Albin 27 Galley Remodel
Kitchen Considerations
Since I tore out the head and started reparing the ports, the galley went also. I plan to replace the countertop with a piece of composite, maybe acrylic or some type of cornian, with a shallow double sink, pressure water. With everything tore out, the design is wide open.
Stove: For a stove I have been exploring induction cooking. In my house boat I remodeled my galley and installed a twin burner 110v electric ceramic/glass cooktop I never looked back. It was great at the dock; off the hook I used a Magna gas grill. Because the house boat was in the slip for daily living, the cooktop was a clean surface to cook on, easy to maintain, looked sharp. Not too expensive. I recently started looking at induction cooking, exploring the idea of what it would take to run a single induction burner (they call it a "hob") at the dock and off the grid. I located a 1300w induction hob that can be built-in. I'm thinking of putting this in the countertop where the opening for the counter ice box used to be. I'd open up the cabinet face for ventilation of course. I recently experimented with the NuWave induction model and it fried and egg in 4 minutes, cooked 5 pieces of bacon in eight. From living aboard so long, I have a very good idea of how and what I cook so I know how long it might be used off the hook, and I think I know the power demands via an inverter. If I can't run it off grid, I will have a backup stove that I can put on the counter for those days away from the dock.
Refrigerator: I'm looking at a Indel Webasto Isotherm Cruise EL 85 refrigerator 12v. I plan to mount it on a knee high cabinet just forward of new head bulkhead.
Sink: I'm looking for a stainless double sink smaller than 25" wide. I've layed out the proposed galley and of course nothing fits. First issue is the proposed double sink at 25x17. It would be huge.
Stove: For a stove I have been exploring induction cooking. In my house boat I remodeled my galley and installed a twin burner 110v electric ceramic/glass cooktop I never looked back. It was great at the dock; off the hook I used a Magna gas grill. Because the house boat was in the slip for daily living, the cooktop was a clean surface to cook on, easy to maintain, looked sharp. Not too expensive. I recently started looking at induction cooking, exploring the idea of what it would take to run a single induction burner (they call it a "hob") at the dock and off the grid. I located a 1300w induction hob that can be built-in. I'm thinking of putting this in the countertop where the opening for the counter ice box used to be. I'd open up the cabinet face for ventilation of course. I recently experimented with the NuWave induction model and it fried and egg in 4 minutes, cooked 5 pieces of bacon in eight. From living aboard so long, I have a very good idea of how and what I cook so I know how long it might be used off the hook, and I think I know the power demands via an inverter. If I can't run it off grid, I will have a backup stove that I can put on the counter for those days away from the dock.
Refrigerator: I'm looking at a Indel Webasto Isotherm Cruise EL 85 refrigerator 12v. I plan to mount it on a knee high cabinet just forward of new head bulkhead.
Sink: I'm looking for a stainless double sink smaller than 25" wide. I've layed out the proposed galley and of course nothing fits. First issue is the proposed double sink at 25x17. It would be huge.
In the far right is a Fagor induction cooktop. But I returned it due to the cord coming out the back making counter installation impossible. Finding an induction cooktop the right size/cost/ wattage/reliable has proved impossible. You see some of my measurement notations. A 25x19 RV sink is too big. The next smallest is 25x17. But even that is huge. May have to give up on the double sink idea all together. Original idea was for cooktop to go where icebox was, but sizing limits what will fit and it's just too cramped. Double sink has to fit such that the drains fall within the left wide open galley cabinet. And it cant be more than 6" deepProblem is not the sink cutout. It's how much the sink overlaps above. What I really need is a double sink that's about 20x 15"
DIY Boat Counter-tops
I decided to bite the billet and purchased solid surface material from solidsurface.com. I chose a pattern called Kona Livingston for $300 which is a nice dark gray/black with chunks of quartz looking speckles. You need one sheet which is approx 33"x120". The material comes in 1/2" thickness and you can cut with wood working tools. If you hunt their site often you can find sheets of solid surface for under $300, different pieces come up for sale at different times.
The solid surface cuts easily with a jig saw. I used a 1/4" round over bit on each side of the forward edges to give a nice edge. The counter tops polish up without much trouble. I ended up with a semi-gloss finish and I have to say I'm impressed with my DIY skills. I'd never done anything like this before, but YouTube has all the info you'll need. I'll mount the counter tops a little later, as I want to be able to ensure cabinets shelves are done and plumbing basics are run.
One thing you learn from living aboard, is it can be tough keeping dishes clean over an extended period of time. This is especially complicated by a single bowl sink (which holds LESS than a double bowl). When I lived aboard my classic sailboat for almost a year, I never gave this much thought. But frankly I ate away a lot. When I lived aboard the other boat for 4 years it was much more obvious.
