[PtJudeRI]

It seems to me that all of the newer model boats are coming equipped with chiller plates in the fish boxes, and I feel left out. Does anyone know where I can get a chiller plate/ freezer plate at a reasonable price?? I have a 400 qt fish box that is macerated, and ideally I would like to get a chiller plate in there to cool the salt water. Any ideas???

Ryan

 

[oneblitzen]

Seafrost they are a local New England company that can help you out.
Seafrost

 

[breakwater]

heres my experience from a chiller plate it creates 1 huge ice block that is near impossible to break up... had one on the 57 ocean i worked on its a royal painin the ass trying to break it up in the heat of a good bite

 

[asiegel]

breakwater wrote:
heres my experience from a chiller plate it creates 1 huge ice block that is near impossible to break up... had one on the 57 ocean i worked on its a royal painin the ass trying to break it up in the heat of a good bite

Would a better placed thermostat fix this problem?
How about putting extra salt in the water?

It seems as though a saltwater ice maker may be the best device for cooling the fish, but man are they expensive and a bit large for a 38 footer. Try Ice Sea: http://www.icesea.us/pages/IceSea.html

 

[carlynewlondon]

asiegel wrote:
breakwater wrote:
heres my experience from a chiller plate it creates 1 huge ice block that is near impossible to break up... had one on the 57 ocean i worked on its a royal painin the ass trying to break it up in the heat of a good bite


Would a better placed thermostat fix this problem?
How about putting extra salt in the water?

It seems as though a saltwater ice maker may be the best device for cooling the fish, but man are they expensive and a bit large for a 38 footer. Try Ice Sea: http://www.icesea.us/pages/IceSea.html

I looked at adding a SW ice maker over the winter but I couldn't justify the cost. Have to save buying a lot of ice to justify 6g's. Might consider the cooler plates in the future at least that would help conserve the ice I bring on board.

 

[asiegel]

calynewlondon: I'm curious where you buy ice. I'm tired of going to Montauk even though their ice is so cheap & easy.

 

[NewLove]

Montauk...cheap?

 

[asiegel]

newlove wrote:
Montauk...cheap?


Yes, compared to Stop & Shop in Niantic! (or a saltwater ice maker for that matter)

 

[MakoMike]

You could stop in Pt Judith. I pay $2.50 a tote for flake ice.

 

[carlynewlondon]

asiegel wrote:
calynewlondon: I'm curious where you buy ice. I'm tired of going to Montauk even though their ice is so cheap & easy.

Lately I've been asking the crew to show up with 100lbs of ice each. That way I leave with 600lbs of cubes/chipped. It doesn't pack as nice as the shaved ice but its much easier.

If I have to buy it I go to Stop and Shop in Waterford and buy 20lb bags for $4. Normally I bring 2 of my biggest coolers with me to the office the day before a trip and ask the resturant where I eat lunch if they'ed like to dump thier ice machine. They have to do it a couple times a week to keep it from getting stale anyway so I get my hundred + for free. One crew member goes to his friends limo company and cleans out thier ice machine. Even if we have to buy it 600 lbs of ice costs $120 and I save a few gallons of fuel and a ton of time not stopping in Montaulk.

 

[MakoMike]

carlynewlondon wrote:
asiegel wrote:
calynewlondon: I'm curious where you buy ice. I'm tired of going to Montauk even though their ice is so cheap & easy.

Even if we have to buy it 600 lbs of ice costs $120 and I save a few gallons of fuel and a ton of time not stopping in Montaulk.


Wow, that's expensive! When I fill my two 160 quart coolers they weigh about 600 pound combined and it costs me $11.

 

[carlynewlondon]

MakoMike wrote:
carlynewlondon wrote:
asiegel wrote:
calynewlondon: I'm curious where you buy ice. I'm tired of going to Montauk even though their ice is so cheap & easy.

Even if we have to buy it 600 lbs of ice costs $120 and I save a few gallons of fuel and a ton of time not stopping in Montaulk.


