Galley Counter Top

[Chasing Summer]

Me again ... I think it's time for another lively discussion on personal preference:
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)
Maybe you can come up with more choices: stainless steel; corian; granite; tile; good ole hardwood, but what kind; sealed plywood.

Yep, I've reached that point in my re-building of my own boat ... so, I ask all my cruising friends.

[Scott Berg]

We have granite with SS fiddles; and love both..
S

[wolfenzee]

wood...specifically tongue ad groove cumaroo (16 sq ft) and a birch and apitung cutting board (28"x20"x3"), fiddles are tiger wood horizontal w/bronze verticals

[BlueSun]

We have laminate and I hate it! Water sneaks under and it warps/lifts. Keen to hear what others suggest as alternatives (although $ is an object in our case!)

[Dockhead]

All of the countertops in my boat -- in both heads compartments and the galley -- are made of Corian. It is absolutely superb. Looks great, feels good to the touch, impervious to water, can be sanded, patched, etc. in case of damage. I would never want anything else.

It's not such a huge expense in most boats because the areas are usually small compared to home, and what is expensive in a house is cheap in boat terms, anyway. Absolutely the way to go in a boat.

[colemj]

We have Corian and are very happy with it. However, it is stupid heavy. If I could change it, it would be for one of the newer, lighter weight solid surfaces.

Mark

[Jeannius]

Originally Posted by colemj

We have Corian and are very happy with it. However, it is stupid heavy. If I could change it, it would be for one of the newer, lighter weight solid surfaces.

Mark

We have Corian but it is thin, mounted on a foam sandwich, and has cracked. Just about the only design flaw in the whole boat. Privilege stopped using it sometime after my hull.

I think I'll skin it with stainless.

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by Chasing Summer

Me again ... I think it's time for another lively discussion on personal preference:
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)
Maybe you can come up with more choices: stainless steel; corian; granite; tile; good ole hardwood, but what kind; sealed plywood.

Yep, I've reached that point in my re-building of my own boat ... so, I ask all my cruising friends.

I can for sure tell you which material I think sucks. If you were to choose the ideal material for a galley top what would it's characteristics be? Let's see: heat resistant, cut & scratch resistant, good resistance to common cleaning chemicals.... CORIAN has absolutely none of these characteristics. Why do people use this crap? Unfortunately my late wife swathed the galley in it. To make it worse the stuff is heavy. I've been considering ripping it out and putting something practical in its place.

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by belizesailor

I can for sure tell you which material I think sucks. If you were to choose the ideal material for a galley top what would it's characteristics be? Let's see: heat resistant, cut & scratch resistant, good resistance to common cleaning chemicals.... CORIAN has absolutely none of these characteristics. Why do people use this crap? Unfortunately my late wife swathed the galley in it. To make it worse the stuff is heavy. I've been considering ripping it out and putting something practical in its place.

To each his own, and opinions naturally will vary.

But to my mind, Corian is the best imaginable compromise of all the requirements for this material. Nothing which is nice to the touch, soft, doesn't cause harsh collisions with dishes, could be completely impervious to scratches or cuts. Corian is highly resistant to these and scratches and cuts can be easily polished out. Heat resistant -- only stainless steel or granite (not marble, laminate, or wood) are highly heat resistant. My galley has an area with stainless steel strips embedded next to the stove where you can put down hot pots. Never had a problem with burning the Corian. Corian is highly resistant to all kinds of chemicals (marble, wood, laminate, stainless are not; maybe granite is better) -- never had a problem. And the main thing is it is really nice to touch, and when you set glass or ceramics down on it it doesn't sound like it's going to smash, as is the case with granite. I would put up with far greater drawbacks than what Corian has, for the sake of that one point.

As to heavy -- I was not aware of this, but naturally that is a minus if it is true. Mine is solid so if it's a dense material, there will be a fair amount of weight of it in my galley.

[svpattyd]

We have granite. It is a granite slurry composite that is 1/4 inch thick. I purchased the material thru granite transformations. Can put hot things on the counter, looks great and is easy to clean. Not heavy and not rigid.

[nhschneider]

We removed the laminate that was originally installed when the boat was built and replaced it with granite - heavy, yes, but durable and still looks great after 12 years. I'm relieved to see that there are a lot of other boats out there with granite aboard so we're not the only ones sailing around with rocks on our boat!

[Tony B]

I have used formica plastic laminate in every boat I have ever owned that was big enough for a counter top. Plastic laminate over plywood is relatively light, inexpensive, very strong, shock resistant, lasts a very very long time and easy to clean and maintain.

[colemj]

Originally Posted by Jeannius

We have Corian but it is thin, mounted on a foam sandwich, and has cracked. Just about the only design flaw in the whole boat. Privilege stopped using it sometime after my hull.

I think I'll skin it with stainless.

Yes, Corian application instructions state that 1/2" must be used on horizontal surfaces and it must be mounted to a sold, stable surface. Sounds like Privilege did not follow manufacturer's instructions.

This is a particular concern in catamarans, which can have torsion on their flat surfaces when in a seaway. However, the tradeoff is a lot of weight. We have 400lbs of the stuff on board.

There are other manufacturers of solid surfaces that make products that weigh less than Corian, but look and perform the same. These would be a better choice for a boat.

Mark

[JanetGroene]

I gave up on Corian after seams started staining, but that could have been the fault of the installer. Best counters I ever saw were on board a troller built in the Pacific Northwest. Custom stainless steel counters, restaurant style, looked great, cleaned easily, molded to shape with no crevices where germs could hide. Must have cost a fortune and these days not all "stainless" steel is stianless. If you do get Corian, save all the scraps. The material turns in a lathe to make beautiful little extras like candlesticks. Don't hate all laminates. Some formicas-like materials are the same color all the way through. Again, installation has to be right because rough spots underneath can telegraph through.

[sabray]

Originally Posted by JanetGroene

I gave up on Corian after seams started staining, but that could have been the fault of the installer. Best counters I ever saw were on board a troller built in the Pacific Northwest. Custom stainless steel counters, restaurant style, looked great, cleaned easily, molded to shape with no crevices where germs could hide. Must have cost a fortune and these days not all "stainless" steel is stianless. If you do get Corian, save all the scraps. The material turns in a lathe to make beautiful little extras like candlesticks. Don't hate all laminates. Some formicas-like materials are the same color all the way through. Again, installation has to be right because rough spots underneath can telegraph through.

Laminate with color all the way through is called color core. It will behave like most laminate but lacks the backer plane and is more brittle. I hate the stuff. Prefer regular laminate over this stuff. Love the idea of a counter with inlaid removable panels. Small copper drain line for cleaning. If the panel/cutting surface is to bad you replace it.