The best way to keep dishes clean, is with a dedicated bowl with super hot soapy water and another for rinsing. Over time I came to miss the piece of mind of even a dishwasher to properly clean and sterilize dishes, something we often take for granted. In a weekend cruiser situation or short term live aboard situation you don't notice this as you leave the boat and forget about your dishes till the next visit. But day after day of cheesy burrito mixes, bacon sandwiches and stir fry --cleaning dishes and having clean utensils is a absolute priority. Depth of sink is less important to size of bowl as it allows you to wash normal sized dishes without making a mess. Unfortunately I couldn't find a reasonably priced double bowl bellow the 22" size,even when searching RV specialty sites.
The best way to keep dishes clean, is with a dedicated bowl with super hot soapy water and another for rinsing. Over time I came to miss the piece of mind of even a dishwasher to properly clean and sterilize dishes, something we often take for granted. In a weekend cruiser situation or short term live aboard situation you don't notice this as you leave the boat and forget about your dishes till the next visit. But day after day of cheesy burrito mixes, bacon sandwiches and stir fry --cleaning dishes and having clean utensils is a absolute priority. Depth of sink is less important to size of bowl as it allows you to wash normal sized dishes without making a mess. Unfortunately I couldn't find a reasonably priced double bowl bellow the 22" size,even when searching RV specialty sites.
Building the Galley Refrigerator Stand
My galley remodel called for an approximate 3 cubic foot 12v refrigerator (something like a Isotherm Cruise 90), mounted on a stand along the bulkhead where the old v-berth dinette and bench seat were once located. Under the refrigerator stand would be a cupboard for large cooking pots and pans, as well as drawer for cooking utensils. The refrigerator would be bolted to the top of the stand, and on the top of the refrigerator a small microwave.
I built the refrigerator stand out of 1/2" PVC foam board (Celtec/Sintra). PVC foam board a rigid PVC composite similar to PVC trim molding but more dimensionally stable. Its commonly sold under the trade names Celtec or Sintra and it comes in thicknesses ranging from 1/8" to 1.5". Its lighter than wood, and a perfect substitute for small projects such a simple cabinets, doors, and seat backs. I've had success in the past using the material with West System epoxy and dry wall screws. Once the epoxy sets. I remove the screws, fill the holes, and lay in a fiberglass fillet in the joint for strength. When the whole thing is assembled, I can then go back over the exterior edges using a 1/4" round over bit and a trim router. This gives the edges of the cabinet a nice soft curve which matches the interior pan liner of the Albin 27. Once painted, the cabinet is screwed and glued directly into the bulkhead and v-berth storage bin.
I built the refrigerator stand out of 1/2" PVC foam board (Celtec/Sintra). PVC foam board a rigid PVC composite similar to PVC trim molding but more dimensionally stable. Its commonly sold under the trade names Celtec or Sintra and it comes in thicknesses ranging from 1/8" to 1.5". Its lighter than wood, and a perfect substitute for small projects such a simple cabinets, doors, and seat backs. I've had success in the past using the material with West System epoxy and dry wall screws. Once the epoxy sets. I remove the screws, fill the holes, and lay in a fiberglass fillet in the joint for strength. When the whole thing is assembled, I can then go back over the exterior edges using a 1/4" round over bit and a trim router. This gives the edges of the cabinet a nice soft curve which matches the interior pan liner of the Albin 27. Once painted, the cabinet is screwed and glued directly into the bulkhead and v-berth storage bin.
The completed refrigerator cabinet turned out nicer than I expected. For the moment I just mounted it in place temporarily. Because I anticipate needing to get behind the cabinet to run electrical wiring, I decided to hold off mounting it permanently. When its finally completed the cabinet will be 3m5200 in place and everything touched up with white paint.
Galley and V-berth Storage Bins
You can never have too much storage on a twenty-seven foot boat. One thing I learned from living aboard was it paid to make use of every nook and cranny-- every space filled with dead air, no matter how unusual the shape . It didn't take me long to realize, there was wasted space under the cabin top in the forward v-berth. Some Albin 25's and Albin 27's make use of this space with shallow shelves which run the length of each side of the v-berth. But these aren't very useful unless you have a lot of canned good you want prominently displayed. Some Albin 27's came with a small shelf on the anchor locker bulkhead, which was just about big enough to hold a book and/or a small alarm clock. I personally debated adding storage netting to the sides of the v-berth walls, but it just didn't seem to be enough storage.
When I lived on my houseboat, I remembered it had these great overhead shelving units, that ran the length of each side of the sleeping cabin. There made of horrible 70's fake-wood-formica press board with sliding doors. But they were long, and 10-12" deep, and you could cram a truck load of sweaters, pants, and lingerie in those shelving units. Hey sometimes its more comfortable to wear lingerie than sweats, or so I've been told. LOL
When I lived on my houseboat, I remembered it had these great overhead shelving units, that ran the length of each side of the sleeping cabin. There made of horrible 70's fake-wood-formica press board with sliding doors. But they were long, and 10-12" deep, and you could cram a truck load of sweaters, pants, and lingerie in those shelving units. Hey sometimes its more comfortable to wear lingerie than sweats, or so I've been told. LOL