I own an older Cat 27 (around a 75) sail boat with the dinette interior. If you own one or have been on one, you know the interior is "cramped." However, not only is it cramped, the galley side is - in my books - incredibly inefficient. Aside from the little problem as to where to put your dishes, there is no food preparation area, the "cold" food box takes up lots of space and it isn't cold - no insulation. The galley also has a two burner stove which can't be replaced with a three burner with oven due to space limitations. So I got to thinking; first it would be nice to have some food prep area; secondly, it would be nice to have an efficient cold storage unit (non-refrigerated) and thirdly, I thought it would be nice to have a gimballed stove/oven. So I think to myself what if I pull out the cold storage box and do away with it; this box limits the stove size. What if I fill in the hole and cover the top with a newer cheerier laminate. Since the box is gone, I could create a space beneath the sink for a microwave. I am bringing in a small 35 litre Engel Freezer/Fridge with storage on the starboard after birth, this after birth is useless for an adult anyway. I thought I would bring in one of those efficient - lasts for week coolers - and just store it in the port after bunk, below the cockpit; this cooler would be portable and movable to the forward V birth if some one wanted to take a nap while underway. Is there something I have over looked; any constructive criticism would be appreciated.
Re-vamping an older 70's Cat 27 Dinette
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Peter
Whoa!!!
You've got lots of ideas! In this kinda stuff it's whatever works for you, with the caveat that, when you significantly modify the original layout of a boat, you also significantly affect it's resale value (if that's a concern to you). That may be to the good or bad, depending on how the "market" looks at your ideas, and compares them to the original that's on all the other boats. That said. a couple thoughts: 1. Separate refrig and ice chest uses up twice the precious space for the same use. Better, if you really want refrig, to find one you can use underway, or vastly improve the insulation in the existing icebox. (It can be done- my re-insulated '74 27 keeps 25lbs of block ice for up to a week in central California's 100+ degrees if I'm careful about opening it.) 2.You're putting in a 110V refrig and microwave, and removing sleeping space. Again, if it works for you, and you never plan to sell the boat, fine, but it sounds like you're making a boat to stay at the dock, and to sleep only one or two, and a buyer is likely going to want to sail the boat and cruise a little with his wife & kids. The C27 is usually the first large "overnighter", and anchoring out under the stars is what a lot of people want. You've defeated that purpose. 3. Planning to put an ice chest on a berth, then move it if/when somebody wants to nap, is planning to have that person sleep wet. I can never avoid dripping or spilling ice or icewater when I get something out of my box. 4. Why do you need a gimbaled stove/oven if (as described above) you're not planning on leaving the dock? A gimballed stove I understand if you want to cook underway. But almost NOBODY will bake underway, especially in the confined cabin of a C27. But again, if it works for you, and you don't care about resale, go to it!
You've got lots of ideas! In this kinda stuff it's whatever works for you, with the caveat that, when you significantly modify the original layout of a boat, you also significantly affect it's resale value (if that's a concern to you). That may be to the good or bad, depending on how the "market" looks at your ideas, and compares them to the original that's on all the other boats. That said. a couple thoughts: 1. Separate refrig and ice chest uses up twice the precious space for the same use. Better, if you really want refrig, to find one you can use underway, or vastly improve the insulation in the existing icebox. (It can be done- my re-insulated '74 27 keeps 25lbs of block ice for up to a week in central California's 100+ degrees if I'm careful about opening it.) 2.You're putting in a 110V refrig and microwave, and removing sleeping space. Again, if it works for you, and you never plan to sell the boat, fine, but it sounds like you're making a boat to stay at the dock, and to sleep only one or two, and a buyer is likely going to want to sail the boat and cruise a little with his wife & kids. The C27 is usually the first large "overnighter", and anchoring out under the stars is what a lot of people want. You've defeated that purpose. 3. Planning to put an ice chest on a berth, then move it if/when somebody wants to nap, is planning to have that person sleep wet. I can never avoid dripping or spilling ice or icewater when I get something out of my box. 4. Why do you need a gimbaled stove/oven if (as described above) you're not planning on leaving the dock? A gimballed stove I understand if you want to cook underway. But almost NOBODY will bake underway, especially in the confined cabin of a C27. But again, if it works for you, and you don't care about resale, go to it!
Resale value
I don't know how much to be concerned about re-sale value of a boat that is already 30 years old; I did think about that issue. On the settee design, the galley is in the corner, sacrificing the sleeping space I am thinking of for the freezer/fridge unit. I should mention I am planning to use the combo unit only as a freezer to extend my time away from marinas - heck I can even make ice in it for the cooler. I think I am going to have room for a cooler in the same space as the freezer (the freezer is small at 35 litres - which is only about 9.5 gallons American). I'm just not sure until I put the freezer in there and see what sized coolers are out there in the market place. Dad can sleep in the port cockpit bunk, Mom on the dinette conversion, and one small kid in the V birth. Most people who buy 27 footers in Vancouver BC are usually youngish yuppies. In fact in the boat yard today I was talking to a very nice couple who owned an 1980 Catalina 27. Here is an idea I have not done but I have ripped it off of another site - the solution to your "wet" coolers. I didn't write the following paragraph in quotes: "Tired of having your food floating around in your cooler when the ice melts, or using Blue ice blocks that just don't seem to keep things cold enough. Check this no cost "ice bag". I was curious to see what was inside those boxes of wine that we carry. It was a super strong Mylar bladder and I found out that you could pull out the little valve to refill it. I filled one with water and put it in the freezer. For our next cruise we had a beautiful, bright shiny silver ice block. I found that using the cooler tray as a form for the bag in the freezer kept it in a more convenient shape. I stand a block up at each end of the cooler. It lasts about twice as long as marina ice blocks and keeps things cooler. The best advantage is not having water sloshing around in the cooler. Drinking the wine isn't bad either." I do appreciate you challenging my thinking and making me re-think through what I plan to do. The stove doesn't need to be gimballed, however one meal I have made a lot while underway has been breakfast in which I would only use the top burners of the gimballed stove. When the boat was healed over, it made for interesting gyrations to stop the bacon fat from sloshing over the side...lol! I got it - Mom's in the V birth, Dad's in the port bunk under the cockpit, and the two kids are on the dinette conversion. Or one kid sleeps outside under the dodger and Bimini.
