# Midships galley? Pros/Cons



## 71Seafer34 (Jun 19, 2013)

We've reached an impass in the re-design of our Seafarer 34 and need input. Basically the problem is the galley and making it work with the other features we demand in the layout of our vessels cabin. Most ships our size have the galley crammed into the quarter of the ship and while this is efficient for multiple reasons it is also tight, and I am 6'4". Additionally the hull design of our ship rakes the hull curvature into a bit of a canoe stern so there is precious little flat sole area as you get into the quarters. AND the engine covers footprint is large, I have made every attempt to shrink it but the prop tube is where it is. So, that said we designed a galley that would reside midship, with the main counter housing the stove and ice box running along the starboard hull. The galley sink is central to aid in drainage when heeled and is in a tradition location. Here are the benefits of our design as I see them:

1.)Two full 6' 4" quarter berths 
2.)full size chart table integrated into starboard berth and protected in nook along with electronics
3.) large counter space with plenty of room to dodge spills and falling knives
4.) open feel to cabin, food prep easier more enjoyable
5.)salon features convertible dinette to serve as two person berth for port stops, vessel preserves 6 full berths two of which are sought after quarters for rough seas
6.) We have not lost any storage space and we are happy with the design to our eye

AND the cons or concessions:

1.) we give up seating space facing each other in the salon for entertaining
2.) maybe we do not need all the counter space
3.) we may be going to far from tradition and hurting resale value down the road??!!

I am looking for input on whether this has design merit, and whether or not this would appeal down the road to a potential buyer? That is very important because I like to have options and if this is a terrible design that no one will want than that is a problem; I do not want to hurt resale in a big way. I have heard some complain over lack of usable counter space so maybe this is a plus? I am not sure we will do much entertaining on this vessel, but it is always nice to have the option. This boat is a live aboard for two people as we plan on coastal cruising and maybe a skip across the Atlantic at some point. We have done our best to make the most out of our ships hull and architecture, she is an older design but we love her and want to strike fair compromises where we can. Please see our album to see the layout, cannot upload directly to this right now. THANKS in advance for any constructive input.

http://www.sailnet.com/forums/members/71seafer34-albums-seafarer-34-project-cont-picture3689-20-24-inches-between-dinette-sink-bumpout.html

http://www.sailnet.com/forums/members/71seafer34-albums-seafarer-34-project-cont-picture3681-dinette-right-forum-layout-open-suggestions-before-finalizing-please-help-http-www-sailnet-com-forums-cruising-liveaboard-forum-107097-midships-galley-pros-cons-html-post1145305.html

http://www.sailnet.com/forums/members/71seafer34-albums-seafarer-34-project-cont-picture3494-proposed-rough-dimension-new-galley-sink-may-extended-further-into-midships-things-progress-after-reading-lot-about-drainage-flood-issues-when-heeled-over-we-decided-midships-sink-way-go-will-also-good-brace-using-stove-coming-down-companionway.html


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## deltaten (Oct 10, 2012)

'71;
While you only have a 10'beam; SBD sez ya have quite a large-ish dinette/booth to Port and a bit (!) of settee to Stbd. That is where ya wanna put the galley, no?
I've been aboard an old Columbia (?) that had a nice, linear galley to STBD and a LOT less sole and beam that looked like it would work...so I don't see an issue...other than the obvious you state.

If ya like cookin' more'n kibbitzin'........yer golden!


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## Faster (Sep 13, 2005)

I think your intended 'edge of counter top' 'stick' line is too far outboard (and top too narrow) to be useful.. and the galley slave will be 'standing' on the rising part of the hull at a natural distance from it. Also, making typical use of the under-deck/against the hull space for convenient cubbies would leave very little countertop left over..

If you move it inboard say 4 - 6 inches you'll gain a lot of storage and it might be more comfortable to work there.


