I just bought my third sailboat. It is a Catalina 25. It has a sink, no faucet. And no stove where there once was one. With the advent of bottled water, is there any real value to having a working sink aboard? Also, I have a rail mounted propane grill. I certainly do not need to buy and install a stove. I am thinking of using these spaces for other purposes- ship to shore radio, stereo head unit, amplifier, sub woofer, bulkhead compass, and so on. Other than an appreciation of nostalgia, is there any real reason to retain these things?
Retrofit Question
- Thread starter Michaelminer
- Start date
Depends on how you intend to use the boat. If you will just be day sailing and not weekending or cruising, the sink is probably optional. If you stay aboard then a sink to wash and rinse things, like hands and beer cans, or a place to spit when brushing your teeth, you will find the sink and some running water (electric or hand pump) useful.
I would keep the sink and install a hand pump for the reasons Dave stated. I assume you are in fresh water so no need to install a water tank if you are not going to be drinking it.
We had a 1981 #4981, SRFK, from 1987 to 19908 - great boat. There never was an oven, just a stove. Came originally with pressurized alcohol, which we replaced with an Origo two burner, no longer made, great stove.
The sink always had only a hand faucet. There was an optional sink on thr starboard side in the head. We didn't have one, great storage place. Is there just a hole where the galley sink used to be? I think a boat without a sink is silly, even if you're day sailing. Ever want to wash your hands?
You should learn to get to know these folks, too, as well as here:
I get your point.... but I have all of Lake Michigan to wash my hands, or bottled water and a towel.
Certainly you can make that assumption. You can also assume the world is flat. I struggle to understand how washing my hands with bottled water instead of a boat sink will drive other people away. I will assume that your observation is just above my intelligence, or too pithy for my limited understanding.
I’d take a cook top stove over a stereo system with subwoofer in a 22dt boat any day. Sucks to be cooking breakfast on a grill outside when it’s raining....
And here I thought the "correct" answer was a courteous: "I have a bucket, thanks for helping."
Guess not, sorry I tried.
couple of things on my 21 footer
- buy two plastic dishpans- they nest and are useful in lots of ways
Get a one burner butane stove-my ACE hardware sells them -jnexpensive and can be used inside or on the cockpit seat
I carry water in gallon jugs-usually 7 stowed in various places
I use a port-potty. tried wag bags- what a pita those are- they stink and are messy
- buy two plastic dishpans- they nest and are useful in lots of ways
Get a one burner butane stove-my ACE hardware sells them -jnexpensive and can be used inside or on the cockpit seat
I carry water in gallon jugs-usually 7 stowed in various places
I use a port-potty. tried wag bags- what a pita those are- they stink and are messy
My H26 has two sinks, one in the head and one in the galley. They are about 2 feet apart and the existance of a sink in the head area makes it very hard to fit your knees in the "enclosed" head while sitting. I find it very frustrating to wast so much space.
AND the sink in the galley usually ends up being where I toss the contents of my pockets (wallet, keys, cell phone etc.).
For washing dishes I use a bucket in the cockpit. Now I do use my origo stove a lot.
2 cents and worth every penny. I suggest you go sailing and see how you use it... then adjust.
AND the sink in the galley usually ends up being where I toss the contents of my pockets (wallet, keys, cell phone etc.).
For washing dishes I use a bucket in the cockpit. Now I do use my origo stove a lot.
2 cents and worth every penny. I suggest you go sailing and see how you use it... then adjust.
We've had both a C22 and a C25. The dishpan idea worked on the 22 quite well. When we got our 25, it seemed and was huge compared to the 22. I think the ergonomics of each boat may be different. The 25's galley sink location and size leaves a lot to be desired, but once we installed the origo we used it like a real galley.
Your boat, your choice
Your boat, your choice
Congratulations on your new Catalina 25!!
Its totally up to you and as said dlochner.......it depends on how you intend to use your boat. If it was my boat I would make all the systems function as original, or as close to original ........with working potable water supply to the sinks, shower, etc. and working stove.
I am always an advocate for making any modification that you want. That said, I think that there are more solid reasons than nostalgia for restoring the original features. If you ever want to sell the boat, buyers often turn away from modifications. If that's not important, than make all the mods you like!
I think the sink is useful. You can probably fit a removable cover for it that provides both a counter surface and leaves the sink as a place for storage. I made a cover for our 2-burner stove that Sue loves. We don't use the stove very often. So I put handles on the cover to make it a tray. It provides additional counter surface and it is secured in rough conditions, it can be used as a tray to bring things up to the cockpit, and it can be stowed pretty easily. I'll have to take a picture sometime.
A sink can be useful for more than what you might consider a home sink for. The galley sink is where things like water bottles and dirty dishes go while sailing so they don't roll around and end up on the floor boards. I use the sink a lot on my C&C27. I found the sink in the head to be useful for washing hands and brushing teeth but it really wasn't necessary. The galley sink was VERY useful even with only a hand pump.