Galley Counter Top

[bobconnie]

We used stainless steel in the Colvin we bilt, we used it over 20 yrs and it still looked good! minimum up keep. The new to us boat we are buying has the same type of counter tops and sinks Stainless steel!! Yahoo we feel it's the best for a sea boat. it may not look like your home galley,with granite and such, but it looks like a boat galley with shiny clean surfaces!! Just our 2 cents

[Chasing Summer]

Hey, now there's an idea ... a good durable counter surface with a set in cutting board. I won't have to find a place to store it.
I was thinking granite squares, it would be easy to make a cutting board. Just seal the recess edges and the wood beneath. Wouldn't need anything bigger than 12x12; one square of granite.

[Chasing Summer]

bobconnie ... I considered s/s but I'm a very limited budget and don't have the shop to work s/s. If I can't build it myself it probably won't end up on the boat. ... well, except for the engine and windlass. :-)

[Butler]

Thread curve, not sure this adds value but I was able to get a piece of heatproof stone cut to fit above the woodburning stove for a bottle of Johnny Walker but it wasn't polished and sealed. One 2x3 sheet of copper to jacket it with, a sheet metal tool from Harbor Freight and viola!...
A classy, high maintenance "warming stone" for about $135.00 total.
Please excuse the picture,... there is still plenty of finish work to do here but an idea of the function and the look. Thinking of stainless for the surround in the firebox. Cheaper ($7.00 sq ft rather than 14.00 for copper) and certainly less trouble to keep up.

[Roy M]

I'm about to install my new counters on my multihull. Previously (34 years), I had a maple grain Formica laminate on epoxy/plywood. My new galley counters will be a granite colored Formica on top of a honeycomb core. One pound per square foot. I like Formica, I like light weight. I like the tradeoff between cosmetics and payload. The honeycomb/Formica will also become my cabinet faces, cabin sole (no Formica, only non-skid epoxy and LPU paint), and any other horizontal surfaces I can put it in. I will save about 300 pounds, alone, in replacing the sole. That's a lot of peanut butter.

[SabreKai]

My last boat had Formica on 3/4 ply. It was over 50 years old when I chiseled it off. My new one will have the same but of course todays' Formica is a pale imitation of the original in terms of thickness and durability.

[Sam Plan B]

My 1974 Columbia 41 came with a plastic laminate galley top. It was in poor condition and had delaminated from the 3/4" plywood substrate. I stripped the p-lam and doug out the rotted plywood bits. After leaving it to dry out for a few weeks I poured slightly thickened epoxy resin to fill and level. Next I made a dimensioned Autocad drawing of the finished surface and emailed this to Stainless Steel Fabricators.
Stainless Steel Fabricators: Custom Stainless Steel, Steel, and Aluminum Fabrication
Jim Schoff was my point of contact there. He is a boater too. What was delivered was a 1/8" thick stainless steel galley top with cut outs for the sink, ice box and fauctes ready made. Extra parts were the ice box lid and a 2" tall back splash. It fit with no problems. I glued it in place with Dow 5200.

[wolfenzee]

Even though my counter is varnished wood I have plenty of other places to put hot pans...like 12"x18" shelf above the stove made of 3/8" stainless rod, an 8"x12"x2" cutting board (mounted on a computer monitor arm so it stows easily)and a 28"x20"x3" birch and apitung cutting block...none of these mind hot pans and are right next to or above the stove.

[Auspicious]

Originally Posted by Chasing Summer

1. what material is your galley counter top made from?
2. are you happy with it?
3. if you could change it what material would you use? (money no object)

1. Corian
2. yes
3. Granite

[sailstoo]

Cannot understand why anyone would put additional weight in any sailboat unless in the keel. I currently have a laminate which has lasted well for almost 30 years and when I replace it will use either another laminate or stainless.

[micah719]

A nice hardwood with heat resistant inserts seems the most appealing...but I'm biased when it comes to timber, except for hulls.

The idea of applying a sharp (hopefully) galley knife to a granite top gives me the shudders. Hope you like sharpening....or a ruined granite top is you have a really hard knife edge.

The computer monitor arm idea is a pearler....straight to the micah-file for future use. Thank you, your rum is waiting.

[Butler]

I get it with weight savings but it is less critical on a heavy displacement design where it's not expected that all the "ballast" weight is located in the keel. It is more about weight placement than just weight.
I would think that one of the challenges of cruising an ex-racer or light displcement racer/cruiser would be controlling weight aboard as it is bound to affect performance negatively. Comming from an alpining/trekking backround it's a luxury to not be counting the ounces!
The warming stone has been a real blessing even in a SoCal winter; a great place for keeping coffee and food warm and a more efficient way to exploit stove heat. Now if I were planning on cruising the tropics it makes little sense but it's the PNW for me so...
I have a bamboo cutting board that is used on a fold up counter-top. The board stowes very easily and gives me flexibility with the counter. The fold up is pretty simple, supported by a beefy, adjustable Dana Design tent pole and stabilised by heavy hinge and adjustable shockcord. I can adjust the pole for just about any angle as well and there is an adjustable fence to keep pots in place. I often wish for a more conventional galley space but the original owner done interior had lousy headroom in the galley which was subsequently converted by a po into a berth so I've had to get creative with what was once a chart table.

[wolfenzee]

I just added a 3" thick 4sq ft birch & apitung cutting board, teak &i ron bark steps and an 8D AGM battery.....around 200lbs, perfectly centered no effect on the trim.

[zeehag]

i have original 1976 or so formica. yuk. needs to be replaced--i would love to replace with stainless steel, but i think i will be replacing it with formica. prolly white.

[SaucySailoress]

We started rebuilding around 8 years ago, and installed plwood surfaces as a temporary measure until we finish the heavy work (nearly there, thank goodness), when we plan on installing a Corian type material.

I gotta say, the painted plywood has done an awesome job. It's looking a bit scruufy, but is solid and still in good nick