Port or Starboard galley?

prv said:
Indeed in my actual (as opposed to fantasy) boat the other side of the engine is against the heads and there is no hatch, presumably for reasons of waterproofing.
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In my boat, the heads is against the engine compartment, to port, and there's a waterproof access hatch on the wall of the shower compartment. