Galley makeover ideas

We're searching for ideas for a galley makeover for Mango Mama (Krogen Manatee 36). We're thinking granite counters, undermount SS double sink and faucet, new range, new wall treatment. Do you have any recommended suppliers? What propane range would you recommend?


The walls are white laminant and there is one crack in it so we need a wall treatment that will flex a little. We are open to any suggestions.


In the corner under the countertop is a *round tub with a lid formed by a removable round section of the countertop. It could be used as a trash receptacle or for storage. But the round lid could be a challenge with a granite top. Any other ideas?


Thanks in advance.
Garry and Victoria

Garry, not knowing where you are, it's almost impossible to recommend a granite supplier.* Granite is very hard for a do it your selfer to work.* So you would need to have a template made.* The granite is usually machined in the shop, then brougt in and installed.* Depending on the shops equipment the round cutout may not be a problem.* If it is, do a rectangular one.* They could ever do one that a small trash recepticle could fit into.

As far as a backsplash, I think that I would do tile with a vinyl grout.* You can even get grout in tubes that could work.

-- Edited by Moonstruck on Sunday 16th of January 2011 02:26:45 PM

We used 1 ft tiles granite which I cut with a wets saw.* You do have to i9nstall a strong under base of ply wood and cement board.* We installed a double sink, new princes stove oven.* The back splash is also made of granite title.* Not really that hard and if a mistake you can probable use the tile else where.* We also did the bath room and bar in granite. **

Geese, Gary....you aren't wasting much time getting to work on that thing. *After reading the blog of "Fat Chance Manatee", I decided I didn't want to go with the old formica (too much trouble). *What I'm thinking about as a back splash is that tile board stuff that comes in 4 X 4 or 4 X 8 sheets. *If you're formica is still straight, you could feasibly go right over the stuff. *Easy to clean, long lasting, simple to cut and shape. *I like the Granite top also.

Get a nice avitar together for us. *These guys need to see what a real Manatee looks like without wannabee windows.

Have you considered Corian or similar?

It is workable by handtools and power tools that many at home have such as a portable power circular saw, router, jig saw, table saw, files, etc. It's tough so carbide tipped tools are needed. It too needs a good supporting system.

It is somewhat flexible compared to granite. Whether it would do better than your Arborite or not I don't know. It may be worthwhile asking about that specifically. Maybe the Arborite failed because it wasn't backed up properly.

It's been a bunch of years since I've fiddled with it so am not aware of the changes that have occurred or the colours available anymore.

I don't know or course what you have in mind or if you have discounted it already but it may be worthwhile to look at it as a good alternative.

Corian is MUCH lighter than granite. Granite, depending on which type stone color you go with, weights between 25 to 40 lbs per sq. ft. Not a big deal for a small galley but can be a factor if a lot of counter top area. Corian is, if I recall, is around 10-12 lbs. a sq. ft. so considerable weight savings which is why you see corian on new boats these days 99% of the time instead of granite, at least for our sized boats.
Any granite fabrication shop in your local area can template and install granite countertops and there should be corian folks around as well. Cost typically is around the same around $35-40 a sq. ft. installed plus extra costs for sink cut outs, polished edges (trash can lid), etc. We just redid our galley on our Monk with granite tops, SS undermount sink, and a nice new sink fixture. I researched heavily regarding stoves....we ended up scrapping our old propane stove and went with an electric cooktop unit which fits our needs just fine.
Here is a thread about stove discussion that you may find helpful:
http://www.trawlerforum.com/index.spark?aBID=115492&p=3&topicID=38826207

Here is our "before" galley (with clutter everywhere!):




And the "after" as she looks now:







You'll notice in the corner that we have a cut out for our recessed trash can as well. It's not in the pics but I do have a granite cover for that opening. Edges of the top and the countertop cut out are polished. The cover has two holes drilled through it (inch and a half or so??). Only thing I would say is that it is surprisingly heavy! We've decided that it will basically remain off most of the time (too heavy/cumbersome to take on and off) and probably only put on when out for a sunset cruise entertaining friends or something. If you went with corian the lid would be much, much lighter.

