mag
Sailor
Posts: 7 
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Post by mag on Mar 16, 2017 12:50:59 GMT -6
Hi, I have a quick question. I am new to boat ownership and just had a 208 bay delivered from my local dealer. I have only been able to spend a few hours trying to learn how to drive (and park) the thing (which will be a long process  ) but we absolutely love it and could not be more excited! We have a family of 3 and plan to spend most of the time on 3 hour inshore fishing trips and cruising to sandbars or beaches around Tampa Bay. With that as a background, I was just curious as to what other owners use as a cooler for drinks and food. The dealer told me to use the center rear release well but it seems cumbersome to take ice and drinks out to do dock and load them separately into the well. Is there a particular brand/size cooler that fits under the standard leaning post or a recommendation from other owners? Thanks, Matt |
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Post by Juan on Mar 16, 2017 14:54:36 GMT -6
Congratulations on the new boat and welcome to the forum. Some do but I wouldn't use the livewells or storage compartments as a cooler. They aren't very well insulated and your ice won't last long. You can measure the space under the leaning post and pick up a cooler that fits the space or do as I do and get a cooler just big enough to handle your drinks and food and set it anywhere it's not in the way. The high dollar coolers like the Yetis and similar coolers will keep ice for days but are heavy with thick insulation and the cheaper brands like Coleman and Igloo won't keep ice as long but will keep it for at least a day or more. Be careful on the three hour tours... you just might need a very large cooler  |
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Post by freezerfiller on Mar 16, 2017 15:21:03 GMT -6
I would use the 40 qt cooler that comes with the boat first and see how you like it. They have supposedly beefed up the insulation considerably since the days of Juan's and my boats. If then, you find you need something else, go with what works for you. You're going to have to carry drinks and ice to the boat regardless of what you end up doing. You might try a collapsible soft cooler/fish bag so after you load your built in cooler you can fold it up and put it out of the way. Welcome to the forum!
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Post by gnrphil on Mar 16, 2017 19:40:50 GMT -6
I have an Igloo marine cooler that fits nicely under the leaning post, it holds plenty of beer and ice for a day out at the beach. thwelcome31
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catchersrock
Ensign
Posts: 549
Location: Maiden NC
Sea Pro model and year: 2020 Sea Pro 228
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Post by catchersrock on Mar 17, 2017 6:01:53 GMT -6
I use this Igloo 25 QT cooler I picked up for $19.99 at Academy. Fits under leaning post nicely and holds plenty for day trips. I am never out of reach of ice for more than a day, so, I dont need one of those super expensive coolers! I 5200'd four rubber washers (the kind that come with trolling motor mounting kits) to the bottom and it sits right where I put it. Welcome and enjoy your boat! Make sure you put some picts up for the rest of us to drool over.  |
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mag
Sailor
Posts: 7
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Post by mag on Mar 17, 2017 7:56:34 GMT -6
This is awesome information everyone. I appreciate the time and responses to my rudimentary/elementary questions.
My particular boat didn't come with a cooler at all for under the leaning post. They just said my wells under the console seat and the center release well in the aft were not plumbed for livewells so they are essentially coolers. I was thinking a cooler for under the leaning post was probably a more convenient option but the large expensive YETI's etc can be just as cumbersome due to their weight when loaded (and I will need ice for hours not days) --- and though i have about 40" of clearance under my leaning post, it obviously wouldn't be too convenient if you couldn't open the lid to the cooler under the leaning post so I thought I would ask a group who knows as my neighbor had that problem with his YETI's when he bought his new Sea Hunt a few months ago.
It sounds like an igloo between 25 and 40 qt's might be the way to go.
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Post by gnrphil on Mar 17, 2017 8:56:47 GMT -6
Yeti's are great don't get me wrong , but my Igloo held ice for 8 hour drive to florida, all that evening and still had ice when we arrived in Bimini the next day. That's good enough for me and the cooler didn't cost $500. If opening the lid is a concern check these out, www.boatoutfitters.com/universal-cooler-slides |
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Post by Simple Man on Mar 17, 2017 9:21:05 GMT -6
Congrats on the new boat. I have a Igloo 94 and 54 that I take under my seat depending on how many drinks I need. Here lately I have started carrying my 40 RTIC soft side and like it a lot too.
