Good Material for galley counter and icebox lining

[fred4936]

Hi! I would be concerned about using copper in a galley. Copper is used in bottom paint as a toxin to marine growth. Copper is also relatively soft, so it will dent easily. We are redoing our galley in our Tartan 27-2 and will probably go the Corian route. Or Formica over 3/4" marine plywood.

[a64pilot]

Originally Posted by Ann T. Cate

I've seen polished granite flat tables. How much would granite weigh for a sink/counter top?

I think we need something different. Not sure that Corian is the answer (vulnerable to knives), but there must be something better than 25 yr. old formica.....?

Ann

Ann, 12 to 18 lbs per sq ft. We had it in our old house and I have been toying with the idea for our boat, I think the thinner would be best for a boat as the counter tops just are not that large.
Not compared to a house anyway, I think we had 30 something feet of counter tops in our Kitchen
https://www.builddirect.com/learning...s-vanity-tops/

[Dougtiff]

It's better if the fridge lining is not conductive, so if you wish to use the same material for the lining and counter top, i would recommend FORMICA,it's tough, will last many year', takes heat, i.e. hot pans and is not expensive, comes in many colors and patterns.

[ur2slo]

Originally Posted by meatservo

You guys have been polite and professional. I am a complete noob to sailing, maybe It's because of my mechanical experience in life, but I am absolutely dumbfounded that anyone would consider copper in a marine enviroment to be suitable for a countertop. no offense intended to the OP...





meatservo

All good points .......one other..
ever put a penny in your mouth when a kid? yuk

[RayandMindi]

All really helpful thoughts and comments! Thanks! The boat is a complete gut job, we've stripped everything down to the fiberglass hull and are trying to find the most effective (with regard to both function and cost) means of putting her back together and in the water. Sounds like we have lots to research about more suitable materials! We are building the icebox and cabinetry from scratch, so we'll likely have more questions along the way. Thank you so much for all of the great feedback :-)

[Miniyot]

Originally Posted by ur2slo

....ever put a penny in your mouth when a kid? yuk

That's because...
As a kid, you used toilet paper but didn't wash your hands and were a little
sloppy when aiming for the target....

[UNCIVILIZED]

For some resource references, as well as well laid out examples of other folks projects, visit the WEST System home page, & it's sister site www.Epoxyworks.com And at the first one, download the book The Geugeon Brothers On Boat Construction, as well as the various epoxy user guides. The book covers most aspects of boat construction, or at least boat construction using wood as the primary medium, with composites & cores as secondary materials. Along with epoxy of course.

And while I've yet to snag a copy, you might see about getting Russell Brown's e-book about using epoxy in boats. He's an outstanding builder. I figure to get it soon myself --> EPOXY BASICS
Also --> E-Books

Plus of course there's System Three Resins. And most any epoxy vendor, or producer has lots of useful free info/user guides. Including videos.

My free tip is to test out any new ideas or materials in your workshop, on something unimportant, prior to using them on the boat/for the final finished project. It's cheaper than goofing on one's boat. BTDT, many times

BTW, here's something to give you a small idea of what can be "inlayed" using epoxy. Not that I'd rest hot pans on this

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNDR14cPif8

And if you ever get out to WA State, go & visit www.Edensaw.com

[1affiah]

I would seek out a local countertop/cabinet maker shop. Many of the Corian & similar solid surface materials are not sold as DIY. Several are thinner (and lighter) and laminated to a substrate. You might find one that would build to your drawings. You will want to use plywood as previously mentioned.

[Painted Skies]

When we had our current boat surveyed, the surveyor found 15 bags of lead shot (~300 pounds worth) in the cabinets behind the starboard main saloon seating... put there by the Tartan factory to counterbalance the weight of the Corian countertops in the galley and the forward head (all on the port side). Interestingly enough, over the years we've been able to trim the boat properly using spare parts and other stores instead - certainly Corian is very heavy but it is also incredibly durable. Tartan now uses a modern light-weight composite for their galley and head countertops - not sure what it is called and I don't have any direct experience with it.

'Painted Skies' is now 27 years old and the Corian countertops look like new; surprisingly, they are very easy to care for and rarely show any damage from wild cooking endeavors or the captain's workbench activities. We used to purchase the special Corian polish but haven't even used that stuff during the past 10 years... it really isn't necessary, unless you have OCD.

For my previous liveaboard boat in the 1990's, I simply called Home Depot (Annapolis) and contracted with them to replace the countertops with Corian (which included molded-into-place fiddles and sinks, as well as, the ice box lids). I loved the fact that any spills remained contained on the counter and there were no seams to gather dirt/food. Home Depot did a superb job, and we never had any issues with the end product.

Cheers, Katherine

[RayandMindi]

Katherine, I hadn't even considered the weight issue! Thanks for the insight!
Mindi

[Maka]

Hate to interject some common sense here.
Look at what the professionals are using. Follow suit.
Good rule for just about anything.

[OS2Dude]

If you can find a cabinet shop, you may be able to find some scrap Quartz material for your countertop. If we ever replace ours, that is what I'm going to try to use. Corian would also be a good choice.

For an icebox, I would think a fibreglass with gelcoat liner with a foam backing.

[OzePete]

Originally Posted by Dougtiff

It's better if the fridge lining is not conductive, so if you wish to use the same material for the lining and counter top, i would recommend FORMICA,it's tough, will last many year', takes heat, i.e. hot pans and is not expensive, comes in many colors and patterns.

This is good advise to avoid metal icebox, fridge, freezer interior linings.
Also when lining it is best to vapour seal the insulation. The insulation should be totally sealed inside and out so that there is no ability for air to penetrate specially if the box is refrigerated. Otherwise your insulation can become like a sponge, slowly saturated and eventually useless. Extremely important for freezer cabinets.
Cheers..
OzePete from Ozefridge

[Charlie]

I used stainless steel. You can purchase it at any commercial HVAC supply house. I don't recall what gauge I used but it was the thickest that the HVAC company could source. It is a bit difficult to work with. Here is a link to some pictures of what I did https://picasaweb.google.com/1100267...75138332040882

[Cotemar]

My vote would be for Formica.

1 It wears like iron.

2 Cheap and easy to purchase.

3 Easy to DIY with simple tools.

4 Come's in any color or texture imaginable.

5 Will last the life of the boat.

6 Light weight.

7 Durable and wear resistant.

8 Easy to clean.

9 Impact resistant.

10 Can be formed around corners.