RE: backsplash. I'm not wild about the tile look alike sheets. I'd go with something like this maybe:
http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc...Flow=3&catalogId=10053&langId=-1&ddkey=Search

That assumes it would look appropriate and to scale in your galley. They make it in bronze colored and a few others I think.

On our boat though, redoing the galley resulted is a HUGE improvement in the way our boat not only looks but more importantly, how it functions due to us switching to a cooktop unit that allowed us to install the microwave under the stove and had enough room to also build a silverware drawer above the microwave. Removing the old wooden fiddles around the tops allowed us to also make them larger (new tops overhang the cabinets vs. being smaller than the cabinets with fiddles) and it created a continuous counter top which really opened things up as well.


-- Edited by Woodsong on Sunday 16th of January 2011 09:25:06 PM


-- Edited by Woodsong on Sunday 16th of January 2011 09:27:39 PM

Spam?

SD

SD-
You mean am I cooking spam? lol. Goodness NO! Wife was not on the boat so I was cooking a premade frozen pasta dinner- block you see is the frozen sauce. I was not going gormet but was enjoying a glass of wine after a day of working on the boat.

Don't knock it, a fried Spam sandwhich once a year or so is darn good stuff!

Daddyo wrote:

Don't knock it, a fried Spam sandwhich once a year or so is darn good stuff!

Click to expand...

Love spam.**Sliced thin and fried like bacon nice and crispy**
*Great stuff.

SD*

*

Spam....glorious Spam, wonderful Spam.....(Monte Python?)

We just re-did our home kitchen countertops with quartz..it's basically crushed quartz epoxied together. Looks great and does not have to be sealed like granite. Knives don't bother it, it is pretty tough stuff.
Just another*possibility to consider.

Hiya,
** Thread creep (but there IS a boat involved)...


** Mr. Gary.* A granite trash lid would be murder if dropped on foot.* Second/third suggestion of Corion.* Have you considered Stainless Steel?

-- Edited by RT Firefly on Monday 17th of January 2011 11:51:20 AM

-- Edited by RT Firefly on Monday 17th of January 2011 12:15:57 PM

Woodsong: *That is a sweet conversion. *What a difference. *You've got a major point about the weight with regard to a Manatee galley. *There's a whole lot of counter space as shown in the photo, and the cut out that Gary is talking about is big, 16-18" in diameter, so it would really be heavy to lift out (red arrow).

RT Firefly wrote:

Hiya,
Thread creep (but there IS a boat involved)...

Mr. Gary.* A granite trash lid would be murder of dropped on foot.* Second/third suggestion of Corion.* Have you considered Stainless Steel?

-- Edited by RT Firefly on Monday 17th of January 2011 11:51:20 AM

Click to expand...

RTGREAT CLIP! And, I'd like to second the stainless counters, and add that having to reach back in the corner for a heavy granite lid would get old real fast.

*

Thanks Healhustler- we love our new galley. It had barely ANY counter space with the old layout. Removing the fiddles and going with a built in cooktop feels like we have literally about doubled our counter top area and it is much, much more functional. It also freed up more storage over the fridge.

With the Manatee having so much counter space I'd seriously be leaning towards corian due to the weight. That's a lot of counter space and granite could cause the boat to have a slight list. Our galley is to starboard. Monks tend to have a list, if any, to port, due to all the storage lockers that are on the port side in the aft stateroom. With us having such small counter top surface area it does not cause a list but if it did, it would actually help counteract any list to port due to me cramming a bunch of junk in our aft stateroom storage lockers (there is a lot of storage on port side!). So granite worked for us but a Manatee I would personally probably go for corian for the weight savings.

FF's suggestion of granite tiles is a viable alternative.* Much cheaper as you can buy the materials and DIY.* Using a thin joint (about the width of a dime) with a colored grout closely matching the granite it will look almost like a solid slab.* Edge band it with wood with several coat of polyeurathane water proof finish, and it is an attractive installation.* Good looks with light weight at a cheap cost* Kinda hard to beat* two inch by two inch tiles on a diagonal for the backsplash look nice.

