Dometic/Eskimo EI540 ice maker?

The key is having the fish box (and lid) well insulated. IN that situation the ice makers are great when installed properly.

I have a fish box ice maker. Love it! I like to put some water in the box then turn on ice machine and make a slurry. Cools the fish down faster. I had an Eskimo machine then replaced it with one that will make ice from either fresh water or salt water. Although I almost never use salt water anymore. Mine makes 800#’s a day. Or at least that’s what it is rated at.

Yes. It is a little finicky occasionally but generally works well. We had to install an AMOT valve because of our cold water temps. A friend of mine bought one for his boat and he has been happy with his too. But honestly, I hear nothing but good things about the Dometic units.

We had an Eskimo icemaker on our last boat. Liked it a lot, think it was 600 lb. per day unit. Turned it on in the evening and the fish box would be full in the morning. Only had it repaired one time in five years, also cleaned the raw water side each year when cleaning AC's. Most of the time we were already fueled and only needed to stop by the crowded fuel dock just for a tub of ice, a waste of fishing time. Great machines.

Forgot to add, we did a lot of overnight trips. and made ice as needed, requires a watermaker.

I originally bought my IceSea unit so I could make ice from sea water as my watermaker was old and unreliable. However, I recently installed a new watermaker so now I just make fresh water ice. You have to flush the ice machine after sea water use anyway and now I don’t have to worry about that.

Can you plumb a valve to change supply to fresh or saltwater? Always heard saltwater brine was best for fish.

My machine came with a selector valve to switch between saltwater and freshwater. A simple 1/4 turn of the valve switches it. The valve is on top of the machine. You can only get to my ice machine by lifting out the fish box so we installed an access plate in the box so you can get to the valve. I suppose you could remote mount the valve and plumb it in if you really wanted it in a different location. Or install a solenoid valve and put a switch somewhere.
I agree, saltwater brine is best. I fill my box with about 1/4 saltwater using my raw water wash down pump then turn the ice maker on. Not as salty as using saltwater ice too but works pretty well. The quality of my fish going straight from ocean into icy slush is much better than just into water. The fish is also much firmer and easier to clean when I get back to the slip and clean/fillet/vacuum pack.

For fishing, yours sounds like the perfect setup. Make saltwater brine for the fish box and switch to freshwater for the beer and bourbon.

Does anyone know of a good Eskimo Ice machine repair shop in South Florida?

Tropical Marine.

I am currently looking at a seaice unit for my new build and will be running it in the pacific northwest. Why did you need to install the AMOT valve and what function does it server with helping with the cold water temps as we will experience the same...thanks in advance for your help !

As with most yacht equipment, these ice machines are designed for warmer water temps like Florida, Bahamas, etc. If you operate it in much colder water you have to regulate the raw cooling water. If you do not, the unit will just trip off due to high refrigerant pressure. The AMOT valve simply acts like a thermostat and reduces the flow of the raw water as much less flow is needed in cold water. The raw water discharge from my ice machine is surprisingly minimal and the machine pumps out the ice. It occasionally trips itself off at the control panel but a simple reset seems to get it going again. And it usually only trips off when I first start it up but certainly not every time. Once it’s going it typically runs for hours without incident.

I like to put some water in my box to make a slurry AND to ensure the ice gets distributed around the box. If I don’t do this the ice piles up under the discharge tube. Once the ice pile reaches the height of the tube the ice backs up in the tube and the unit will trip off on high auger current.

Thanks for the explanation, I understand the AMOT valve function now. The units they sell now I understand have a photo sensor to stop ice production and the only thing that I need to consider is how I can remotely mount the control panel as well as the valve that diverts the sea water to fresh water....as once the unit is mounted below my floor it will not be readily accessible. We always use the slurry when we are off shore tuna fishing, its the fastest way to bring down their temp !

Mine has the photo sensor too. But my fish box is fairly large and the sensor doesn't shut it off from the small pile that builds under the chute tube. However, it does shut it off when the box is full of Halibut and Salmon and no more room for more ice .
I mounted the control panel in the salon along with some other items there. It's a small cable from the control panel to the unit.
Mine is not easily accessed either as it is between the fish box and the E/R bulkhead. We installed a W/T access plate in the fish box that can be easily removed and you can reach in to select fresh or sea water. Yours may not have this option?

Curious, what boat are you building if you don't mind sharing?

Iam building a 40' x 13' EagleCraft Aluminum sport fisher