Galley Renovation

[Godefroy]

My mother-in-law, keen to support our sailboat habit, gifted us with a chunk of money and told us to use it on the galley. Happy to oblige.

After a bit of searching the forums and reading reviews, we settled on replacing our RV-style triple burner propane stove with an Orego single burner non-pressurized alcohol/110VAC. We seldom cook aboard, and our marina won't let us use propane in port anyhow (and I don't feel quite ready to take on building a propane locker at this stage), so this seems the ideal.

We are also looking at redoing the galley layout. Again, we're going with a single burner/no oven. The chef doesn't think she'd use more than one burner at a time anyhow, and would rather have the counter space. We're giving some thought to redoing the counter top, and we may insert the new stove in place of the outboard sink. This would free up some storage space under the sink area for dry goods, as well as give her some more space.

Since we're not planning on installing an oven, that opens up some space in the void there; anyone have any good suggestions on what to put in? I am thinking either more locker space, drawers, drinking water stowage, or some combo.

Also, having not shifted those counters more than I needed to in order to remount the engine, I'm not 100% sure how easily doable that is. It seems a bit daunting, in the 'please don't let me mess up the wood' sense. Any tips?

Thanks, all!

 

[LuzSD]

As I read your description a nagging question keeps coming up ...how long have you owned your boat? I get the feeling that it has not been very long and if that is the case, I think my advice would be to bank the money for a short time and live with things for a while. I am surprised at the choices you mention as changes you might make. If you are going to remove the oven, it sounds more and more like the galley is not a really big focus so why would you want MORE storage there? A refrigerator would be the most common add in in the place of the oven and really something that would be enjoyed... we have that set up on a 27 we own.

I think photos of what you have now would also help visualize what you might need to change. But change just to make change would be a big mistake IMHO. On the other hand I am really happy for you that you've had such generosity… that is awesome! Enjoy the fact that you have some money sitting waiting for the perfect improvements, but maybe take some time before leaping into it. My 2 cents.

 

[Stu Jackson]

Good plans. One suggestion: carefully consider removing the second sink. We have two and use one as a wet sink and one as a dry sink, which come in very handy. If you're going to actually use the Origo (good choice), then you are going to do some dishes or at least a pot or pan. Having the second sink gives you an automatic drain place. It is also handy when sailing: use the wet sink for cleaning your hands, the dry sink for stuff while you're heeled. I find them very handy and wouldn't trade our two for even a bathtub sized single sink.

As suggested, try it for a while first before you start hacking. You'd be surprised at how many "good ideas for improvement" fall by the wayside 'cuz the new owners finally realize that what they've got has stood the test of time for most other owners.

All the best.

Oh, if you need tips on how the countertop works, try this, it's for a C34, but same builder: http://www.c34.org/projects/kindred-spirit/counter1.html and http://www.c34.org/projects/kindred-spirit/counter2.html

 

[Godefroy]

Thanks for the quick responses! We have had her a relatively short time - almost a year, with a decent chunk of that up on the hard while we fixed mechanical issues and reworked the navigational systems. Then a brutally-hot, windless summer on the Chesapeake.

I should have specified - right now, we have a 3-burner RV-style propane stovetop that the PO included 'just because'. No oven - that space is barren and empty. The stove is huge and doesn't seem sturdy enough to me for marine use, and my wife is kind of scared of it. The PO used the grill almost exclusively - we intend to do more or less the same, but having something to boil water for coffee on, make soup, or cook *anything* in port appeals to her.

The goal of revamping the stove is to make it more useable, not less.

That said, point taken re: sink removal. I'll shift gears and rig up some inserts to keep the space usable when they aren't in use.

I'll get some photos next time I'm down there - possibly tonight if the weather isn't too brutal. So far, the galley has been the primary area our renewal hasn't made much progress.

 

[Rag Bagger]

It's a personal use choice

I too removed the stove/oven in my Catalina 30 and replaced it with a refigerator. Found one that fit almost exactily and I was able to take a scrap of teak from another Catilina and make a counter top over the refigerator. Love the extra counter top space. Also, I purchased a small stainless microwave. Great. You can heat water, cook and reheat leftovers. My wife, like yours, did not plan on cooking much but loves the micro. We do use our grill for everything else. Good luck.