*

There's a good alternative between "plastic" (laminate, formica, corian) and granite: quartz. Silestone is one of the brand names. It has all of the advantages of granite for a less money and is a lot easier to maintain because it doesn't stain. Granite, unless you pay big bucks for a permanent sealer or are careful to reseal annually, does. Quartz is also far more resistant to bacteria, molds and mildew than granite.

If you shop, you can find sources for "remnant" granite and engineered stone that'll come out and measure, then cut...including the cutout for the sink and faucets and the edge you specify--for considerably less than any "kitchen" design place.

Fwiw, I've restored one old boat and renovated two houses including my own...and getting ready to do another one as soon as the tenant moves out. So I've had a lot of experience with doing it right and knowing where to save money and where not to...which is why, in my own house I used granite in the kitchen and quartz in the bathrooms.

This article is a good place to start researching the pros and cons of granite vs quartz:
http://www.ehow.com/facts_5727979_pros-cons-quartz-countertops.html

HeadMistress wrote:

There's a good alternative between "plastic" (laminate, formica, corian) and granite: quartz. Silestone is one of the brand names. It has all of the advantages of granite for a less money and is a lot easier to maintain because it doesn't stain. Granite, unless you pay big bucks for a permanent sealer or are careful to reseal annually, does. Quartz is also far more resistant to bacteria, molds and mildew than granite.

Click to expand...

We have installed hundreds of kitchens with every product mentioned but quartz.* We have installed allot of quartz vanity tops with many of them back lighted.* Silestone in fairly comparable in weight and working qualities. to the stone products* On the darker colors of Silestone*we have found that they will dull and have to be polished and buffed to bring back the "life".* If weight is a problem, I would still go with the granite tiles.* If not it is hard to beat the look of natural products.

*

healhustler wrote:

Woodsong: *That is a sweet conversion. *What a difference. *You've got a major point about the weight with regard to a Manatee galley. *There's a whole lot of counter space as shown in the photo, and the cut out that Gary is talking about is big, 16-18" in diameter, so it would really be heavy to lift out (red arrow).

Click to expand...

********** Your galley looks pretty good to me.* I think I might be tempted to leave it as is, or replace with more of the same.** Nice boat!** JohnP

*

JohnP wrote:Your galley looks pretty good to me.* I think I might be tempted to leave it as is, or replace with more of the same.** Nice boat!** JohnP

Click to expand...

*


Hey, thanks JohnP, but that was a photo of my Manatee galley, and we're talking about Gary's galley. *I just posted the picture so we could see how much counter space is in the Manatee. *Far as I know, it should be the same in Gary's boat (the thread originator), but apparently, needs some sprucing-up.

I am currently in the midst of a galley counter re-do. I am using one of the Quartz products. 3/4 in thick. I am putting in a countertop access hatch of quartz to access the otherwise inaccessible corner cupboard. My 12 x 12 lid weighs about 10 lb. It has a finger hole in the middle, so it can be lifted out. The sides are bevelled and sit on bevels in the solid counter. That was a challenge for the stone cutter, but he managed. I don't think the 10lb weight will get too tiresome, as it won't require a long reach. I am replacing a tile countertop, so already had about a 5 lb lid.
I hope to get the three pieces to meet with barely noticeable joints. Wish me luck! I'll get some photos when the work is done.

Keith- post pics of the project- love seeing what others have done.

healhustler wrote:

*
JohnP wrote:Your galley looks pretty good to me.* I think I might be tempted to leave it as is, or replace with more of the same.** Nice boat!** JohnP

Click to expand...

*


Hey, thanks JohnP, but that was a photo of my Manatee galley, and we're talking about Gary's galley. *I just posted the picture so we could see how much counter space is in the Manatee. *Far as I know, it should be the same in Gary's boat (the thread originator), but apparently, needs some sprucing-up.

