2006 Wakesetter 23 LSV - Cooler Advice

[BCJohnsontx]

Hello everyone, 

We just completed purchasing a super clean, low hour 2006 Wakesetter 23 LSV and I couldn't be more excited. We have owned several boat types in the past, but never a V-drive. The boat has full-factory ballast and I plan on adding the Wakemakers piggyback ballast to the rear lockers.

We want to keep all the storage we can under the seats and I don't love the idea of a big cooler in the cockpit area. The factory built-in cooler looks a bit small for my thirsty guests and I would guess that it won't hold ice long in our Texas summers.

I was thinking I would relocate the batteries back a bit under the observer side seat area on the port side and use the port storage area (area with amps and batteries today) to put in a more permanently mounted YETI style cooler with the drain line plumbed back into the bilge area with a valve so we could drain the cooler after a long day at the lake. I am not exactly sure of the perfect size cooler for this, but I like the idea of loading the cooler with ice and drinks on the boat, vs dragging a big heavy cooler on and off the boat each time we go out. 

I am 100% sure I am not the first person to have this idea or question. I am happy to hear any recommendations from the group here about how to best handle the cold beverage situation.

[wdr]

Moving batteries to put a cooler in the OB compartment is going to be a major PITA and money suck for the little benefit gained "IMO".  It is also going to constantly force someone to move from prime real estate to open the hatch to open the cooler to find the right beverage... There were a number of us on here who pulled the POS factory cooler and I turned that area into the lotion, coozie and wipe down towels compartment. Depending on your crew size you may not have the option of not taking a big(ger) cooler. With just my wife and I, we use our soft 40 RTIC set between the drivers seat and the flip up wake view seat. With a larger crew on the 10, we also placed the 40 RTIC behind the drivers and threw a towel over it to be used as a back rest if needed. For larger crews for both boats (4-6 adults) we use our hard 45 Igloo for just drinks and our 40 RTIC for food and snacks in the same area. The good thing about our SeaDek topped larger cooler is that it doubles as a seat/table/foot stool. The down side is that it is a larger cooler that takes up even more floor space in my 19 than it did in my 10. JM2C

[hockeyman]

I have a 2008 Wakesetter 23 LSV and although I don't love the cooler set up, I still use it. I bought the AO/Malibu cooler that fits in the cooler locker and it works well. It holds plenty of fluids for the day and we use a second soft cooler for the food. If you move the batteries under the seats make sure they fit. I just moved my second battery back up next to the switch and first battery. The prior owner had it located port side under the seat in the stern. In order to make it fit he had it out of the battery case and pinned against the bottom of the seat. I always hated it there. I just installed the wakemakers piggyback system and that put the water lines up against the battery. Not to change the topic but the wakemakers system with a swell attached and we have a massive surf wave. Best of luck.

[BCJohnsontx]

Thank you both for your advice. We had our first lake day this last weekend with 10 people on the boat and we learned a lot!  The factory cooler wasn't bad and kept drinks cold most of the day. It was super annoying to have to ask everyone to get up off the seat to get a cold drink over and over.    

I think will go with the advice here and stash a few soft coolers around, or get a 45 qt RTIC style cooler with some seadeck style foam on top. 

Thanks everyone

[formulaben]

I've been very happy with the AO Stow-N-Go coolers.  I upgraded to the white carbon last year and really like it.  There are a few here that haven't had good luck with them, all that I've spoken to said their issue was that they leaked...but most also admitted that they put bottles in their cooler.  Keep in mind that the bottle caps can puncture the vinyl! 

[BCJohnsontx]

I wanted to provide an update here on our solution in case anyone else finds it useful. Our boat is a 2006 23 LSV and we finally found and tested a cooler solution we love. We bought a Coleman 40qt marine cooler that fits perfectly in the bow pass through area. (google this: "Coleman cooler 48qt inland performance series marine") We modified the cooler by removing the factory hinges and installing some stainless hinges on the opposite end. This allowed the cooler lid to open longways for easy access. 

We also added a handle on the other end and glued on a pad to the top. The cooler is strong enough that I (220lbs) can walk on it when going in and out of the bow with no issues. 

We found another small square cooler that we stuck in the extra space and gave it a pad as well. (this one: https://www.coleman.com/coolers/hard-coolers/20-can-party-stacker-cooler/SAP_3000005346.html) 

We really like this setup as it gives us a small cooler to keep food and cold snacks in, and a large cooler with ice for drinks. 

 

 

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