I don't know how much to be concerned about re-sale value of a boat that is already 30 years old; I did think about that issue. On the settee design, the galley is in the corner, sacrificing the sleeping space I am thinking of for the freezer/fridge unit. I should mention I am planning to use the combo unit only as a freezer to extend my time away from marinas - heck I can even make ice in it for the cooler. I think I am going to have room for a cooler in the same space as the freezer (the freezer is small at 35 litres - which is only about 9.5 gallons American). I'm just not sure until I put the freezer in there and see what sized coolers are out there in the market place. Dad can sleep in the port cockpit bunk, Mom on the dinette conversion, and one small kid in the V birth. Most people who buy 27 footers in Vancouver BC are usually youngish yuppies. In fact in the boat yard today I was talking to a very nice couple who owned an 1980 Catalina 27. Here is an idea I have not done but I have ripped it off of another site - the solution to your "wet" coolers. I didn't write the following paragraph in quotes: "Tired of having your food floating around in your cooler when the ice melts, or using Blue ice blocks that just don't seem to keep things cold enough. Check this no cost "ice bag". I was curious to see what was inside those boxes of wine that we carry. It was a super strong Mylar bladder and I found out that you could pull out the little valve to refill it. I filled one with water and put it in the freezer. For our next cruise we had a beautiful, bright shiny silver ice block. I found that using the cooler tray as a form for the bag in the freezer kept it in a more convenient shape. I stand a block up at each end of the cooler. It lasts about twice as long as marina ice blocks and keeps things cooler. The best advantage is not having water sloshing around in the cooler. Drinking the wine isn't bad either." I do appreciate you challenging my thinking and making me re-think through what I plan to do. The stove doesn't need to be gimballed, however one meal I have made a lot while underway has been breakfast in which I would only use the top burners of the gimballed stove. When the boat was healed over, it made for interesting gyrations to stop the bacon fat from sloshing over the side...lol! I got it - Mom's in the V birth, Dad's in the port bunk under the cockpit, and the two kids are on the dinette conversion. Or one kid sleeps outside under the dodger and Bimini.
D
David Houpt
Just rebuilt mine
I purchased a used 27' dinette model and have been refitting her interior. I was going to take space from the settee to make the galley bigger but got vetoed, so I rebuilt the galley, from port to companionway I added 2 3/8" and moved the sink towards the companionway. It dosent sound like much but this makes the drawers under the sink big enough to put something in. I removed the drawer behind the stove that was accessable from the settee and made a storage bin accessable from the top and a drawer under the stove. I used white laminate for the top and it helps brighten up the boat. I removed the non working galley foot pump and made a set of small drawers to fit in the space. I'm putting in pressureised water I also made a small upper cabinet mounted to the cabin roof above the stove, its only 6" high in front and sets on the window frame. I will make a similar cabinet for the dinette side to mount the vhf and cd player in. Next is to remove the Drawers under the aft starboard dinette seat and realign them so they pull out straight with the dinette seat, this way they can be longer to use the space, then I will make some similar for the other dinette seat. I'm also going to make a small drawer for the space under the dinette floor
I purchased a used 27' dinette model and have been refitting her interior. I was going to take space from the settee to make the galley bigger but got vetoed, so I rebuilt the galley, from port to companionway I added 2 3/8" and moved the sink towards the companionway. It dosent sound like much but this makes the drawers under the sink big enough to put something in. I removed the drawer behind the stove that was accessable from the settee and made a storage bin accessable from the top and a drawer under the stove. I used white laminate for the top and it helps brighten up the boat. I removed the non working galley foot pump and made a set of small drawers to fit in the space. I'm putting in pressureised water I also made a small upper cabinet mounted to the cabin roof above the stove, its only 6" high in front and sets on the window frame. I will make a similar cabinet for the dinette side to mount the vhf and cd player in. Next is to remove the Drawers under the aft starboard dinette seat and realign them so they pull out straight with the dinette seat, this way they can be longer to use the space, then I will make some similar for the other dinette seat. I'm also going to make a small drawer for the space under the dinette floor
A
agolden
D
David Houpt
Will post photos
Still working on other cabinets/drawers. Trying to work on the boat and take her out too, so I haven't tore her up to much. Will try to install the rest of the cabinets this weekend. I'll post photos soon.
Still working on other cabinets/drawers. Trying to work on the boat and take her out too, so I haven't tore her up to much. Will try to install the rest of the cabinets this weekend. I'll post photos soon.
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