Belize 43: Galley Counter Top Mods

[Dreaming Yachtsman]

Has anyone removed the rounded triangular piece of speckled blue fiberglass on top of the counter over the refrigerator (configuration on my hull #110)?

That piece seriously annoys the wife, catches dirt and liquid under the edge, reduces the level surface area of the counter, and just looks like a cheezy imitation of Corian.

How much damage to the counter top would I cause by chiseling it off? If significant, I would need to plan that modification when there is an expert fiberglass person around (definitely not me!!).

What about replacing it with something useful like real Corian?

[nick knowles]

i got mine with it painted over. its now a dark blue, not sure if i really like it, and was thinking about putting a stainless steal sheet over it, or a laminate. but the boat has more important things to do be done first. good luck and send some pics to show what you have done.
nick

[Ti' Punch]

Nick, those are some interesting mods you have made there. Do you have a website or something where I can go to read more about the bow mods and what is going on in the other photos?

(sorry to hijack your thread DM)

[Cotemar]

nick knowles,

Your a crazy man. Tomhawk bows and dagger boards. WOW.
That flash must have been nick knowles going by.

[MeckDC]

We haven't replaced ours yet but need to. Please let me know how it turns out, how you did it and photos would be nice.

S/V Ocean Mandalay

[DotDun]

No, I haven't replaced it, yet! The blue color is getting old, but it's way down on the to-do list.

Keep us posted how ugly it gets taking it off.

[Dreaming Yachtsman]

As mentioned in my original post, the wife (Princess) has hated the blue rounded triangular fake Corian pad on the counter over our refrigerator for years. We finally got up the nerve to take it off and replace it with a stainless steel plate. Island Marine in Fajardo, Puerto Rico, did the work in a few hours using Marine Formula adhesive dissolver by DeBond Corp, plastic wedges, a long shim, and plenty of patience. Wife is much happier with the galley so my life is much better now. Photos are posted in Google photos at:
https://plus.google.com/photos/10650...30627942529345

We saved the wood template of the plate if anyone wants to borrow it for their project.

[Cotemar]

Very Nice.
Clean lines and better surface area

[MeckDC]

Looks great. It looks like your counter is fiberglass with the stainless sitting on top. Correct? Our entire counter top including freezer is covered with the formica or whatever they used. Was this how yours was? It looks like your freezer opening is raised? Just trying to figure out if this is an option for us.

Thanks for your help.

[Dreaming Yachtsman]

Originally Posted by MeckDC

Looks great. It looks like your counter is fiberglass with the stainless sitting on top. Correct? Our entire counter top including freezer is covered with the formica or whatever they used. Was this how yours was? It looks like your freezer opening is raised? Just trying to figure out if this is an option for us.

Thanks for your help.

Yes, the counter top is fiberglass and the lid to the freezer sits on top of the counter. Sorry for not having a "before" picture but the blue fake Formica pad sat where the stainless sheet is now but was a couple of inches smaller. It did not cover the entire counter nor the freezer lid.

[MeckDC]

We finally got around to refinishing out counter top. Just thought you may like to see. I posted pictures in the members gallery.

We used a system called Spread Stone. So far it's great. No more black mystery toxins coming off the counter.

[Toys_with_time]

Originally Posted by Dreaming Yachtsman

As mentioned in my original post, the wife (Princess) has hated the blue rounded triangular fake Corian pad on the counter over our refrigerator for years. We finally got up the nerve to take it off and replace it with a stainless steel plate. Island Marine in Fajardo, Puerto Rico, did the work in a few hours using Marine Formula adhesive dissolver by DeBond Corp, plastic wedges, a long shim, and plenty of patience. Wife is much happier with the galley so my life is much better now. Photos are posted in Google photos at:
https://plus.google.com/photos/10650...30627942529345

We saved the wood template of the plate if anyone wants to borrow it for their project.

Looks stunning. Give me ideas as the Lipari gelcoat benchtops don't like heat or anything else.

[Toys_with_time]

Originally Posted by nick knowles

i got mine with it painted over. its now a dark blue, not sure if i really like it, and was thinking about putting a stainless steal sheet over it, or a laminate. but the boat has more important things to do be done first. good luck and send some pics to show what you have done.
nick

Your mods look interesting. In my dreams I modify my bows, add a bit to the stern and put in a dagger board on stbd side (guests might object to losing heads on port side). What impact have yr mods had on her?

TwT

[12BCruzn]

That stainless is beautiful! I had hoped to use stainless to replace my P435 countertop but it has so many complex curves and cutouts that the fabricator said he couldn't put in a single piece solution. So I came up with a very inexpensive but labor intensive fix: "Ceramica" flooring tile. I saw it at Home Depot where they were using it as a counter top on one of their utility carts. It looks and feels like stone. The tiles have an adhesive backing. You can grout if you wish. I caulked.

We'll see if it holds up as a galley counter. . . .

[Tom and Maje]

That is beautiful, Dreaming Yachtsman. Do you mind saying how much it cost?

Maje