Cabinet material?

[Certeza]

Quick question from a complete noob here.

On power cruisers around 40-60' length in the somewhat higher end yachts. What material is typically used for box construction on the galley cabinets? I'm very familiar with kitchen builds in homes. Even high-end kitchens are using melamine for the clean look and easy cleaning. I would expect that boats would be more inclined to use lighter weight materials. I once saw a luxury RV feature that indicated the use of some type of lightweight composite material for box construction. Is this typical in the slightly larger boats as well? Not talking about the mega yachts here that are more like floating mansions, I'm sure they can use whatever they want.

Thanks guys?

[Certeza]

Or even if nobody is familiar with exact production materials, maybe a few of you could examine your own cabinets and provide some insight.

[Ukeluthier]

I'm doing some galley and head redesign and construction myself right now. Boat cabinet work is usually exterior or marine plywood with a wood or plastic laminate veneer (marine ply is nice, but not absolutely essential for this application).

I was looking into using a melamine/high-density fiberboard for some of the cabinetry, but I'm leery of its lack of water resistance at the cut edges.

[Certeza]

Originally Posted by Ukeluthier

I'm doing some galley and head redesign and construction myself right now. Boat cabinet work is usually exterior or marine plywood with a wood or plastic laminate veneer (marine ply is nice, but not absolutely essential for this application).

I was looking into using a melamine/high-density fiberboard for some of the cabinetry, but I'm leery of its lack of water resistance at the cut edges.

Yes, the lack of water resilience and excess weight would seam to make any MDF or particle board core material undesirable.

Your comment on veneers makes sense. The funny thing is that if I ever did a luxury cabinet build for someone on land and used plastic veneers for any more than just minor details, I'd lose the job. Different worlds I guess.

[Matt Johnson]

Depends if you want weight savings. If so, a honeycomb or foam core laminated with a veneer or paint finish.

[dohenyboy]

3/4" teak veneer plywood

[SkiprJohn]

Please look into the book Boat Joinery and Cabinetmaking Simplified by Fred P. Bingham. It might be in your local library. Old book but still applicable.

3/4 ply is very heavy for cabinetry in a boat and certainly you don't need teak veneer if the rest of your boat is maple or mahogany.

[Cotemar]

1/2 or 3/4 marine plywood with one nice side of wood veneer.

Other builders use plywood with plastic veneer

Some others use plywood with Formica

[Steve Bean]

Six copies of the Bingham book are available at Abebooks.com under $10.00 including shipping.
Marine plywood for anything interior seems like a big waste of money to me; it's SO much more expensive.

[brantleychuck]

Just got the Bingham book, very dated. Not much in there I found interesting or enlightening. We really need the input of a craftsman who works on high end boats. This forum and you tube are the best resources I have found so far

[SkiprJohn]

Originally Posted by brantleychuck

Just got the Bingham book, very dated. Not much in there I found interesting or enlightening. We really need the input of a craftsman who works on high end boats. This forum and you tube are the best resources I have found so far

Sorry you were disappointed. I found it helpful because I'm not a cabinet maker and he covered everything I needed to know.

Did I mention the public library?

[brantleychuck]

Oh no worries on the book recommend. Book was cheap. Methods , designs used seemed from a bygone simpler era. All good

[Certeza]

Originally Posted by brantleychuck

Just got the Bingham book, very dated. Not much in there I found interesting or enlightening. We really need the input of a craftsman who works on high end boats. This forum and you tube are the best resources I have found so far

Agreed. I am experienced as a cabinet maker, but materials and techniques are different on high end boats.

[s/v Jedi]

Quality construction means a base material that is stable. Marine plywood or one of the more exotic versions that save weight or even a composite material.

For finishing a quality veneer is used, which is then prepped and sprayed with a clear urethane coating.

[Bluemansailor]

Just finished building this overhead cabinet for my galley, Built with 1/2 plywood ( not marine) covered with teak veneer- corners are solid teak corner posts.

After the teak was glued down and dried, I coated the whole cabinet inside and out with 2 layers of clear epoxy. then 3 layers of satin varnish- to match the rest of the boat. Don't think any water is going to do any damage to it.