 

[Old Skool Neil]

My boat came with a CNG 2 burner stove with oven and in my case I get plenty of light use out of the oven. Fresh baked cookies and cheese nachos are simple treats for guests.

Although we are blessed with year 'round sailing, winter still gets pretty cold. Tossing a couple of potatoes in the oven for baking sure cuts the chill in the cabin.

I agree with your desire for additional counter space. I made a maple stove cover out of a discarded workbench top I scavenged from a dumpster. Works well as a butcher block too.

​

 

[Twice Around]

Godefroy, I am right in the middle of a multiple season galley renovation. I re-did the counter top over top of the engine the first year, and I removed one of the sinks..as other's have noted, I'd probably like that sink back now..I may re-install it someday, or cut an access hole there (with a cover) for a nice storage area.

Working on the other half now. Be careful and properly disassemble the sliding compartment before you rip out the counter top..I didn't, and now I have to repair that too. If it doesn't move easily, there is another screw holding it. I found that the P.O. had even ground down the head on a screw to add the bilge pump switch (my electric panel is under the cockpit seat) that was holding the counter top to the fiberglass underneath..that was a toughy!:cussing:

So, just to show the extremes between Neil's boat & mine, here is a pic from last week.

 

[Old Skool Neil]

So, just to show the extremes between Neil's boat & mine, here is a pic from last week.

Been there myself only a few years ago.

As purchased


Deep into the restoration
​

 

[LuzSD]

ah yes, I did not make it a strong point in my comments but the double sink is a must and would be sorely missed if removed! I lined our port sink with a rubber mat and it is where things are stored while sailing, drinking (it becomes the bar!) etc. things done bang around and it looks great. And, we also found a really nice thick cutting board, cut it down a little and it fits on the top of our burners and that is my prep area 90% of the time.

Have fun planning your changes WHILE you are using the boat, it will pay off. Again, good luck, you are very lucky to have such a sweet mother in law! Enjoy your Catalina!

 

[Team118]

The galley refinish seems to be a popular start.

I only wanted to put one sink in, but I went the route of putting the port sink in and leaving the center one out. I thought by doing this, there would be more counter room.

The only negative thing is I have to lean over to reach the sink. I plan on installing a faucet and water pump this spring. I haven't hooked up the sink to the through hull yet either.

The only other open issue in the galley is lighting. I installed 4 LED amber light strips behind the ceiling ridge that hides the topsides to hull connection. I want to put one of these strips under the galley overhang where the original circuit panel was.

 

[LuzSD]

The galley refinish seems to be a popular start.

I only wanted to put one sink in, but I went the route of putting the port sink in and leaving the center one out. I thought by doing this, there would be more counter room.

The only negative thing is I have to lean over to reach the sink. I plan on installing a faucet and water pump this spring. I haven't hooked up the sink to the through hull yet either.

The only other open issue in the galley is lighting. I installed 4 LED amber light strips behind the ceiling ridge that hides the topsides to hull connection. I want to put one of these strips under the galley overhang where the original circuit panel was.

Team118 If you have the chance, would you mind posting a picture of where you put the light strips you mention? I really need to find a solution for light in our galley.

You did a beautiful job here, looks great. One question for everyone who keeps mentioning needing more counter space.... what are you all doing on all that space? We have our bar on the cutting board on stovetop and the 2nd sink hold random bottles. Although I must confess I do use the the counter to stand when working the traveler at times!

 

[sol y mar]

Many different options

Godefroy
Just finished changing out the stove and used the extra space for storage. Am thinking about refrig option, but not sure about the extra draw on the house battery. Changes are half the fun

 

[Godefroy]

That looks amazing, Sol y Mar! It looks like (and correct me if I'm wrong) you installed the stove outboard the port sink's location, and removed the centerline sink?

Our new stove just arrived yesterday, and the footprint is a bit bigger that we expected - will NOT fit on the forward counter, so we're looking at installing it into the 'normal' stove spot. I like the look of the cabinetry that several people have added under that spot; do you ever have issues with keeping a locker that size shut when heeled? I was thinking about a slide bolt in addition to a latch.

