Dry bags for ice?

[Steve Laume]

The ice experiments really got me to thinking about ice management for the coming season. The problem for me always seems to be dealing with melt water not the ice itself. I hate a soggy ice box to the point of just having non perishables and sea water temp beer on board. On short trips frozen milk jugs from home are a very acceptable solution. Once they melt they still take up the same amount of room but we do use the water. Then the problems begin with that first big dripping block of ice that never seems to last very long and makes a ness in it's passing. The epiphany that came to me is to use a medium sized dry bag for ice. I would freeze it at home to start then take it to the boat and plunk it in the ice box. I could keep the drain plugged with the little closed cell foam stopper I hole sawed out for the drain. There would be no melt water and I would not drain cold air either. When the home supply of ice melted you could pull out the dry bag and pour off some water. Then just add a block or cubes seal it back up and put it back in the ice box. The dry bag would also be a great way to carry ice from the dock as it forms a nice handle when it is closed up. I would discontinue drinking any of the melt water but other than that this system would have very few disadvantages that I can think of. This is such a simple solution I can't believe I never thought of it before, Steve.

[Neil Gordon]

I've made mini ice blocks by filling zip lock freezer bags with water. No drips, the melt water is safe to drink and no space taken up by empty containers. If you freeze them to shape, you could more or less have neatly fitting rectangular blocks.

[Tod Mills]

rectangular plastic stowage box. As it froze, the top got to be a bit uneven, but....

Interesting idea on the dry bag, Steve!

I suspect that keeping the ice in a container in the ice box would tend to allow the rest of the box to be at a slightly higher temperature, depending on how well it was "insulated" from the rest of the box.

[John D.]

I pour some water out first, and put them on their side in the freezer, otherwise the plastic cracks when the ice expands.

[Steve Laume]

We do the frozen jugs from home but it is once they run out that the problems begin. That is what prompted the dry bag idea. Just open the top, pour out some water and add more ice. While down working on the boat yesterday I came up with another idea. I have some small hard coolers that used to have the fold up top that forms kid of a peaked handle. I made a flat wooden top for one of these with 1 1/2" foam insulation that fits snug in the cooler to keep it on. This little cooler will fit in the ice box and with the flat top I can store things on top of it. My thinking is that if I start at home with frozen meat in the little cooler, then plunk the whole thing in the ice box unopend it should last for a very long time. If any meat juice does escape it will be contained in the little cooler which could be taken out of the boat and washed. This could be done without disturbing the contents or cold of the main ice box. I have heard of people using the soft coolers inside the ice box but it would seem very difficult to clean these out if they were used for meat. Spring is very near at hand. There was one boat out sailing on Fishers Island Sound yesterday. The boat in the slip across from me bent on all her sails rigged lines and put on her bimini and dogger. I've got to get cleaned up and ready to go, Steve.

[Guest]

didn't understand