Ikea Hack of the galley on our 1947 32' Monk
We decided we needed to remove the galley from the old boat and re-arrange to to make it better fit our needs, upgrade to propane, replace the rusted sink and get better use of the space in the galley area. Only thing to do is rip the whole thing out and start again.
Above is the old galley before molestation. Below is the Domjso sink I bought to replace the old rusted stainless steel bar sink that came with the Monk.
The small cutout in the Formica top is the size of the old sink, not very large. The Domsjo is large and deep and heavy.
Above and below - the old galley bulkhead pieces are removed and reassembled in my garage to use as templates for the new galley. I used MDF to mock up a new counter top before I cut the $100 piece of mahogany I will use as the final top. No Formica on this boat any longer!
Above and below - I bought three 12" Ikea drawer packs for about $20 each, they have excellent runners, much better than the wood blocks previously used to jam the drawers in place. those old wood drawers were bad.
Below - you can see how the curvature of the hull starts to narrow down at the front (right side of the photo).
Below - very nice Ikea drawer runners, very sturdy. They have a dampening and spring-loaded closing action will means I don't need any other type of external lock to prevent them opening from the action of the waves rolling the boat.
Below - Ikea faucet installed. Once completely mocked up in the garage, the galley will be reassembled down in Tacoma where the boats sits in her slip on the Foss Waterway.
Below - with the galley reassembled in the boat, the sink is set in place using 3M 5200 Marine Adhesive. This white goo, when set, will not release this sink from the counter top for love nor money, incredibly strong.
Below - I made my own drawer fronts from mahogany boards I had laying around, the Ikea drawer front fasteners come with the drawer packs.
Using a 1 3/8" Forstner bit, I drill holes for the Ikea door hinges for the vertical under-sink doors.
Below - door hinges in place.
Below - the galley is fully assembled - only waiting for 5 more coats of varnish and varnished drawer fronts and under-sink doors.
Above - I made a new mahogany door for the fridge, it's getting final coats of varnish, below - the drawer fronts and doors are getting hardware and a final coat of varnish prior to installation today down on the boat.
But first - it's time for a cruise. Renee likes to drive.
Below - we installed the new drawer fronts and fridge door. The under-sink doors are still at home with the final coat of varnish drying.
Before we apply another coat of varnish to the galley structure and counter-top, we go for a Sunday cruise out into Commencement Bay. We pass this Crowley tug (below) as we make our way out of the Foss Waterway in Tacoma.
Above - our berth area on the left, working tug and barge renovating the wharf as we head out into the bay.
Above - headed towards old Tacoma on another beautiful Puget Sound Day in late October.
Above - looking back to the Tacoma docklands skyline, the pulp mill on the right churning out steam and the container port on the left of the photo.
Above - the amount of room we gained by rearranging the galley is amazing. Much nicer inside the cabin now.
Above - Foss tug pulling a log boom out of Commencement Bay. Below - the first of many coats of varnish on the galley structure and countertop.
Above - with the Ikea drawers and lower hatch open, and below with drawers closed. On our test run in the bay, the drawers and hatch remained closed without additional locking devices. We're very pleased with that.
Next weekend, after this coat of varnish dries, we'll sand with 220 and apply another. Usually takes about five to eight coats of varnish to get the flat, glass-like look we favor.