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Ventana has a 12 volt Glacier Bay system. While the components of this system are quite good the company behind them is so bad we do not recommend them. The system is greatly overpriced and dollar for dollar there are much better ones on the market.

For a cruising boat we feel a 12 volt DC system with holding plates is best overall. With an engine driven system you cannot leave your boat even overnight at a dock or your food will spoil. An AC system requires a genset and again you must be there all the time to run the genset. With a DC system as long as you have solar or wind power and a decent battery bank you are OK, possibly indefinitely. Dockside is of course no problem with a DC system. With wind and solar providing all our needs in some anchorages we would find it disturbing to run the engine just for refrigeration. It is even more disturbing to see a boat at the dock running their engine for refrigeration. Some recommend a system with engine drive and backup AC system for dockside. The problem here is that boat systems like to be used and break more often when left unused. A rarely used AC system is likely to not be running when you then need it.

Our system utilizes two holding plates in the freezer and one in the refrigerator. We can keep ice cream, make ice and store that 30lb tuna we just caught. Our system is thermostatically controlled so it comes on throughout the day as needed. it runs approximately  20 minutes per cycle with 5-6 cycles a day. Glacier Bay also uses a unique system of using the same compressor to provide air-conditioning. While we rarely do it we have the ability to run our air-conditioning at anchor without needing a genset.

If you want a better understanding of the problems of Glacier Bay refrigeration systems click here.