Icebox hinges and galley lighting

Jeff_McKinney · March 14, 2006, 06:59:20 AM

Joe,

I'll try to get some pix on here this week.

see: http://c34.org/bbs/index.php?topic=2805.0

Stu Jackson · November 05, 2006, 12:42:29 PM

This is about galley lighting

Susan's lighting fixtures look great (see the first page of this thread).

On our Mark I the original fixture lamp started to finally give out. I went to a local hardware store and asked for a replacement lamp. They gave me one and I checked the shelf from which he'd grabbed it, since there was another tube right next to it in a different color box.

The one he gave me was cool white. The other one was warm white.

I switched and selected the warm white fluorescent lamp.

WHAT A DIFFERENCE!!!

The old lamp did indeed, make people look green, and was just horrible lighting. We'd earlier installed additional lighting above the galley and the saloon table. See Projects: http://www.c34.org/projects/projects-aquavite.html

So, if you don't want to install new fixtures, just replace the old lamp, which was cool white on our boat, with a warm white lamp. October 2006 price: a whopping $9.95!!!

Craig Illman · February 24, 2007, 08:46:02 PM

All - I was up at the boat yesterday and this morning. I was thinking of doing the hinges on the icebox lid, but I have a flourescent light under the cabinet just above it. If I hinge the lid, it blocks the light. I see what Susan has done, what have others done to illuminate the bottom of the icebox? It's pretty dark in the evening down there!

Craig

Stu Jackson · February 25, 2007, 02:52:49 PM

Craig, seems the fridge is almost always in the dark. The OEM fluorescent light is usually at too much of an angle to get much light into the box, with or without the hinged lid. The only "solution" I have seen for the Mark I interiors is to build the shelf that is installed on the Mark IIs with a light below it directly into the fridge. Our light, shown in the referenced post in the thread above, which is directly over the galley sink, does give us some spill light.

We've found the ease and actually safety of the hinged lid is much better than needing to have a little light into the fridge, so when we have to we use flashlights. We have two in the main cabin, one on each side in the little wells inboard of the black plastic tracks - holds a 2 D cell light quite firmly. Always right there when we need it.

I leave the beer on the top

I suppose one could easily rig up a light in the fridge.

Craig Illman · February 25, 2007, 03:00:44 PM

Well, I guess it's another use for the led headlamp, but when I tip my head back to use my bifocals, the beam goes awry! I'm not sure the spouse will go for the headlamp. I guess I need to get her opinion on hinges. Thanks for the feedback, now will you send some of that warm California weather up here? We had a 60 deg. day last Saturday, but it's back to winter up here again.

Craig

Ron Hill · February 25, 2007, 07:17:35 PM

Craig : 19 years ago I took the OEM florescent light and moved it slightly forward and outboard, and added a second one over the stove. We have plenty of light!!

Ken Juul · March 04, 2007, 04:31:20 PM

finally found the pictures. Mk 1.5, 1990 build. Spring pin hinges and cup hook to hold lid open.

Jeff_McKinney · March 14, 2007, 12:04:01 PM

Joe,

After trying the hinges on the back side of the lid, the admiral complained that it was still to hard to pull open as I had neglected to install a handle near the edge closest to the sink. After doing that and trying it last season the consensus (read: she said) is that it's still better to pull the lid all the way off anytime we go past the top layer. It's just too hard to get anything bigger than a 6" x 8" object out easily as the insulated portion gets in the way.

I reconsidered moving the hinges to the short side (forward end) but the dish rack and cabinet configuration interfere. There is also the ordeal of another set of holes for the hinges & handle, rigging another catch to keep it up, and filling in the first set of holes.

Further research is required.

Stu Jackson · April 03, 2007, 12:14:16 PM

Here are some pictures of our ice box hinge with the hatch holder and the "softer" warm white fluorescent lamp in the OEM galley light. We'd already added lighting above the galley sink and saloon table as shown on the Projects page.

The distance that the fridge top goes back to meet the edge of the teak below the shelf can be adjusted by the placement of the hatch holders. It's a one handed operation. We set it as far as possible and get some light into the fridge, which also makes the access easier since the lid is open as far as it can go.

For a picture of a Mark II installation, see: http://c34.org/bbs/index.php?topic=4499.0#lastPost