Yet Another Galley Mod

[BOAT]

Oh, your doing a two axis gimbal - wow, that's hard core. I thought you were doing the regular single axis job like most other boats:



That's really really cool. I was watching videos of the race boats (Vendeglobe and such) and those guys all had these little FORCE10 Mini Galley:



There are some others out there:





The one your making could be used for an alcohol stove- I like the alcohol stove. The FORCE10 uses propane. I don't like propane on the boat.

[Jimmyt]

That mini galley is sweet. Like you, I'm not going to use a container with that much propane in my cabin. Just a personal choice (based on some numbers scratched on a napkin). I would prefer non-pressurized alcohol in the cabin.

I had some scrap aluminum and wanted to build a mount that could accommodate the inexpensive Butane stoves. If I could have found an Origo, I would have built around that. I'll have about $45 in it, including the stove.

The two axis gimbal is typical of my need to over-complicate things. The project was mostly an excuse to learn aluminum TIG welding. I need to come up with several more aluminum projects, apparently...

But, I've got to finalize my cabinet concept and get cracking on that so I'll have a place to put that silly gimbal and ridiculous sink. The two younger daughters are home this weekend, and at least one of them wants help with a woodworking project, so I may be done with galley work until next week sometime.

You set the bar SUPER HIGH with your van galley. Tough act to follow.

[Jimmyt]

Well, as usual, there is more to do around here than I can get to. Finally got to put some thoughts down on the galley mod. I'm trying to retain the sliding feature, and add some storage above the galley. The cabin liner has some lumps and bumps, and it curves inward as you go up and back; above the galley work surface. Also, the two-axis gimbal is slightly problematic, in relation to the hinged countertop cover over the cooking area. Working out those details now, but thought I'd post a couple of sketches in-progress. The above-counter storage rack will have to be reworked; almost entirely. But, this gives an idea of what I'm thinking of including. I'll probably make the frames out of 1x4, 2x2, and a 2x4. I'll skin it in plywood. Top will be plywood/laminate. Water storage will move down into the hull area. Considering converting to a 12v pump system. Drain will use original drain hose (at least on the first iteration).





The hinged cover over the cooking area will have a metal liner/heat-shield, to help protect the wood and direct the heat plume out through the sliding hatch.

I'm adding some length (about 12") to the galley for additional work surface, and to get concealed trash storage. I've also added about 4" to the height of the unit.

I'll be drawing sketches for a few days until I get all of the kinks worked out. I don't want to have to build it more than once...

[BOAT]

The hobby horse motion on the 26 is pretty slight - I sail in the oceans in big swells and never really have a big issue with the hobby horse motion. Even at anchor in Avalon with a large ground swell the motion is more up and down than for and aft. It's the roll that is so aggressive on our boats - not the yaw. And that is the usual issue with most sailboats because of the heeling that occurs while underway.

Are you sure you need two axis? I completely see the need for swinging the stove port and starboard to keep the pot from going sideways when the boat heels 40 degrees but do you really think your going to hit waves so hard and run the bow up so high that your water will spill out fore and aft of your pot?

Most folks just use a stove that rolls with the heel of the boat, and then they use clamps to keep the pot from sliding fore and aft like this:



It would make your construction a lot easier if you only had to gimbal in one direction. There is a place for two axis gimbal- I will not lie to you - on the race boats two axis gimbal is very popular. You are adding pot holders to the stove, right? If you go with two axis in that plan you made it would fit a OVEN TOO! Like the ENO (at Defender cheap price - or the high end oven range at West Marine).





PIZZA AND TURKEY!

[Jimmyt]

The hobby horse motion on the 26 is pretty slight - I sail in the oceans in big swells and never really have a big issue with the hobby horse motion. Even at anchor in Avalon with a large ground swell the motion is more up and down than for and aft. It's the roll that is so aggressive on our boats - not the yaw. And that is the usual issue with most sailboats because of the heeling that occurs while underway.

Are you sure you need two axis? I completely see the need for swinging the stove port and starboard to keep the pot from going sideways when the boat heels 40 degrees but do you really think your going to hit waves so hard and run the bow up so high that your water will spill out fore and aft of your pot?

It would make your construction a lot easier if you only had to gimbal in one direction. There is a place for two axis gimbal- I will not lie to you - on the race boats two axis gimbal is very popular. You are adding pot holders to the stove, right? If you go with two axis in that plan you made it would fit a OVEN TOO! Like the ENO (at Defender cheap price - or the high end oven range at West Marine).

PIZZA AND TURKEY!

Completely agree. I could probably be very happy with the single axis gimbal. And I probably would have redesigned it; EXCEPT you put the oven idea in my head... All I'd have to do is cut the drawer out under the stove area, and I'd have enough room for the Eno stove/oven... Pizza and Turkey indeed.

Probably won't do it due to the need for a quantity of propane to support it though.

Thanks for the feedback! I'll definitely consider your comments as I move forward.

[BOAT]

Right there with you man! YES, there is a Santa Claus!

