# Building a cooler/deckbox



## firecat1981 (Nov 27, 2007)

Ok so it may not be a boat exactly, but it is boating related 

Before I start my next boat build I told someone I would build them a cooler for hunting (gators and deer). After seeing how much Yeti coolers are ($750 for 250qt ) I figured I would post this up as a cost effective way to get the job done and also if anyone needs to make a deck/dock box.....I should note I have never built a cooler before and have no idea how this one will work out.
The outside dimensions will be roughly 54L x 28W x 32H.










Above are the luan panels for the cooler already cut out, you can see it will be fairly large. The cooler will be covered inside and out with glass and epoxy and have a boat drain plug at one end. I went back and forth on the type of foam I will use then settled on 2. Most of the cooler will be standard 2" white styrofoam/polystyrene which has a R value of 8. Then on certain areas, the top mostly, I will add a layer of 3/4" R-max foil backed foam which has a much higher R value of 5 for it's size. I hope to have it done within a few weeks, but stay tuned for updates.


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## Swamp (Jul 12, 2010)

Cool, looking forward to it. You gonna use CF to put up with those large pesky lizards? J/K ;D


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## Gramps (Nov 1, 2007)

Get started already FC! I've been kicking around the idea myself.

One thing I will say about the Yeti's though, properly pre-chilled they will hold ice for a long time.


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## firecat1981 (Nov 27, 2007)

CF? as in Carbon Fiber?  Thats a little outta my price range and it would be too pretty for this project . However I am doing luan inside and out on the foam so if my friend tosses in a 4-6 footer alive he won't be able to claw right through the foam.

I finished cutting all the panels and strips for the interior frame structure, however I have guests coming so I won't be able to start epoxying until saturday night.

PS...I'm in no way putting down yeti coolers, I think they are badass! I just can't justify the cost and neither can my friend.


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## Gramps (Nov 1, 2007)

> PS...I'm in no way putting down yeti coolers, I think they are badass! I just can't justify the cost and neither can my friend.


Not saying you did, I'm just in love with mine ;D

Don't know if I missed it, but will the interior be a fiberglass over wood over foam...? I would look into some heavy glass and mat combos if you plan on having live gators in there! Something like 1810, maybe heavier. :-?


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## Swamp (Jul 12, 2010)

Yeah, CF= carbon fiber. LOL You don't need to worry about them clawing out of the cooler, a fully live and frisky six footer might be able to beat it's way out though. Be about like putting an explosive inside. Truly powerful animals. Can't say I'm afraid of gators, but I have a very healthy respect for them. Sorta like a chainsaw, loose respect and they can tear you up, or your boat, or your...


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## firecat1981 (Nov 27, 2007)

The interior will be layers of cloth, over luan, on top of foam, then luan on the outside as well. All coated in several layers of epoxy paint. There will also be a grided support system on the interior not just foam. The live gators inside will be a rarety, mostly dead ones, and dead deer. He usually only keeps 8 footer and above to sell to breeders, the smaller ones are just good for meat and skins. 
In truth I don't care how well I build it, if a gator gets pissed, he's a coming out! ;D


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## TomFL (Oct 2, 2007)

Get this thing done already! I wanna see it and the work along the way. 

This would be a great idea for a coffin box on the front of the seavee!

I'll expect it done by Monday 

-T


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## Brett (Jul 16, 2008)

What are you going to do Tom,
Build a giant livewell like on the original Vitamin Sea?


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## TomFL (Oct 2, 2007)

> What are you going to do Tom,
> Build a giant livewell like on the original Vitamin Sea?


No, I'm going to trade Firecat a case of his favorite brew and make off with his box


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## Gramps (Nov 1, 2007)

FC similar to this? That should be plenty strong.


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## firecat1981 (Nov 27, 2007)

Something of that nature, but I need to mindful of the weight since it will need to be taken in and out of a pickup trucks bed by one person.


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## flightmedicjh41 (Mar 26, 2009)

I cant wait to see this.


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## Swamp (Jul 12, 2010)

Dang, you should put a motor on the back of that thing and run is as an ultra micro.


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## firecat1981 (Nov 27, 2007)

I know it looks messy, but trust me there is a controlled chaos theory going on here. I had guests for the last few days so this is all I could do so far.

I basically built a backbone to work off of. I will be adding more supports before the sides go on. I wanted to see if it will support weight so after spot welding it with epoxy I stood on the frame and had no issues supporting my 240lbs.


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## firecat1981 (Nov 27, 2007)

Well I decided I didn't like how it was coming out so I broke outt the supports and cut new ones. Progress is slow going right now due to being busy, but things should start to move quicker shortly.