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catchersrock
Ensign
Posts: 549
Location: Maiden NC
Sea Pro model and year: 2020 Sea Pro 228
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Post by catchersrock on Mar 17, 2017 9:27:09 GMT -6
Yeti's are great don't get me wrong , but my Igloo held ice for 8 hour drive to florida, all that evening and still had ice when we arrived in Bimini the next day. That's good enough for me and the cooler didn't cost $500. If opening the lid is a concern check these out, www.boatoutfitters.com/universal-cooler-slidesPhil, if you have that much money to burn, send me some! |
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Post by freezerfiller on Mar 17, 2017 10:36:34 GMT -6
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Post by gnrphil on Mar 17, 2017 12:00:53 GMT -6
Yeti's are great don't get me wrong , but my Igloo held ice for 8 hour drive to florida, all that evening and still had ice when we arrived in Bimini the next day. That's good enough for me and the cooler didn't cost $500. If opening the lid is a concern check these out, www.boatoutfitters.com/universal-cooler-slidesPhil, if you have that much money to burn, send me some! rofl I have an Igloo cooler and a bungee cord holding it in place , one of those slide thingys would be nice but way out of my budget mate. |
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Post by Juan on Mar 17, 2017 16:13:34 GMT -6
I've always said I'd never own an overpriced Yeti and I still don't but the wife bought me a 20 qt Igloo Sportsman ($99) from Sam's Club last Christmas. It's built like a Yeti, very heavy for it's size but I have to admit, it does keep ice longer and it doesn't take much ice to last all day. I used to empty the ice tray from the fridge and catch hell for doing it, now I only use about half of it.   |
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Post by freezerfiller on Mar 17, 2017 20:35:50 GMT -6
I have the same one as well as the 55 qt version. I would recommend it, but it is heavy as a yeti... it doesn't slide at all, those feet grip almost too good!
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Post by gtightline on Mar 18, 2017 1:49:03 GMT -6
Welcome to the forum. I have a 94 Igloo that doubles as a cushioned seat in front of the center console. It is the original cooler that came with the boat in 1998, still in great shape holds ice really well, over the years the only thing I have done to it is add hinges and a drain cap. I have no other coolers on board, I do have a fish box at the bow of the boat that I use for storage. I see you are in Tampa, that is my home town, born and raised there, I now live in South Florida. I am about 15 minutes from the Everglades and about 15 minutes from the ocean, and about a 45 minute drive from the Keys. Retired, riding and fishing. Enjoy that boat, these Sea Pro's are built tough and if taken care of, will serve you well for many years, next year will be my 20th year with my Sea-Pro, this boat has been really good to me, no complaints.
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Post by AHHHH-Spray on Mar 18, 2017 8:37:07 GMT -6
I've got the same setup as gtightline. Kinda surprised to hear that yours didn't come with a removable cooler. Haven't shopped for a boat recently. Have removable coolers been phased out by all the boat builders? They used to be pretty much standard on inshore boats. I'd recommend some type of well-made soft sided cooler that you can fit in one of the boxes. They mold to fit the space you put them in and won't  around in rough seas. I've got one made by AO Coolers that I fill up and put inside my 94 qt igloo. The liner is made from the stuff they use to make waterbeds and its guaranteed not to leak. Have fun with the new boat and welcome to the forum. |
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Post by freezerfiller on Mar 18, 2017 19:01:53 GMT -6
The liner is made from the stuff they use to make waterbeds and its guaranteed not to leak. rofl What's a waterbed?? |
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Post by AHHHH-Spray on Mar 18, 2017 19:14:02 GMT -6
[/quote] rofl What's a waterbed??[/quote]
Seriously? You never heard of a waterbed?
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Post by freezerfiller on Mar 20, 2017 11:30:04 GMT -6
rofl What's a waterbed??[/quote] Seriously? You never heard of a waterbed? [/quote] I've heard of em. Didn't they make those in the 70's? I can't say I've seen one since the mid 80's. |
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Post by AHHHH-Spray on Mar 21, 2017 11:49:35 GMT -6
I've heard of em. Didn't they make those in the 70's? I can't say I've seen one since the mid 80's. Guess you're right come to think of it. I must be living in a time warp. Maybe that's why they're using the material to make coolers now. |
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mag
Sailor
Posts: 7
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Post by mag on Apr 17, 2017 10:48:48 GMT -6
Just a quick - yet long overdue update here ... I ended up purchasing the Igloo 54 qt Marine Elite cooler for under the console. The new boat did not come with a cooler and none of them appear to at our local dealerships in the Tampa Bay area (some of the other boat manufacturer's did - just not with any of the Sea Pro promotions). Just for information, Yeti 45, 50, and 60 will fit under the leaning post as well - albeit the 50 and 60 will not open all the way, just enough to get your hand in to fish around for a drink - and the prices are $350-$450 for the coolers. The Igloo cooler was $88 (or $66 with my buddy's Port Supply Card) and held enough ice for 12-14 hours on the water which is all I need. The handles feel cheap and I am relatively sure they will break over the course of a few seasons - however you open the cooler enough for full access to anything while underway and can buy a lot of Igloo's for the price of one Yeti. Plus the Yeti's are heavy and with my only help loading the thing right now is the ripe old age of 4, the lighter cooler is an advantage as well.  |
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) but we absolutely love it and could not be more excited! We have a family of 3 and plan to spend most of the time on 3 hour inshore fishing trips and cruising to sandbars or beaches around Tampa Bay.
around in rough seas. I've got one made by AO Coolers that I fill up and put inside my 94 qt igloo. The liner is made from the stuff they use to make waterbeds and its guaranteed not to leak.