The ALCOHOL marine range from our friends at Origo (same guys that make our little cooktops) It has a bar for attaching the pot holders and already has the little hooks for the gimbal built in

And the oven runs on ALCOHOL TOO!:



And because it's very narrow front to back it can swing like a monkey! Lots of room to fit in your new galley only now your galley will include:

PIZZA!
CHICKEN AND WAFFLES!
ROASTED BEAST!
TURKEY DAY!
MEAT LOAF!
And don't forget all those roasted fish dishes your going to prepare! (MMM - when do we eat??!! )

[Jimmyt]

Right there with you man! YES, there is a Santa Claus!

The ALCOHOL marine range from our friends at Origo (same guys that make our little cooktops) It has a bar for attaching the pot holders and already has the little hooks for the gimbal built in

And the oven runs on ALCOHOL TOO!:

And because it's very narrow front to back it can swing like a monkey! Lots of room to fit in your new galley only now your galley will include:

PIZZA!
CHICKEN AND WAFFLES!
ROASTED BEAST!
TURKEY DAY!
MEAT LOAF!
And don't forget all those roasted fish dishes your going to prepare! (MMM - when do we eat??!! )

Sounds fantastic! Have you got one you can sell me? I think they are made of unobtainium....

But, I'm roughing in large enough - just in case we enjoy it enough to justify an oven... Right now, I'd settle for scrambled eggs and bacon with a French press coffee. Actually, I might want to wait until it's not 95 degrees and 100% relative humidity. Hope I can get the galley finished before fall.

Middle daughter and the Admiral and I took a half day Monday and went. There was a little wind when we first got out and got a couple of hours of sailing in. Wasn't blowing much, but we could make between 3.5 and 5 knots. Wind totally died a little after lunch, so we motored in Fowl River for awhile. Daughter had appointments in the afternoon, so we had to put the boat back on the trailer about the time the afternoon breeze kicked in. Taking the rig down in the sun was unpleasant, but worth it.

[Jimmyt]

Reworked the plate rack design to clear the area where the stove countertop hinges up. Based on Boat's input, I made the stove recess large enough to accept several of the stove/oven combos available. I want to use a stock grab bar in front of the stove, but the length is just a little shy. So, I'll have to do a little joggle/fairing, where the bar mounts to the cabinet face. It's either that, or buy a longer bar and section it to the right length - which I'm not really keen on trying right now.

[Jimmyt]

Now that the concept is pretty well developed, it gets marinated. Get in the boat with the drawings and a tape measure and start working with the concept. Also, start nailing down construction details; how will I put it together? What parts need to be done first? Can I reach inside to actually do the assembly?

Findings so far:
With the galley in "normal cooking" position, the ladder blocks full use of the two lower drawers under the sink. The unit has to be forward 8" to clear the ladder.

Moving the unit forward 8", means the slides on the forward end of the galley need to be positioned aft from the forward end, to allow the forward end of the galley to move past the forward end of the track.

To get the stock 24" seat cushion in, forward of the galley, it has to slide 17" past the aft face of the base. This means the inner slide on the aft end needs to be located near the frame between the sink and stove. The rear slide can be located near the aft, outboard, corner.

Currently, access to the aft berth will be on starboard side only - which may be problematic.

Plate/cup storage rack appears to clear at the most rearward position, but will be close. Final positioning should probably be done in the boat.

Stock kitchen wastebasket won't clear the frame on the forward end for removal from the cabinet. Don't want to make unit taller. Will need to trim approximately 2" off top of wastebasket to work. Should put finger holes in the side of the wastebasket to facilitate easy removal.

Continue marinating for a few more days...

[BOAT]

that'sa big project.

[K9Kampers]

Stock kitchen wastebasket won't clear the frame on the forward end for removal from the cabinet. Don't want to make unit taller. Will need to trim approximately 2" off top of wastebasket to work. Should put finger holes in the side of the wastebasket to facilitate easy removal.

My advice from BTDT, is to try thinking outside the box when building the galley box. IMO, designing around a conventional wastebasket on a boat is throwing away useful space!

A waste strategy to consider is first reduce / minimize cardboard / hard trash. When stocking food, I dont like cardboard on my boat. Boxed foods have bags in them that store easier in less space. Boxed wine comes in a bladder. AL cans and plastic bottles crush. Only really good wine / beer / spirits exempt the no glass practice.
Crushable trash goes in plastic grocery bags, which can store anywhere.

The space saved by eliminating a dedicated wastebasket now creates more space real essentials like water jugs, waste tank, beer storage, etc...

The rules of designing a house kitchen do not have to apply to a boat / RV galley.

The bigger the galley mod, the more excercise you will get by climbing in and out of the boat. Cut - shape - fit - recut - reshape - refit - repeat...!!

[Jimmyt]

Stock kitchen wastebasket won't clear the frame on the forward end for removal from the cabinet. Don't want to make unit taller. Will need to trim approximately 2" off top of wastebasket to work. Should put finger holes in the side of the wastebasket to facilitate easy removal.

