Flat Screen TV Galley Shelf

'By Tyler Combs, Enchante #616

I designed and built a shelf over the galley sink that includes a stainless vertical support for a Flat Panel Monitor/TV that rotates 270deg. It can be seen from the aft stateroom for movies/TV, also from the main cabin and cockpit. It can be used as a chart plotter for all electronics while at the helm. It was one of the best upgrades I have done in my 12 years of living aboard and was only possible due to the new technology that is available. Flat panel monitors have a standardized "VESA" mount on the back. I used a Flat piece of sheet metal to attach to the monitor. I then attached standard 1" rail and bimini parts to the pole so that it would swivel vertically a few degrees and horizontally rotate on the pole (see pictures). The pole is screwed to the overhead and covered with a piece of teak wood to conceal the screws. It is done in a similar fashion to attach to the sink after cutting a hole in the sink for the wires to pass thru. The shelf is mahogany, ($20 verses 60 for teak) it is about 5.5ft long and approx. 6 inch's wide 1/2". A rough cut is fine as you buy the teak molding to fit around it and it finish's quite nicely. To fit it to the bulkhead it has a slot cut in it and is simply "T" fitted to the vertical support at the Galley bulkhead. The stain is MinWax Gel Mahogany, wipe on/wipe off and it will match your interior perfectly with little effort. It sure works for me. Gave me more space, better visibility for entertainment and navigation and I enjoy having the small but functional shelf also.

Click images to enlarge Completed galley shelf with TV Overhead attachment point Base attachment point at sink Bulkhead attachment point Back of TV mount