Al & Michele's Catalina 34

Hull #55 "Kindred Spirit"
Upgrades and Articles


E-Mail me if you have any questions at (alwsail@aol.com)

Installing New LP Gas Stove, Drawer and Microwave where the old alcohol stove / oven was.

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Stove-top & Microwave
 waiting to be installed
Installed but missing moldings & SS plate on right wall New Drawer

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Review of the reasons for making this change!

Over the years, we have had boats that utilized propane as a fuel source for the galley stove. Yes, it has always been a problem finding the proper storage areas for the tanks.
"Kindred Spirit" came equipped with a nice (it is for sale for $50) Seaward model #21022 J-4 alcohol stove/oven unit. We found and others have mentioned, that the flames at the start-up can remove your eyebrows.  It only has to happen once to the first mate once and it is the captain's job forever to light the stove. Since we never use the oven and we have the inverter that would run a microwave.
So let's see if the stove-top & the microwave can be done in the same area, and MAYBE, the first mate will be able to make the captain coffee if he / she sleeps in. What could be simpler, turn the solenoid switch on for the gas, turn the burner on, and the smell of fresh coffee fills the yacht. 
Due to a slight mis-calculation (size) while ordering the stove top, we now have a non-gimbaled counter mounted stove top. My intentions were to fix the microwave and gimbal the stove top but as we rationalized it we decided that NOT ONCE did we ever use the stove in any of our boats on a gimbaled angle. I would never request that someone go below and cook when I am having the time of my life sailing over five foot wave and 20 knot winds....crackers and cheese will do! Remember this is a coastal cruiser!

Microwave

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Shelves & Drawer Microwave Shelf Installed Microwave Installed

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After removing the old stove, tank and hose parts, I measured for a shelf that would hold the microwave. These measurements were taken at the level of the bottom of the old stove so that we would still have room for pots and pans under the microwave.
I then took some teak and made a frame to make it look built-in. I ended the frame at the top of the microwave to leave room for the gimbaled stove top. As I stated above we decided on a drawer for this area and a fixed stovetop.
The frame and shelf for the microwave were installed along with a new 110v GFIC plug. Note that openings were made in the shelf where possible to reduce weight.

 

Drawer-Unit

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Installed with Frame Drawer In Drawer Out

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Now that we decided on a fixed stove-top the remaining room below it can be a great 18" x 18" silverware drawer. I built a shelf to cover the top of the microwave and mounted supports to hold the drawer runners. The drawer was shifted to the left to make sure it did not hit the frame for the aft cabin doorway. I then built a drawer to fit and added a teak front.

Propane Stove Top

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Installed but missing moldings & SS plate on right wall 3-Burner propane Stove-Top

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With minor cutting to make the counter opening deeper and a couple of side supports the stove top dropped right in.....well, maybe a couple of hours later, making it fit right, and drilling for and fitting the gas line.

 

Propane Locker

I am installing a propane vented and sealed locker under the aft cockpit transom seat. This part of the project involves crawling into the storage area and taking measurements....hope I don't get stuck there!

 

Al and Michele #55 "Kindred Spirit"


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