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## 71Seafer34 (Jun 19, 2013)

Yeah the stick is in a rough location to illustrate the overall idea, should be moved out further. There was another con that came to mind; steam evacuation while cooking. I think we can live with ventilating out of a port light and a fan circulating the air, can't have too much humidity cruising the Caribbean sea after all...ha. I have not seen this layout in many other vessels, we were wondering if its a detractor for the potential sailboat consumer in general?


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## denverd0n (Jun 20, 2008)

71Seafer34 said:


> I do not want to hurt resale in a big way.


That ship has already sailed. When you completely redesign the interior to fit your needs... Well, it fits YOUR needs. The average buyer who is looking for a Seafarer 34, is looking for a Seafarer 34. They are not looking for a Seafarer 34 that has been rebuilt to the specific wants and needs of one particular person.

If you are concerned about resale value, then leave the boat as the designer designed it, and the builder built it.

Since you're already past that, build it the way that will best suit you and forget about resale value. Accept the fact that--come resale time--you are going to have to price it to appeal to that particular buyer who just happens to have the same tastes as you, rather than for the general mass of potential buyers out there.

Good luck to you, whatever you end up doing.


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## 71Seafer34 (Jun 19, 2013)

considering that the original owner bought a hull and fitted it out using non marine ply wood with single layer tabbing on all bulkheads I would say that anything is an improvement. If a bunch of experienced sailors on this site told us that it was insane to give up the midship seating in lieu of a spacious kitchen we would take that under advisement because we have not committed to this design yet. Alternatively if a number of people were thrilled with the idea of having a galley counter bigger than a shoe closet and felt like this was a great upgrade over what most factory boats offer than that would also be helpful input. It seems that the trend out of the factories starting in the 70s was an arms race in number of berths as an advertising point. In the end we know adding anything to a production factory built boat changes your perspective buyer interest down the road, but if you change something in a way that makes it totally unappealing to the general masses than that may not be a great idea. If I can put it another way; does anyone out there feel burdened or cramped by the quarters galley layout? If you could would you expand your galley? We have not cruised or lived aboard so we are asking those who have.


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## Faster (Sep 13, 2005)

I think a linear galley can work, esp at anchor.. maybe not so much at sea. But a proper U shaped galley that's useful, effective and usable at sea requires space that the average 30ish footer can't provide.

I'd say if YOU"RE OK with the loss of seating, down the road you'll appreciate the larger galley, though if extended passages are in the cards, finding a way to secure the cook in a seaway will be more challenging.


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## JimPendoley (Jan 17, 2005)

I live aboard a 32 Pearson Vanguard with a dinette to port and a starboard linear galley. Works great, gives a lot more cooking area and food prep and storage area than an aft galley in the same design. Really enjoy it a lot. The con is lack of a good seating area to starboard. Not a huge deal for me as I single hand a lot and have two good quarterberths-but something to consider.


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## miatapaul (Dec 15, 2006)

Resale? You can't really worry about that at all, these boats don't have enough value to worry too much about that. Make the boat meet your needs and enjoy it. Feel lucky if you can sell it when you decide to move up. If you are thinking of flipping the boat, well with the work you have done, you have already lost money. 

The biggest issue I have is with an apposing dinette on once side you don't have anyplace to really lean back and relax, and you don't have much to brace against when cooking. Bracing is only an issue if you plan on cooking underway a lot but U shaped galleys are just very efficient and safe to work in. The U Shaped galley tends to keep everyone out of my space when cooking too and that is nice.

This galley layout is I think called "California layout" if I recall. Not all that uncommon. Tartan offered it on the 30 and I think lots of Columbias offered them. Some folks love them, others don't. Many of the West Coast builders seemed to use this layout, not sure why.


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## misfits (Dec 9, 2011)

I think what you're doing is pretty cool. 
Set the boat up the way you want it & don't worry about resale value or what others think. On my 28 I shortened up the starboard berth to extend the galley & make room for a stove/oven & microwave. Some of the purist were tripping out about it, who cares.