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## firecat1981 (Nov 27, 2007)

I finished up the bottom with some more putty and scabbing in some glass.
I started assembling the sides, you can see from the pictures this is going to be a very large cooler! 

I'll start on the side infastructure in the next few days.










You can hide a body in here ;D


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## firecat1981 (Nov 27, 2007)

progress is still a little slow, but starting to move along quicker. after stitching the sides and bottom together I tacked everything with epoxy fillets. I'll now start on the side structure which will be similar to the base.

sides stitched and bonded


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## firecat1981 (Nov 27, 2007)

todays work, I finished the interior structure for one of the long sides.










and another


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## firecat1981 (Nov 27, 2007)

I'm starting on the other side now. Using a grid system for the internal structure is working out very well and really making assembly simple.

Heres the supports for the second side, it'sjust strips of luan slotted and fit together. Using a grid also helps straighten out the luan which is very flexible.


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## pds07d (Jul 19, 2010)

wow looking goooooood  

one question? where are the handles going- how ya gonna lift that thing into a pick up truck with 200 lbs of dead weight/ice in it?


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## firecat1981 (Nov 27, 2007)

It will have simple eye bolts on the sides with rope handles. When it's empty it will be able to be lifted fairly well, but it's not mabe to lift when it's full. When he is done all he needs to do is pull the plug and let it drain out before moving it again.


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## firecat1981 (Nov 27, 2007)

Finished setting up the second long side, next I flipped it and will start on the short sides.


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## Gramps (Nov 1, 2007)

Looking good FC. She may be bomb proof by the time you're done though! ;D


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## pds07d (Jul 19, 2010)

> It will have simple eye bolts on the sides with rope handles. When it's empty it will be able to be lifted fairly well, but it's not mabe to lift when it's full. When he is done all he needs to do is pull the plug and let it drain out before moving it again.



ohh okay well that makes sense.  boy would it be a pain to try and lift something like that with a dead 300 lb gator in it.


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## firecat1981 (Nov 27, 2007)

I'm figuring this cooler when all said and done will be somewhere around 250-300qts, so if filled with ice you'd be looking at like 300lbs total weight (not calculating, just guessing). I'm a strong guy, but I ain't liftin that!

Heres a snap of the side supports going in


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## firecat1981 (Nov 27, 2007)

what my completed skeleton will look like. I'll mirror the other side tomorrow and add a backer for the handles.


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## firecat1981 (Nov 27, 2007)

done with the stucture, time for some foam.

You can see the 1x3's I used to add a backing for the eyelets/handles.









Here is my choice for insulation, 2 inch styrofoam which will be used everywhere, and 3/4 inch r-max for the handle ends and top.









Cutting and fitting the R-max









Now the 2 inch styrofoam









here you can see how thick it will be









The foam edges crumble a bit as you press them in, but I'll cut foam slivers as I'm laying the interior panels in to make sure it's nice and solid.


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## firecat1981 (Nov 27, 2007)

I finished laying the foam for the sides and put the side panels in. it is very stable now and will easily support my weight when on end.









Started working on the top today









I was going to cut and lay in the foam for the sides and then realized I didn't like the lack of support for the hinges and clasps so I scabbed in some 1x3s as backers.









Thats all for now


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## firecat1981 (Nov 27, 2007)

I'm getting close to glassing now, which will actually be the fast part.

I finished laying in all the foam, it was extremely time consuming because I had to measure and cut each piece one by one. It's something I didn't think about at when I made the frames.


















I installed the long sides and will install the floor maybe tomorrow.


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## Capt Dan Medina (Apr 28, 2008)

coming along nicely!


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## bostick29412 (Apr 17, 2009)

This is a cool project, and I like your construction methods also. The only thing I might suggest would be for your handles - think about using two 1" webbing/straps that go completely under the cooler and through strap eyes like this one:









I think that would completely prevent ripping out the handles when you're carrying that around. It's going to be pretty heavy when full of ice and swamp lizard.


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## firecat1981 (Nov 27, 2007)

I thought of something like that, and maybe adding feet to the bottom too, but I worried that it would make a ton of weight would be on those points and could possible lead to sagging or cracking. Trust me when I say there is no way it is moving when it is full of ice! The handles I'm putting in will support several hundred pounds, but this thing will weigh upwards of 400lbs full. Basically it will only move when empty, if at all since it will be mounted most often on a trailer.
I did a strenth test of sorts, basically on it's side in it's weakest position I sat on it (230lbs ). No problems at all, really no flex either. 

I test fitted the top, at this time I realized I am building it the hard way. I should have built the cooler 2 inches higher then boxed it in and made a cut 2 inches from the top. oh well live and learn, I will have a ton of sanding and fitting to do.