My advice from BTDT, is to try thinking outside the box when building the galley box. IMO, designing around a conventional wastebasket on a boat is throwing away useful space!

A waste strategy to consider is first reduce / minimize cardboard / hard trash. When stocking food, I dont like cardboard on my boat. Boxed foods have bags in them that store easier in less space. Boxed wine comes in a bladder. AL cans and plastic bottles crush. Only really good wine / beer / spirits exempt the no glass practice.
Crushable trash goes in plastic grocery bags, which can store anywhere.

The space saved by eliminating a dedicated wastebasket now creates more space real essentials like water jugs, waste tank, beer storage, etc...

The rules of designing a house kitchen do not have to apply to a boat / RV galley.

The bigger the galley mod, the more excercise you will get by climbing in and out of the boat. Cut - shape - fit - recut - reshape - refit - repeat...!!

Great points on waste reduction/control! I had to look up BTDT .

I love cooking. I don't like boat clutter. Currently, the galley does nothing to promote cooking or reduce clutter. I'm conceptually adding 4 drawers and two tilt-out storage areas, in addition to making the trash convenient and invisible. Trash is probably not a big deal to most, but it's kind of a thing for me. Daysailing is particularly trashy. Maybe I'm doing it wrong.

Kitchens, to be enjoyably functional for me, have to have certain components located within reach. RV, boat, house, are all the same to me - just different scale. While I won't be able to outfit the Mac galley like our home kitchen, it doesn't mean I won't try to get close.

I am planning on moving the water storage deeper in the hull, possibly increasing it, and adding a 12v pump. While I will build the galley light, it will be heavier than stock, and taller. So I'll move the water storage lower to help offset some of that - and to keep the extra weight off the liner.

While most say, "the devil is in the details", I feel that is where the joy is. I spent a career working on details of large, complex mechanical/control systems. This project, is microscopic, but it offers some joy due to the tight spaces, pre-existing components (seat cushions, ladder, interior arrangement, etc). This may turn into a project before it's over, but it will likely just be recreation for a weird old retired guy. It's good to shake the dust off of my two remaining brain cells - every now and then.

While I intend to get the design so close that I won't have to move it in and out of the boat much, I promise to post if I screw it up and wind up throwing it in and out several times. That way you guys can enjoy the show! Anyway, I need the exercise!

Thanks for the great feedback!

[K9Kampers]

Back when I started the full scale mock up of my first 'ambitious' galley design, after hundreds of sketches, every horizontal surface in the boat was covered with tools, materials, gear, and scrap. The 3D cardboard mockup was really helpful in realizing what did / didn't fit practicality / aesthetically. That was during my artistic phase. Then I embraced simplicity. And simplicity led to more design revelations!

When I was in the 'permanent functional prototype phase', every portable power tool was in the cockpit. I would've setup my tablesaw in the cockpit if I could! Wore out the step ladder climbing in & out so much!

Part of the mod was removing the factory galley insert and building in place two large drawers on heavy duty slides and under-sink access door. The next season I got even more ambitious...

[Jimmyt]

Back when I started the full scale mock up of my first 'ambitious' galley design, after hundreds of sketches, every horizontal surface in the boat was covered with tools, materials, gear, and scrap. The 3D cardboard mockup was really helpful in realizing what did / didn't fit practicality / aesthetically. That was during my artistic phase. Then I embraced simplicity. And simplicity led to more design revelations!

When I was in the 'permanent functional prototype phase', every portable power tool was in the cockpit. I would've setup my tablesaw in the cockpit if I could! Wore out the step ladder climbing in & out so much!

Part of the mod was removing the factory galley insert and building in place two large drawers on heavy duty slides and under-sink access door. The next season I got even more ambitious...

Now, that's entertainment! Mock up is a great tool. Other than the ridiculous gimbal, I feel like my current concept is pretty simple. Agree with you, that simpler is better.

[Jimmyt]

Still marinating and fine tuning... Been raining too much to make a lumber run; and I had to get a new Termite bond - which shut my garage/shop down for a few days while they sprayed a mixture of Borates and monkey snot all over the place.

While working the final details, I figured out why my stock galley was wobbly on the aft end. Macgregor only put slides on three corners of the galley. Since the aft, inboard corner comes completely off the track, and is cantilevered over the aft berth, I guess they just blew off working out a solution for that corner.

BOAT worked out an ingenious way to stop the wobble on the stock galley.

I ordered a fourth slide from BWYachts. http://shop.bwyachts.com/product-p/a306-1m3.htm. My design will not go as far aft as the original, so I think I should be able to get an aft inboard slide in a spot that will help reduce the wobble. I may have to add an element on the aft inboard corner (like what BOAT did) to keep the cabinet from dragging on the liner when coming forward into the cooking position. Will evaluate that later.

If you're wondering why your M sliding galley is wobbly, open the door and look in the corners on the bottom. If you only see fasteners in three of the four corners - that's why.