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## miatapaul (Dec 15, 2006)

denverd0n said:


> That ship has already sailed. When you completely redesign the interior to fit your needs... Well, it fits YOUR needs. The average buyer who is looking for a Seafarer 34, is looking for a Seafarer 34. They are not looking for a Seafarer 34 that has been rebuilt to the specific wants and needs of one particular person.
> 
> If you are concerned about resale value, then leave the boat as the designer designed it, and the builder built it.
> 
> ...


Well the boat was originally a "kit" boat so there was no original design. And do you mean that his ship as already sailed, that it has already depreciated all it will, I agree. Early 70's boats have essentially zero value anyway and get crushed all the time because they are hard to sell or even give away. It may be harder to sell a customized boat, but he is not looking to reduce the usability much and it does not sound like the original fit out was very high quality anyway. I looked at an Seafarer 34 once, but it was way to gone for me to try to bring back.


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## mad_machine (Dec 16, 2012)

it's interesting that a lot of boats came with the option of either an amidships galley or a stern quarter galley.. and most of the ones you see out there have the latter.

I personally like the stern quarter galley's, it frees up more of the boat for "living" but I think if properly thought out and done, your amidships galley could work well


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## CLOSECALL (Dec 11, 2012)

We have the midships galley in our 1966 30 ft Pearson and it works well for preparing meals. Generally when we have guests we spend our time in the cockpit so table space is not a big deal.


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## 71Seafer34 (Jun 19, 2013)

Entertaining falls somewhere on the list; I can see us doing it but it will be seldom. I agree with being on deck in the cockpit. I would rather us both be comfortable, we enjoy cooking plus I'm just two damn big to fit anywhere else. When we consider value it is based on the fact that we got this boat with brand new sails and a number of other new gadgets and appliances for the price of the new sails. Truly everything is being replaced, as if this were a kit boat again. Given the hull build quality as I see it and the well thought out features I think this boat will end up appealing to buyers should we choose to sell down the road. After some useful posts on here and more research I see that our option is viable and I think it is the best. Everyone has their own preference in the end. Thanks for the input and feel free to keep it coming


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## Lurking and Looking (Sep 17, 2013)

I've looked at a couple of boats with midship galleys... Pacific Seacraft Orion 27 for one... Has the "feeling" of a lot more room than it really has and even has a "real' Nav station in it, not a bad design for 27 footer... 

The question also crossed my mind about using it while under way...

But as a liveaboard - It wins hands down, a lot more (usable) counter space then with a U-shaped galley.


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## Group9 (Oct 3, 2010)

I have a linear galley, amidships of the salon, on my 42 foot sailboat. It is the one feature I really don't like on the boat. It's great at anchor or in a slip, but a really bad design for being used while under way.


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## svHyLyte (Nov 13, 2008)

Our former yacht, a 1976 Cal 2-29, was fitted with a galley along the starboard side. While we had a swinging stove that could be used under way without difficulty, bracing oneself could be problematic. To overcome this, and for protection in front of the stove, I had a 1" stainless steel rail made up that ran the length of the galley. With this, we used a "fanny belt" that basically wrapped around one's hips, held in place with an adjustable buckle, and had two adjustable straps with Carabiner clips on the ends that could be snapped over the rail. With that, one could lean back, on either tack, and work with both hands, preparing and cooking food as necessary. The counter top was fitted with 3" tall sea rails to keep items from sliding off and we kept a couple of soft woven rubber mats about the size of a place mats rolled up in the cabinet under the side deck that could be unrolled and made good non-skid pads when necessary. Because the sink would not drain too well when deeply heeled on a port tack, we had a small plastic basin that fit into the sink to collect waste water that could simply be dumped in the head and pumped overboard. The arrangement actually worked pretty well for us once one became accustomed and comfortable with the fanny belt (which we kept an now use on our current yacht).

FWIW...


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