Sea Sprite 28

Cosmetically, there was nothing wrong with the galley when I first bought the boat. However, the white formica face of the cabinet was rotting from the inside, and it was very soft. The entire cabinet really needed to be rebuilt.

I removed the old butcher block formica using a heat gun and a metal yardstick. I had sharpened one end of the yardstick to help separate the formica from the plywood.

I removed it in one piece, which allowed me to use it as a template for the new covering.

Years of moisture had also rotted a section of the plywood base. I cut out that section using my Rotozip and fitted a new piece of marine-grade plywood. I fastened the piece to the fiberglass top with stainless steel screws.

Here's the new piece of formica, fitted, but not yet glued in place.

I painted the back and side of the cabinet area with a coat of oil-based interior paint over a coat of oil-based primer.

I then applied contact cement to the plywood base and the new piece of formica, placed six long wooden dowels on the plywood, set the formica on the dowels, and then carefully removed the dowels, one at a time, moving from right to left.

Here's the new "cabinet," ready to be installed.

It's made of solid teak...

...and the dividers are fastened with brass screws, which will allow me to change the position of the dividers.

There are also plastic spacers throughout, which will let water pass underneath the teak without getting it wet.

And the cabinet is attached to the base with wing nuts and lock washers. This will allow me to easily remove the cabinet if I need unobstructed access to the deck-hardware fasteners.

Here it is, installed. I'll probably apply a few more coats of Epiphanes, which should "redden" the teak.

The stove is old, but it still works and looks great.