For those of you that replaced/refinished the counters, did you use marine plywood and a sheet of laminate? A new sheet of composite countertop material? The current DIY Boat Owner has an article about using a sheet of 16 gauge brushed SS - tempting, but so is using a white laminate to make the interior a little brighter.

Back to my original promise of pictures; made it out to work a few days, and my camera battery is deaddeaddead. This weekend should be nice, though - hopefully we'll get some photos, and possibly go play around on the lower Chesapeake for a pre-season shakedown.

 

[Team118]

I like that tile mosaic. Very sweet.

As for the LED lighting, I bought amber LED strips from Ebay, the kids use them in their cars to pimp them up a bit.

The lights give off a nice glow, just remember they are nothing you can read in or do work in, just a nice night light.

I did run 2 new LED overhead lights in the salon area. I created some pine runners for the wiring. They look ok, but I'm not happy with them. One of the other owners on this board did some nice work creating recessed lights above the windows. I haven't seen any up close pictures, but they look great.

I don't see how I could do that because there is some kind of 2-3' track on my topside and the screws are in the way. Don't know what the track is for...

I thought about creating a box that would run along the center of the salon, where there currently a piece of teak molding and installing 3 or 4 recessed warm LED lights.

..back to the LED ambiant lighting. I took some scrap wood and 5200'd the lights to it and then screwed these up behind the liner ridge. Currently there are 4 in the boat, 1 red LED light behind the stairs and a red LED in the cockpit. At night I turn these on and it's more than enough light to get around.

The picture I included of the cabin lighting is pretty bad, it is a lot brighter than that....

 

[JeffP]

an alternative attachment

Rather than attach the LED strips to pine furring... consider attaching them to something like these raceways:

http://www.frys.com/product/3924968?site=sr:SEARCH:MAIN_RSLT_PG

These are cheap and come in several sizes. I installed a larger version tucked up out of the way on both sides of my Salon durring the complete rewire. Cannot see it at all and made the wire replacements a breeze.

I also used them in the quarter berth to hide some unsightly speaker and autopiloit wiring that had been run aft at the top of the inboard bulkhead.

Recomended

 

[joefusa]

my first (and only) mate gave up on sailing which means i don't need a full galley, so here's my mod. i dumped the original (1977) 3-burner stove/oven and replaced it with 2 single burner stoves that fit into recessed holes in the cover. i built this cover to fit over the existing cutting board. then, with the extra space, i constructed 2 drawers and 2 storage spaces which hold the stoves when not in use. it works for me. the butane stoves can cook all season without running out with a hot flame and no worries about gas containers, fill lines, etc.

 

[Bad Obsession]

Your Galleys look nice.

As for me, I am lucky enough to have a MKii with the Propane Oven and two burner stove. I store things in the oven and in cooler weather love to bake things in it like frozen pizzas and muffins to warm up the cabin. It is also fun to take Pillsbury cinnamon rolls and bake them in the morning to warm up the cabin. It also feels homier to me with the oven and stove.

 

[Bad Obsession]

If I was to to a galley upgrade, I think that I would find a way to add a third group 27 to my bank and put a cold plate refrigeration system in that was engine driven (then again I wouldn't need the third group 27 if I went engine driven for the refer.

 

[FOB]

splash gaurd

My boat came with a CNG 2 burner stove with oven and in my case I get plenty of light use out of the oven. Fresh baked cookies and cheese nachos are simple treats for guests.

Although we are blessed with year 'round sailing, winter still gets pretty cold. Tossing a couple of potatoes in the oven for baking sure cuts the chill in the cabin.

I agree with your desire for additional counter space. I made a maple stove cover out of a discarded workbench top I scavenged from a dumpster. Works well as a butcher block too.

View attachment 36963​

Hey Old Skool, I'm looking into installing a splash gaurd and like the look of yours in the picture you posted. Do you happen to have other pics / angles of the splash gaurd?

Thanks

 

[Old Skool Neil]

Hey Old Skool, I'm looking into installing a splash guard and like the look of yours in the picture you posted. Do you happen to have other pics / angles of the splash guard?

Thanks

The pic I posted is the best I have but my boat is maybe 15 minutes from my front door, I can easily shoot more. Anything in particular?

edit: I remembered I had another. How's this?