Heres the interior panels set and the top caps being weighed down as the epoxy dries.


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## Swamp (Jul 12, 2010)

I was wondering how the project was going earlier today.

Looks good.


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## pds07d (Jul 19, 2010)

Wow I hadn't seen this since the start of the month.  Really looks good. I am glad to hear that the bracing worked out and it held your weight.  from the pictures it looks like you put a lot of time and work into cutting and filling those cubes.

Your definitely right- any container of that size full of ice will be pretty much an unmovable object, regardless of handles or design (except for maybe HD wheels ;D)


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## firecat1981 (Nov 27, 2007)

Ok guys I'm taking this in a slightly different direction and I'll explain in a minute. First here are some calculations for those of you who were interested in knowing how big it is.

The inside dimensions right now are (I rounded down to so it's actually slightly bigger):
L 47in. x W 23in x H 29in = 31349 cubic inches or 18.14 cubic feet.

So by my calculations it will hold 135.7 gallons of water, or 513 liters!  :-? 

To those of you worried about moving this sucker, well roughly if you fill it with ice (approx 7.65lbs per gallon uncubed) it will be well north of 700lbs depending on cube shape, maybe as much as 900lbs if you use crushed ice. For arguements sake even at 400lbs you ain't liftin it!

So all this bring me to my decision it reduce the size by just a few inches and build the lid the way I should have from the start. I'll be cutting 3 inches off of the top in order to make the lid. This way it will fit perfectly and make my life easier. Now don't worry guys it won't be too small now , actually it will still come in slightly north of 460 liters .


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## firecat1981 (Nov 27, 2007)

Bonding the new top


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## firecat1981 (Nov 27, 2007)

New lid cut


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## pds07d (Jul 19, 2010)

I like it!   That size box ought to hold whatever you kill, and plenty of ice.  Or enough bottles or cans to keep a party going for days... ;D


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## firecat1981 (Nov 27, 2007)

Finally laid down some glass! ok I'm just taping for now, but I'm making some major headway. I made the new top caps and bonded them, finishing the inside of the lid, and starting to glass the inside of the cooler.

top caps held together with a little glass at the seems.









Heres the lid with the cap in place, I also routed the top and put the frames in. I just need to glass the inside supports, put the foam in and cap it off. then it's glassing time









I finished filleting the inside of the cooler and sanded it down before priming and laying down some cloth tape.


















moving along nicely now


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## Brett (Jul 16, 2008)

I see the lid and the cooler rim,
where's the seal/lip going to be?


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## firecat1981 (Nov 27, 2007)

No lip as of now, I'll use a double weather stripping seal attatched to the lids rim to keep it all nice and cool. I had a different idea in mind before I decided to redo the lid design. This one fits much better and will allow a much tighter seal.


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## sfsurfr (Mar 16, 2009)

Cooler is lookin great man!!! Not sure exactly how you plan to mount it but I found an awesome way to mount any cooler flush to the deck off of birdsall marines website. Check it out if you are interested.

Here is the link.

http://www.birdsallmarine.com/hold-down-system-casting-platforms-p-369.html


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## firecat1981 (Nov 27, 2007)

I appreciate it man, but shes not going on a boat. This is for a friend who takes week long hunting trips and does some gator hunting for the state so it will be in a pickup truck or on a trailer. Plus once filled with ice this sucker will weight way north of 500lbs so I don't want it on my boat .


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## firecat1981 (Nov 27, 2007)

Here's a picture of the lid, I glassed in the supports and now I'm laying the insulation. I decided to go for a double layer of R-max and a single layer of 3/4" foam I had. So R value of the lid should be some where around 13 or so, plus the Luan sandwich and glass. I'll cap it off later and that will be the last structural piece I have to do on it. Next comes alot of sanding, filling and glassing


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## firecat1981 (Nov 27, 2007)

I got the panel over the foam epoxied in place, and the fillet around it done. It came out a little uneven because of how I changed up the lid plans towards the end, but I think I'm the only one will really notice. Now it's time to plug some holes, smooth things out and lay some glass.


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## TomFL (Oct 2, 2007)

Almost ready for an episode of Swamp People!!

-T


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## firecat1981 (Nov 27, 2007)

Did some glassing the last few days. It looks a little sloppy, but trust me when I say theres a plan in the works.

The inside of the lid is glassed, I built up the edges with strips of biaxle before laying the 6oz cloth. Reason being I am now thinking of cutting a shallow groove for the seal to sit in. I may have to add another layer to get the thickness I want.









And the inside of the cooler is now glassed. The verticle corners have a double layer of 9oz tape. Before I glassed the cooler I jumped inside and jumped around to find any weak spots. 225lbs of crushing force jumping and no cracks or deflections, so once the glass is cured this thing should be bulletproof.