Wow, that's expensive! When I fill my two 160 quart coolers they weigh about 600 pound combined and it costs me $11.

Water weighs something like 8.34 lbs per gallon. A 160 quart cooler is equal to 40 gallons. If you filled it with water it would weigh 333.6 lbs. The density of is 90% of water so a solid 160 quart block would weigh nearly 300 lbs. There is air in it, both in the ice itself and between the chips/flakes/cubes, I'd gus by a factor of as much as 50%. I know when I dump 5-20 lb bags in my 125 quart cooler it fills it up. My guess is each of your 160's would hold a hundered and a half. Still 22 bucks for 600lb is a good price. I've been getting my 2-125's filled for free as has at least some of my crew does the same by making nice with people who own icemakers.

I save 4 miles (5 gallons) by not putting into Montalk as well as a solid hour. So take 20 buks off what I'm paying just for fuel let alone the increased fishing time.

Edit: Just checked the MMB web site. A tote and a half of ice is $80 and for me is about the equivelent volume of 600 lbs of cubes.


This post edited by carlynewlondon 06:59 PM 05/08/2008

 

[tunaorlater]

MakoMike wrote:
You could stop in Pt Judith. I pay $2.50 a tote for flake ice.



Thats cheap, the guy here gets $10 a tote. Thats why I went and bought a 1200lb per day ice machine. 12 hours and I have more than I need exept for the heat of the summer it takes longer because the machine is not in an A/C garage. But still 24 hours its 700lb bin is full.

 

[clementine]

Hey tuna,
Which one do you have and where did you get it? And if you don't mind what's the order of magnitude? Also do you really notice the energy consumption or is it not that bad. Thanks in advance. Right now this is looking like it might be the only option for me. I am in bellport and the only place that has ice is senix which is expensive and is a pain going up the creek.

 

[clementine]

tunaorlater wrote:
MakoMike wrote:
You could stop in Pt Judith. I pay $2.50 a tote for flake ice.Thats cheap, the guy here gets $10 a tote.
We've payed 6$ a tote for flake in Bayshore.

 

[PtJudeRI]

MakoMike wrote:
You could stop in Pt Judith. I pay $2.50 a tote for flake ice.



Who's giving you that?? I go to Al and get a tote for $7, and I thought that was good!!

 

[tunaorlater]

I have a Scotsdale, not sure of a model #. I bought it on ebay a few years ago. It was taken out of a pizza resturant that closed down. It definatly uses some electric but I only turn it on when I need it. A little trick is to put a bag of ice in the box an hour or so before you turn it on. If not it takes longer to make ice when everything is hot. Also the big units are loud so make sure its in a place where thats not a big deal. In 12 hours I can fill a 1500lb Bonar box to the top.

 

[clementine]

OK thanks for the info, i really like the idea of having my own ice machine, no worrying about where to get ice and if the place is out, etc...

 

[MakoMike]

PtJudeRI wrote:
MakoMike wrote:
You could stop in Pt Judith. I pay $2.50 a tote for flake ice.



Who's giving you that?? I go to Al and get a tote for $7, and I thought that was good!!

Pier Ice in Narragansett. You have to go and get a "fisherman's card" to get that price, but once you get the card its good forever.

 

[asiegel]

I used to go to Pier Ice, back when I was a RI guy

I was hoping that there was a place like that near Niantic.

We did the 100lb per guy thing for a while, but Montauk is so easy since they shovel it right in. I have heard that they have this at the commercial dock in Stonington as well, but not in Niantic.

I guess not too many people are doing the freeze plates or salt water ice.

There is a guy in Stonington (31 Bertram) who has some sort of seawater cooler that he made himself. I have not seen it, but have heard that it cools the water to about 28 degrees, and recirculates it. All I can think of there is what a bloody soup it must be at the end of a trip. Bet you could sell that brine at some Asian market for top dallar