Flybridge improvement…

I hope this is an ok forum to post this, and thought others may find it interesting. I love the flybridge but found out quickly that especially with company, bringing refreshments up and down the ladder is neither safe nor fun. So after seeing something similar on a Flemming, I did some investigating and found a way to modify a cabinet, and have just finished installing a dumb waiter that serves the flybridge from the galley below.
I took the cabinet down, cut a small round hole in the ceiling and with my cell phone took pictures to ensure that there were no structural or wiring issues to deal with. It took a while to design it, but after messing with the idea for months, I’ve got it installed. Now all that’s necessary is to fabricate a handle for the tray. Once the refreshments are loaded on the tray from the galley, then from the flybridge you reach down and simply pull it up.
Having a clear Plexiglas lid gives the cabinet a nice skylight look from down below and adds a nice touch to the galley..during the day anyway…I think it came out pretty nice and the folks that have seen it seem to think it’s a pretty good idea too, so thought I’d share it here. A few pic’s to see what was done and how it looks..

Interesting and useful idea. I don't care to haul food and drinks up and down the ladder.

Have you water tested it yet?

That's pretty awesome

Brilliant! Thanks for sharing that. Only yesterday I discovered Flemings have that feature and resolved, after many precarious food transfers, to one day fit one. My works list is long so it won't be soon but one day

I like it!!

One of the big reasons I prefer the double cabin style...much simpler up and down.

But a great addition for those that chose that style boat....no movable motorized dumbwaiter?

Great idea....
One of the reasons we chose our particular trawler was because it has an interior staircase from the pilothouse to the flybridge. There was no way that we were planning to carry food and drinks up the ladder from our aft cockpit!

Wonderful!

But life is simpler/basic without a flying bridge!

markpierce said:

Wonderful!

But life is simpler/basic without a flying bridge!

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+1 for the correct name

Rare, but rewarding to know someone still knows correct nautical terms...flying bridge! Neat idea, that dumb waiter of yours!

Thanks...that dumb waiter told me it was a flybridge...I should've known...

Accepted terminology changes. There are a few old pilots who still call the place where airplanes land "aerodromes". They also get funny looks from today's practitioners of the trade.

Can't argue with that..by the way, I haven't water tested it yet... but it passed the slip test! I think I may have to make a cutout adapter to set glasses in while in the tray to prevent them from tipping over. Either way, beats me tipping over hauling them up the ladder!

Great idea and implementation.
Takes a lot of moxy to cut a hole in the deck.
Cheers!

Tony B said:

Great idea and implementation.
Takes a lot of moxy to cut a hole in the deck.
Cheers!

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And I always though the bottom was the trouble area....

If I measured once, I must have measured it a hundred times and it still gave me the heebie-jeebies putting the saw to it. And of course not wanting to overcut it, I made it too small at first then it took ten times the work to get it right! Besides the fact that I wanted to wait for a day where there was not much of a chance for rain and here in south Florida this time of year that doesn't happen often. So sunny and 90 degrees and...well I'm glad it's done! I'm also glad that my 'flying bridge' is white, as I hate calking...gets everywhere except where you want it to be...

Interesting, I'll have to make a link to this subject.

boatpoker said:

+1 for the correct name

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DITTO !

markpierce said:

Wonderful!

But life is simpler/basic without a flying bridge!

Click to expand...

But you don't have a drink up there either.