ICe BOx Material - Fiberglass vs Poly

[Splash]

I was in this exact same situation a few weeks ago and whilst I started out adamant I was going to buy a fibreglass box I ended up with a Poly one.

I wanted a long, low and narrow box for Spanish Mackeral and whilst the fibreglass option would probably have kept the ice longer, it was 3 times the price.

I have used mine now and have kept ice for two days and still had plenty left. So I don't think it is a major issue for the couple of days of fishing we do. Maybe if we were gone for a week it might be different.

I ended up with a 200L IK200 Ice Kool box for $350.

http://www.icekool.com.au/ik200.htm

The version I got has two handles on each end and cam type clips on the front, which is a little different from the pic on the above website. I am guessing this is an upgrade to the model from when the pic on the website was taken.

RC -

• How did you get this ice box $100 cheaper than the advertised price?
• Your thoughts on orange coloured ice boxes vs blue regarding heat absorption?
• How do the hinges perform?
• How far does the bung stick out?
• Is it advantagoues to be able to remove the lid at all?

Splash

[Splash]

Do you all have two ice boxes on board your boats?

1 - Slurry mix box
2 - Keeper box

Splash

[trueblue]

I keep about 15 big juice bottles of frozen water in my deep freeze unit as well and agree that the longer it is frozen it really does last longer in the ice box.

cheers

Mick

[kingtin]

Do you all have two ice boxes on board your boats?

1 - Slurry mix box
2 - Keeper box

Splash

I have an underfloor kill tank which I use for keeping livies............it's bigger than the live bait tank and shovellies don't fit in there anyway.

I carry a 126 tropical for the fish which doubles as a bench seat. I lay the frozen juice bottles on their sides with the fish (and bait) on top.

kev

[Splash]

Thanks Boys.

I am thinking of getting the T126 as well but afraid it may not be enough volume once ice goes inside.. Thoughts?

Kingtin - can i ask why you choose not use slurry mix?

Splsh

[Splash]

ANy others choosing to have the single ice box on board their rig?

[Dunco]

Yea got the Evakool Poly 85ltr with the divider from BCF $309 that's all I need in a 4.6m, but maybe you should look at a big glass or poly with the divider added.

[Greg P]

Splash - an ice/salt water slurry is part of the process of keeping fish fresh. I always use both a slurry in the kill tank and a "keeper esky" as you call it. The ice slurry helps take the initial heat out of the fish but if you want to keep the fish at their best you need to take a bit more care and preparation.

One important thing that is often neglected is the way the fish need to be prepped by gutting and gilling after the ice slurry and placed belly up on a bed of ice with the gut cavity filled with ice. Place another layer of ice over the layer then repeat the same for the next layer of fish. The esky also needs to be set up so you can seperate the meltwater from the ice with a tray set up. This natural flow of the meltwater helps insulate the ice in the box if it sits 1-2 inch below the tray on the bottom.

Hope this help


Cheers

Greg

[kingtin]

Thanks Boys.

I am thinking of getting the T126 as well but afraid it may not be enough volume once ice goes inside.. Thoughts?

Kingtin - can i ask why you choose not use slurry mix?

Splsh

Firstly, with regards to volume: I don't think that there's many built in eskies that would require much more volume than the 126 unless you're looking at a commercial application, or you're an absolute gung ho recco. There was a day once when I was pushed for room with 5 on board and a bag out on spotties, but I consider that a rare occurence..........then again, some guys here have those kind of catches regularly.

With regards to not using a slurry: Simply because I was raised never seeing it done. All fish on UK trawlers were kept on salt ice but due to the conditions, it never formed a slurry. I've tried slurries and I've tried simply keeping the fish cool on plain ice, but as I'm not a cordon bleu chef I can find no difference in taste whatsover,

Also, not using a salt slurry allows me to keep everything, including food, and bait, in the same big esky with no fear of contamination from salt or water.

kev

[Splash]

Thanks guys.

Greg, how do u keep constant the meltwater level - without exposing the fish to opeining the lid all the time?

aND, WHAT is your kill tank made of?

Splash

[Greg P]

Kill tank is part of the hull - aluminum. I use an Evakool 85l glass esky with a couple of the Mrs old cake cooling trays stacked 2 x high . I just drain the water through the drain plug.

Cheers

Greg

[Splash]

Thanks Greg,

How does your slurry last in that kill tank and how big is it?

Reason for asking - I also have an underfloor built in kill tank - fiberglass and not too sure whether I still should use this because of lack of insulation..

And, how long have you had the Evacool glass esky, dings, cracks?

Do u think the Evacool is a good compromise for obtaining good insulation for less real estation when compared to the poly boxes - for same volume capacity?

What hole profile do the cake trays have and how is one stacked on top of the other?

Splash

[disorderly]

Wow,just read this thread and I am glad that i dont dont have to put up with some of you guys on my fishing trips.
Man, I sometimes spend up to around 2 full days on the water with my frozen cordial bottles and I donate quite a few kilo's of fish to my local school each semester.Feed the entire kids and parents with the spanish I catch and I have never made a slurry in my life .
Never had anybody getting sick or complaining about the freshness off the fish.
Only glowing compliments and praise!!!
Yeah I totally beleive in the KISS method.

Scott

[Splash]

Thanks Scott.

Good to have different opinions on this matter. We all know that space is paramount on board a boat. This is why I am digging into the virtues of slurry mix. With all due respect, maybe your lucky giftees are not aware of potnetially even better tasting fish if killed in lsurry first?

What do u use to keep your fish on board?

Splash

[ozscott]

I have two big (relatively - they are about 900 long and 400 wide at a guess) technices now - blue one and yellow and they are the duck's nuts. They apper to me to be better made than those in the shops. I wouldnt hesitate to reccomend them...so go to the evilbay place and buy one up. The ice lasts very well (I have a custom made Ezycool mini ice room - ie alloy over 3 inches of cold room foam and then the inner sheath of plastic - and even though the poly is not as good, its close enough for me not to go to the expense of the custom job again). They make excellent seats. A mate is 120kg and Im 97kg and no problems in the world in sitting on them. They can be dropped out of the boat and knocked about and empty they are not too heavy.

Cheers