The galley- yet another work site

Galley, originally uploaded by CidnieC.

While I await the arrival of the crucial part for the girls berth, my focus has turned to the galley. As you can see from the photo, we aren't ready to actually begin refitting it as it is currently yet another worksite. We are making a plan of attack and hope to have it finished by early spring.

The stove/oven combo that we have is original to the boat and lacks thermocouples on the top burners and a latch on the oven door. We are also lacking a vented propane locker. These items must be addressed and currently, I am leaning towards just replacing the stove with a non-pressurized alcohol Origo stove.

In an effort to keep costs down, I'm even considering foregoing an oven at all and just getting the stove. This will save around $1,000. The beauty of the alcohol stove is that we do not need to build a propane locker and replumb the gas lines which saves time and a not insignificant amount of money.

I like that refilling the Origo stove only requires decanting fuel into Sterno like containers. You don't have the issues with explosion that you can have with propane, no having to haul around heavy propane tanks and no replumbing of the boat. Its a simple refit as you just drop in the stove and call it done. We would add a solar vent in the cabin roof because alcohol stoves can be smelly but it really is the simplest method.

Of course, Mark wants to make it more complex than necessary because it will be "better" if he builds and plumbs in an alcohol storage tank that will perpetually keep the stove supplied with fuel...ARGH! Engineers! If we do go with alcohol there will be no replumbing of the boat. The whole point of the Origo is simplicity. Are you listening Mark?

The other issue to address is the countertops. Ceol Mor currently has laminate which is original to the boat and is therefore, cracked. Cracked laminate attracts moisture and continues to crack and delaminate. There is also the issue of not being able to set a hot pan down on laminate for fear or scorching

After looking at the lovely tiled countertops on SV Estrellita and SV Mellifera, my first instinct was to use tile. In a fit of girlieness I was attracted to the shiny sparkle of glass tile. "OOH! Pretty!". Then I realized what would happen the first time I dropped something on it and I promise you- I will drop something at some point. Its rather spendy and I would absolutely shatter it within the the first 3 months. Then there is the issue of glass tiles weight- its heavy. I next considered ceramic tile but once again- I will break it and it is heavy.

I picked up a piece of Corian and thought "Hey! This stuff is really light". And impervious to shattering. And scorch resistant. And able to be cut to accomodate the reefer hatchs. And able to have a sink built in with no gaps for water to seep in. A HA! We have our answer.

Not so fast Cowboy. It seems that every place I speak with regarding having Corian countertops made play along until I explain that I want a raised fiddle edge and only a small amount of countertops and oh, I'd like to install it myself. "Can't be done! Impossible! You don't meet the minimum order size! You must be certified by Corian to install it" And on and on... I know that many boats are being outfitted with Corian with fiddles and small orders so my question is- where are people getting their countertops made? Someone somewhere has to be making them. I will almost bet that there are people out there installing Corian in their boats themselves, even without being 'Corain certified'.

Corian certified my left hiney cheek. Its a resin based countertop, not an Illudium Q-36 Explosive Space Modulator.