places even sell block ice these days, mostly only cubes.

 

[STRIKERTHREE]

2 liter soda bottles I use for fishing and camping they work great also theres ice cold water on board all if day if needed

 

[tunafever]

I agree with Mike in that unless you are willing to break up the ice the fish won't be properly iced down. It's plenty good for your food or drinks cold though.

 

[codman]

if u put the block into a cooler half-filled with water u can make a cold slurry thats plenty cold to keep fish.

 

[DarthBaiter]

TOMCHUM wrote:
Plastic Tupperware containers. They won't split when frozen.Also comes out real fast.various sizes. If I don't want the water in the cooler,I use gallon plastic jugs keep them closed.

That's what I do.
I also put my small bait cooler inside my freezer with an inch of water. That ice will ther at the end of the day.

ALso a block of ice will keep the cubes going longer.

 

[bravajo]

I share your cheapness and prefer not to go out of my way to get ice so I usually make my own.

#1 - I use 1 gallon gatorade (or similar) jugs and fill them with water and freeze. I keep the ice in the bottle.

#2 - I also bought 16quart (4 gal) clear plastic shoeboxes at CVS. I fill them with water and freeze them.

#3 - buying 20-30lb of cubes for longer trips works well to pack drinks, food and fish in.

#4 - as someone else mentioned...blocks don't cool fish well. But submerge blocks in saltwater and the water gets below freezing and that'll chill any fish. Caution: adding lots of warm water will melt ice quickly

#5 - I carry an ice pick on the boat. Block ice melts very slowly because of its limited area in contact with warm water/air. That is good to keep the ice long. When you need to rapidly cool something or bury a fish...break out the pick and make your own crushed ice.

Final note: I have a chest freezer with a thermometer. When you fill half the freezer with buckets of water it will raise the temp inside your freezer a LOT which can cause bait or food to defrost or spoil if you are not careful. Also, as long as it takes for a block to melt...it takes longer to freeze so you need to plan ahead. As an example I put 4, 16quart shoeboxes of water in my freezer on Tuesday night and 48hours later they were probably 2/3rds frozen with water still in the core.

 

[PaddleOn]

Once my kitchen icemaker has filled the freezers holder in my kitchen fridge I put the cubes in a bag and they then go in my garage freezer.Next batch the same thing...
I detest buying ice cubes and spending $ for frozen water

Haven't bought ice in years

Plastic Sherbert containers get filled and frozen.I pop out the big cube once frozen and refill with water to make some more.
If I need the ice smaller I put a block in a plastic bag and wack it with a hammer a few times.

 

[onitis]

Putting salt into a container and putting it in your freezer will not make the ice any colder than fresh water ice.It will be the temperature of your freezer.Salt water ice however will be better for your fish as when it melts(it melts faster)your fish will be wet with salt water rather than fresh water.

 

[daveyy]

I use four bottles of water put em in the freezer the night before and I 'm good to go

 

[Bigkeepers]

If you add saltwater to your ice in a cooler, the water will get colder faster. Mythbusters did a few tests to see how fast they could get soda to cool down from room temperature. I don't remember if they used cans or bottles but using saltwater and ice together had the temperature the lowest the quickest.