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## firecat1981 (Nov 27, 2007)

Man it's been a rough few weeks but I'm making progress, there is light at the end of the tunnel!

I glassed the outside









and the outside of the lid









After some smoothing and adjusting I fitted the hinges


















Installed the eyes for the handles, these were actually dry fitted, then the holes were primed and thickened epoxy was injected in before setting the eyes back in.









I also installed a set of lockable hasps on the front









Last thing I did was make the drane tube. Took a 1 inch dowel and wrapped it with wax paper, then wrapped a piece of cloth tape around it while wetting it out with epoxy.









With any luck I'll be painting next week.


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## Swamp (Jul 12, 2010)

That looks great! I'm concerned about those hasps though, I can't really tell from the pic how durable they are. All of the gator hunters I know tend to be hard on gear. 

Swamp


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## firecat1981 (Nov 27, 2007)

Well it has acutally turned from being a gator cooler to being a big pig and deer cooler as my buddy isn't doing the gator trapping anymore, apparently commercially there isn't much money in it. I only added the hasps as a way to lock it when he's traveling. With 2 of them on there it should be ok. They aren't SS, since I couldn't find any locally for less then $40 each, but they are galvanized and he won't be near salt water. If they rust I can replace them later on, but he takes care of his stuff so I think he will be ok.


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## firecat1981 (Nov 27, 2007)

finished the drain hole and installed it. Also did a little smoothing so with any miracle it will be finished in the next few weeks.

1 inch drain tube I made









fitted, I installed it with thickened epoxy then trimmed it flat with my grinder.


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## firecat1981 (Nov 27, 2007)

Glassing is done, time for a test. I just wanted to make sure it was structurally sound so I filled it up with water. Since water weighs more then ice, and much more then cubed ice, this is the maximun load I could place on it. Glad to say she did just fine with no deflection.









Next comes the paint, since she will be used well I'm not worried about a perfect finish so after a quick sanding I started painting. I hope to finish in the next few days so I can start cleaning and get set for the boat build.


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## anytide (Jul 30, 2009)

looks great Fcat,, fill er up w' gator and beer    -and i;ll be there...
thats a serious cooler..  nice work...
                                          -anytide


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## MrMoser223 (Aug 25, 2009)

I say grab the swimmin trunks and hope on it. Looks great man!


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## cvilt (May 31, 2010)

I was thinking about your project last week. Looks great


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## firecat1981 (Nov 27, 2007)

120 gallons of water equals almost 1000lbs so I think she is nice and sturdy. Next it's time to paint. The stuff I picked was a pain to work with, but it was needed for this particular project. Once it cures I'll reinstall the hardware and install the weather stripping.


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## oysterbreath (Jan 13, 2009)

excellent build!


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## firecat1981 (Nov 27, 2007)

It's all done and being delivered tomorrow.

here you can see how big it is compared to a gallon jug


















wrapped some handles in rope









Not only does it float, but it can be used as a life raft


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## anytide (Jul 30, 2009)

USCG APPROVED  -bravo  
-anytide


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## jrod0785 (Aug 26, 2009)

Looks like a mini deep freezer. lol... You did a awesome job though! Looks great!


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## Brett (Jul 16, 2008)

Now that's just funny...way cooler than any other skiff here!

                                               ;D

Just another day, chillin' on the water....


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## joseph34306 (May 4, 2010)

I know this is an old thread, but I really like the way it was built. I am thinking of doing the same thing. Does anyone know the final dry weight? Looks like it would be pretty heavy.


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## firecat1981 (Nov 27, 2007)

Well I never weighed it, but I can tell you I was able to lift it myself and carry it to my truck. It was just very bulky because of the size, but I'd guess around 80-90lbs or so. Full of ice I'd guess around 600-700lbs. 

Stay tuned cause I have to build a bigger one next for another trapper I work with.


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## mudd_minnow (Oct 13, 2010)

Very nice build. Can you make one with compartments part compartment/part cooler? you should price them out and take orders, sizes, ect. Very nice job.


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## firecat1981 (Nov 27, 2007)

I have to make one more for another commander at work, after that I quit! These things are labor intensive and not worth it to cold mould custom sizes and shapes each time. I'm gonna try some different stuff this next time to make it easier on me, we will see how it goes.


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## SilentHunter (Jun 14, 2010)

wanna make me a live well/cooler seat?


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## firecat1981 (Nov 27, 2007)

Sorry man, I'm out of the cooler business after this next one, just don't have the time. I wouldn't be doing the next one if it wasn't for my commander, really don't have a choice on that one.


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