Plates, Bowls, and Cups

[Charlie]

Ok:
I've been to Kaymapart (KMart), Target, and Ikea. I didn't find anything good for Plates bowls and cups do you guys have any recomendationson where to look. I want something that won't easily break and that will last a few years.

[DeepFrz]

Take a look here

http://www.galleyware.com/

Are you in Vancouver Charlie?

I seem to remember a place called the Quarterdeck (?). It was a while ago.

Well, I found the Quarterdeck but they don't do galley ware, sorry

hth

Deep

[Charlie]

Thanks DFrz:

Not in Vancouver now but will be soon. Leaving on Wed early AM have to drop a boat on Lopez Island and then will head up to Richmond BC and then heading to Friday Harbour WA and from there to Sidney BC. Leave the boat there and then go home return in October for a cruise. Hows weather in Vancouver these days?

[rsn48]

Charlie, in Vancouver you can find a store called Superstore, part groceries and part retail goods. I found a simple white with blue rings Corelle ware plates, mugs and soup bowls on the cheap. Corelle holds up well to abuse.

[Pura Vida]

Don't laugh, but for eating underway you may find the best dishes at Petco.

[defjef]

We use Corbel by Corning which is glass and non breakable for dishes. It's lightweight and indestructable. It is not "non skid". We use shallow wide bowls.. about the size of dinner plates underway... or deeper bowls. Plates are for meals at anchor.

Eating underway, heeled is of course a challenge and it requires the right kind of meal as well as the right kind of dinnerware.

Even doing coffee a challenge. Our system is to use #2 filters and individual filter holders which sit atop the mug. The coffee mugs are placed on a small removable cutting board which has grooves which fit into the galley stove grate and maintain a level gimbaled surface for doing the coffee... or any galley work requiring liquids. This of course means that only one of the three burners is available when doing "liquids" underway.. but it works well. This applies to soups, pasta and so on.

The non skip plastic stuff is marginally workable t keep them in place... but if they are not steep sided the contents slips off anyway. We use the plastic nonskid for dog dishes!

Jef
sv Shiva
Contest 36s

[Harriet]

IMHO, nothing is better than Corelle by Corning. There are lots of design choices, although we prefer plain white. They are not completely unbreakable, but are very sturdy and definitely break and chip-resistent. More importantly, for us, is the fact that they are "real" dishes, not that awful plastic stuff. If you really need to make them non-skid, you can always glue a bit of that rubbery non skid shelf liner on the underside of the dishes.

[ssullivan]

Odd... between Target and a store called Homegoods, we found everything we needed for dinnerware that would even pass the test for charters. We found stout (wide at the bottom) insulated mugs with rubber bottoms and spill-proof caps at Target. We found plates similar to Jef's at Homegoods. They are plastic, but look and feel like expensive china.

We find that instead of taking time to glue rubber on the bottom of plates, we just use those non-skid placemats if we are breaking out dishes. (When cruising you'll end up eating out of bowls a lot though just because it's more simple)

[colemj]

One warning on Corelle: if one does break, it shatters into a bazillion small razor-sharp shards that are extremely dangerous and next to impossible to fully clean up safely. Really, really sharp and small. I was astounded. Learned this from experience and promptly removed the Corelle from the boat.

Then I bought another boat that was fully equipped with Corelle, and have been living dangerously again. But I remain afraid....

What's wrong with regular, inexpensive "stoneware" that you buy at Target, etc? Yes, it can chip and breaks easier than Corelle or plastic, but it is "real" dinnerware (I too think this is adds immensely to quality of life) and easily and cheaply replaced almost anywhere. Garage sales universely have this stuff for $5-$10 per set!

The next time I find myself evacuating the boat, stringing hazard tape, putting on work boots and welding gloves to spend a day hunting down insideously small, sharp shards of shrapnel (sorry - caffeine-induced alliteration), I'm visiting a garage sale.

Mark

[Pura Vida]

If you end up adding some dog dishes check to see if they nest well.

[Charlie]

Thank you for all the replies.

RSN I'll look up Superstore when I get into Canada.

Purevida: I like the idea. Not sure if the admiral will go for it but I would think that it would be great for passages. I might pick up a few nesting ones.

Defjef, Hariet, Colemj: I saw corelle in Kmart. I was just about to buy some but when I picked up the second box it was rattling from something broken inside. I put it back. Thanks for the heads up on the breaking into shards.

Sean: I don't know what I was thinking. I did not check Target. It is a 35 minute drive away.

I think I will check the Salvation Army today. Dollar store had stoneware but I didn't really consider it b/c I wanted something that didn't break. Maybe I should go with cheap instead.

Thanks again.

[Daddy's Dream]

I have a 30 yr old set of Corelle dishes. I droped two recently and they broke, but over the yrs they've been droped dozzens of times and made it.

I went to Walmart and get a stainless steel set of plates for the camping trailer. I figured they'd work great for when I finally get the boat.

Bill

[Kai Nui]

We got ours at Mervyns. They have been on board for 8 years, have a nautical theme, and we have broken very few. I am of the opinion that as long as you treat them as well as you would on land, they will last just as long. We tried plastic drinking glasses, and they crack after about 2 years. Plates and bowls really do not have to be anything special. For eating underway, we made place mats out of the drawer liner material (much cheaper anywhere other than WM). We have never used them, and find that when underway, everyone usually eats on deck, or if it is too ugly for that, is usually having food in a cup.

[sv_makai]

Our approach to cruising is not the camping or the going to college style. We have used pfalsgraf china for years and wehn we went cruising we decided to take it with us.

There are many outlet stores that allowed us to choose the pattterns, colors, and styles and we only paid $1 a plate. Our whole seating for 4 was less than $25. It looks classey. They lasted the 3 we were out cruising and we still are using them now.

There is not always a need to rough it our buy "marine" stuff when great quality and good priced stuff is at hand.

[Charlie]

Thanks for all the comments guys.

I'm leaving to retrieve my boat from Canada tommorrow and thought it best to spend the least amount of money possible so I went to the Salvation Army and picked up 8 stoneware plates for $4.25 for the set. I'll use those on this trip and then look into something else. For mugs I am going to use the spill proof commuter mugs in stainless. Not sure what to do on cups yet. Might just go to the dollar store and pick up 3 for a buck plastic. This way I'll have time to make up my mind.