********* Got it,* Your galley does look real nice, glad you are not ripping it out for the sake of change.** JohnP

*


-- Edited by JohnP on Tuesday 18th of January 2011 08:26:17 AM

If we are talking galleys--has anyone done anything in your corner space (if you have one).* I have two of these "dead" corners.* Both have an access in the counter that lifts out and below there is a lift out "bucket" like what you see in Woodsong's after photo. If I lift out the "bucket" there is a TON of space down there.* Has anyone added a false floor or dividers or made the access bigger when replacing the counter tops? Someone mentioned changing the shape of the access to fit it to a trash can, has anyone done that?*

Looking for ideas!* thanks

here's the detail from Woodsong's photo

PG:

I once thought to convert that space into a freezer, but I bought a stand alone freezer instead, so I just use it as a big box cupboard. My access hole is 12"square, so most any groceries will go through it. My new countertop will retain the 12" square opening. the space goes down to the bottom of the adjoining cupboards and back to the wall that is against the Engine room, out to the hull liner panel (almost vertical back in this cupboard), so a ton on space.

koliver wrote:

PG:

I once thought to convert that space into a freezer, but I bought a stand alone freezer instead, so I just use it as a big box cupboard. My access hole is 12"square, so most any groceries will go through it. My new countertop will retain the 12" square opening. the space goes down to the bottom of the adjoining cupboards and back to the wall that is against the Engine room, out to the hull liner panel (almost vertical back in this cupboard), so a ton on space.

Click to expand...

Yeah mine are the same--huge! I can see can marks where the PO must have kept six packs down there.* It seems like it would be easier if the access were made larger--but then again if you had stuff on the counter that would be more to move out of the way to open it.* I am tempted in at least ONE of the corners to make two opening, one for a (removable) trash can and*one for general storage.* We really have nowhere to put a trash can and that little "bucket" that is in there is*very small*for trash-plus with the wood handles that jut into it it is hard to get the trash bag back*OUT!* I'd love*to add a false floor so*they aren't such bottomless pits and maybe partions so things don't go sliding.* It is really*great storage space,*but it is almost TOO big; it seems like it would be hard to keep*organized??*

Garry and Victoria,

I don't know how adventurous you are, but I have one more suggestion for counters.* A few years ago I greatly enlarged my kitchen and remodeled the whole thing from scratch.* As I wanted to do everything myself, I went with polished concrete countertops.* I made various molds and then poured them (upside down) using special mixes and dye. The subsequent polishing process was messy but we love the end result.* Miost vistors think it's some sort of natural stone.* They will stain but an occasional sacrificial coat of wax prevents that.

I got all the knowledge i needed for the project from this book...
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Concrete-Countertops-Design-Finishes-Kitchen/dp/1561584843#reader_1561584843">http://www.amazon.com/Concrete-Countertops-Design-Finishes-Kitchen/dp/1561584843#reader_1561584843
</a>

The pros are the materials are cheap and you can incorporate any design imaginable.* Even insert shells, etc.* Color is up to you (with some experimentation).* And it's very, very satisfying!

The downside is weight (it does have to be a bit thicker than granite) and the cost of a wet grinder and diamond pads.* But you might be able to borrow or rent the tools, or maybe have some else do the polishing.

When I get around to re-doing my own galley, I'll be doing this again.


-- Edited by Tonic on Tuesday 18th of January 2011 06:34:10 PM

We have a Monk36 with one of those corner lift out units in our galley. The PO put a false bottom as well as a wrap around ledge above the false bottom. There is space for containers on the ledge (ie pasta, flour, etc.). The false bottom and ledge is made of a lucite type material. Quite ingenious. This should hold most of my regular pantry items. We already have a trash can under the sink so I think I'll stick with using the lift out unit for breakfast items like coffee/tea/cereal.

rusbet
Monk36 1986

Our Sabre has a lift top storage in the corner that we use as a pantry.* The steps from the*helm deck*are*nest to the galley and*are hinged.* The top step holds the trash can, the two others are pots, pans, and paper products storage.* Very efficient.

-- Edited by Moonstruck on Tuesday 18th of January 2011 07:21:49 PM

On our Island Gypsy the corner lift out is a trash bin. It has a holds a garbage bag in a plastic bin that is removed thru a door outside along the port side of the deckhouse. It works pretty well because the access in the counter is small, but the door out side is big enough to pull the full bag out. It has a copper drain tube in the bottom that leads to the side deck and it is easy to hose out and keep clean.