Counter Top Replacement in '85 Catalina 30 MkI

[OS2Dude]

The counter tops in our 1985 Catalina 30 Mk I were stained by a PO. Nothing seems to be able to get it out. (Milky streaks, like spilled paint thinner or something.) I was thinking of trying to replace them, but am not sure how.

Has anyone done it or know of someone's experience in doing so?

I assume you have to drill out the bungs in the teak trim rail and unscrew the trim, then unscrew the counter from below. Is that it? It looks like the counter top goes under the little compartment with the sliding doors. Will the counter top just slide out from there? Do I have to remove the base cabinet? Any foreseeable complications with the refrigerator? (Bi-Fold hatch with thick insulated plastic underneath.)

Thank you for your comments.

 

[CloudDiver]

Since I don't have a C-30 I'm not totally familiar with the exact material they used or the factory install method; BUT, from a little experience with Catalina's factory workmanship (I've disassembled lots of stuff), I can tell you are on the right track with your questions. Just be very careful and have soft hands as you take apart components that you need to save and re-use like the teak trim. Yes, if you have visible bungs that means they are screwed from the outside... So carefully drill the bungs and remove the screws. Go around the cabinet interior with a flash light and you see if they used brackets to screw in from the bottom or other method. Just be gentle and by a common sense approach you should be able to reverse engineer the install process. I highly doubt you'd have to remove the cabinet bodies themselves, but I don't doubt that the factory could have fully assembled the cabinets with the counter top and lowered it directly into the hull before the deck was installed. Either way, it should still be possible to remove old and install new counter top without pulling the cabinet bodies. Just remember, Kid gloves.

 

[Stu Jackson]

There's this:

http://www.impatientlycrafty.com/20...xy-contact-paper-yes-i-really-just-said-that/

I just did it on my cousin's kitchen and it came out great.

I saved this bookmark years ago, and have suggested it to many.

The price is right, right?

 

[OS2Dude]

WOW, that came out looking great! I may have to give that a try first. Certainly easier than trying to remove the whole countertop.

Thanks for the link Stu.

 

[chrisings]

I'll second Stu's suggestion. We just did this on our '83 MkI nav station and salon table. Here's a link to my website with some pics of the nav station. http://www.mrlew.com/SV-Trinity/Bar-Top-Epoxy-Upgrades

The admiral did the lion's share of work. It is simply cloth fabric, purchased from Joanns Fabrics, covered with MAS bar top epoxy. We are very happy with the results.

 

[OS2Dude]

I'll second Stu's suggestion. We just did this on our '83 MkI nav station and salon table. Here's a link to my website with some pics of the nav station. http://www.mrlew.com/SV-Trinity/Bar-Top-Epoxy-Upgrades

The admiral did the lion's share of work. It is simply cloth fabric, purchased from Joanns Fabrics, covered with MAS bar top epoxy. We are very happy with the results.

That was a liquid epoxy? It looks like glass! Did you just pour it on? How did you keep the hinge from getting epoxied? Did you just use the outside trim as a dam? How mush did it take for the Nav Station and the Galley Counter?

Again - :wow: Great job!

 

[chrisings]

Well thanks!!

As I said the admiral did most of the work on this project and I’ll ask her to weigh in when she has a chance.
What I can tell you; yes, it is MAS Table Top Epoxy and fairly easy to work with. As with any epoxy project you need to plan ahead and be ready for anything. Once it is mixed the clock is ticking. We learned that proper, thorough, mixing is critical, don’t worry about creating air bubbles, they will dissipate. A heat gun is a must have as it helps remove those air bubbles.


We removed the hinge; actually we removed the whole table and did this in the garage at home. The trim on 3 sides acted like a dam and we used duct tape to hold cardboard in place as a dam on the fourth side. That edge did require some light sanding after curing.



The final result isn’t perfect, dust and tiny bugs I never knew existed in our garage are your enemies, but, we think, it looks FAR better than the fake wood grain contact paper that it replaced. And, as with many things, the minor imperfections are probably only obvious to us.


We did not do the galley counter as it still looks "okay" (sort of)


We did do the salon table and that was a whole other, larger, project as we cut it down to make it a more manageable and usable size for us. I replaced all the railing trim as well. If anyone is interested I’ll try to find, or take this weekend, a photo of that too. If I recall correctly the table took a 1/2 gallon kit for a 1/16" coating.

 

[navig8r]

That was a liquid epoxy? It looks like glass! Did you just pour it on? How did you keep the hinge from getting epoxied? Did you just use the outside trim as a dam? How mush did it take for the Nav Station and the Galley Counter?

Again - :wow: Great job!

That was, in fact, MAS Tabletop Epoxy. And it did come out looking like glass. The teak trim acted as the dam on three sides. The fourth side was taped with masking tape and then backed up with cardboard stapled into the end just to add some firmness to the tape after the hinge was removed. The epoxy is a 1:1 mix ratio and this piece took 12 oz of epoxy and 12 oz of hardener.

We did not do our countertop, but did do our bulkhead mounted salon table. That piece took a full "kit" (small) of the epoxy. I think that was 1 qt epoxy and 1 qt hardener. The epoxy finish on both ended up being a tad over 1/8 of an inch.

 

[JetLaggedChef]

I'd love to see the salon table. I've been struggling with how to change it on my Catalina 25 because it folds in half (connected by a piano hinge). I'm worried if it'll scratch or be too thick to fold in half. Did you think the thickness of the expoxy could cause this?