You've just spent a day on the water under a sweltering sun. You sit back, enjoying the seclusion of a remote anchorage, lulled by the rattle of ice in your cold drink. A pretty picture, but a rare one aboard cruising boats.

A house is never without its utility umbrella, but when you pull your boat's shore-power plug you're on your own. Even good refrigeration systems use a lot of energy. And bad ones? Erase those ice cubes from your tropical fantasy.

Refrigeration for Pleasureboats explains how the cruising sailor can acquire the amenities--even the necessities--of an...