| One of the
first things my wife Pat noticed after we purchased Weal Sea
was that there was no paper towel holder in the galley.
“Humm…where to put those bulky rolls?”
My solution was a “removable” towel holder that could be
mounted over the fiddle on the edge of the shelf along the
starboard side of the boat or the back of galley counter top.
Since it’s removable and partially collapsible, the holder
is easy to store when guests come on board (unless, of course,
you want to show-off you handy work).
This simple one-afternoon project involves making a wooden
base on which you mount a plastic holder for a roll of paper
towels with collapsible sides for storage. The plastic towel
holders themselves are available from Wal-Mart, Home Depot or
your other favorite sailboat supplies store for $5 or less.
For the base, you’ll need a piece of wood measuring 2 ½”
x ¾” x 36”. I used a scrap piece of clear pine. Photos of
the wooden base with the plastic towel holder attached and
plans / drawing are shown below. I assembled the base with
brass wood screws and stained it to match the wood trim of the
salon using a maple stain. You can use a clear varnish or
polyurethane to give it a finishing touch if you wish.
Finally, attach the plastic towel holder to the wood base with
SS fasteners, insert a roll of paper towels, and slip the base
over the shelf fiddle.... that’s it!
Click on pictures to get full size image.
Before you start cutting… a few comments on
“measurements” are warranted. Much of the cabinetry and
wood trim in the Catalina’s salon-galley are standard in
size. However, some pieces are custom cut. All measurements in
the drawing shown here are for my boat. Since the towel holder
is designed to slip over the fiddle on the edge of the shelf
on the starboard side of the salon (see photo), you’ll need
to double-check (1) the width of the space between the
fiddle and bulkhead (hull) cabinet to obtain the measurement
for the bottom of the base of the towel holder (“B”
in drawing = 1 1/4”), and (2) the width and height of
the fiddle for the notch in the base (“N” in
drawing = 1 3/8” and 3/4”). If you also want to be able to
mount the towel holder on the fiddle attached to the back of
the galley counter, you’ll need to check the distance from
the top of this fiddle to the counter surface, and adjust the
length of the “lip” of the notch appropriately (“ * ”
in drawing = 7/8"). It is important that this “lip”
makes contact with the counter surface and that the width of
the notch matches the width of the fiddle -- you want a snug
fit. If it’s not snug, the towel holder will rock
forward and fall onto the counter.
Dan Harrington
"Weal Sea" #1289
Important: The opinions expressed here are those
of the individual contributors to this page, and not those of
the Catalina 34 National Association or Catalina Yachts, Inc.
Additionally, this material has not been reviewed by Catalina
Yachts, Inc. for technical accuracy. This page's maintainer
cannot guarantee the accuracy of this information or the
desirability of suggested modifications or upgrades. Please
obtain assistance from a competent marine mechanic or boatyard
prior to making any significant modifications to your vessel. |
