So, our fridge broke. In the middle of nowhere aka the Guna Yala, Panama; where we were for a month. It totally stank. Like, literally: the fridge was leaking ammonia so the whole boat would fill up with old-lady hair salon smell if anyone dared to open the fridge for whatever reason ala:

• D: “I wonder if  . . .” (opens fridge, gets face-full of gas)
• Me: “CLOSE IT!!! QUICK!!!” with a fire-monster face & voice
• D: “yep, still broken”

*fun fact*: ammonia turns cheese left in the fridge blue!

Needless to say, we were super ready to get a new fridge, which we found out was no small feat. We’ve detailed our process below. In case you’re unlucky enough to find yourself in a similar predicament, now you’re at least lucky enough to have a head start. You’re totally welcome!

I’m sure we could have pursued other options (bigger fridge, not propane, etc) but this is what we did with our resources here in the middle of nowhere (and we exhausted tons of resources).

Here’s the skinny, y’all:

We *had* a 1991 Dometic gas/electric fridge until the cooling unit broke.

• There were no parts (replacement cooling unit) in Panama.
• There is one Dometic dealer in Panama City (Frios Venezuela) who could arrange to get the part for us from the States for $1,400.
• Marine Warehouse & Defender do have Dometic fridges, but don’t have the propane option
• We wanted the propane option as we like options, are rarely ever on shore power & in the rain forest, sometimes we don’t get the solar we need
• Fridge found: We ended up getting a new Dometic 3-way (propane, 12V, 120V) fridge (same size) from an RV dealer (PPL Motor Homes) in Texas for $700 which fits our space exactly (fingers crossed!).
• Shipping Service: We set up an account with Air Box Express, had the fridge sent to their office in Miami and then they loaded it on a ship to Panama City.
• Shipping costs: When we spoke to ABE on the phone mid-December, they quoted us “between $250-300” given the dimensions & weight we relayed to them from our fridge dealer, PPL. They said they just needed to confirm weight and dimensions (to determine cost) when it arrived in Miami. Once the fridge was in Miami, ABE revised their quote to $600 and we eventually paid just over $500 when it arrived – still a big difference from the original quote!
• Shipping time: They said we should expect the fridge around the first week in January (about 2.5 weeks from the time of ordering with the holidays in the middle). But, it didn’t actually come to Panama City until January 27th (6 weeks from receiving the fridge in TX) – also a big difference from the original quote.
• As a REMINDER to all yous arm-chair fridge-shoppers out there: Get this stuff in writing! We didn’t and should have.
• Had we still been in the Guna Yala, we could have be able to go to Panama City on the 4×4 from Carti for $50 RT and bring the fridge back to the boat in a panga (for an additional charge).
• But, we were in Portobelo by the time the fridge arrived. So, arranged to load the fridge in a taxi-van from ABE in Panama City to Portobelo for $100.
• Our new fridge *just* fit through the door and installation was super easy. However, PPL neglected to tell us that their fridges don’t come with decorative fronts. Instead, they come “complete” like this:

When I told the dude at PPL they made a mistake in not including a cover he looked up our part number and replied “Sorry ma’am looks like there is no cover made for this model. People usually like to build their own to match their RV’s interior” to which I replied “well, that just sounds craayzzzee to me!”. Needless to say, D took off the old fridge cover and put it on the new fridge.

As for the old fridge, a budget cruiser moored behind us in Portobelo took it off our hands and pledged to work on it. I did not talk him out of that!

I’m sure others may have gone with different choices but this is the choice we felt best for us. Hopefully, this little skinny will help anyone else considering a replacement.

That’s all folks! (she says with an ice-cold beverage in hand :))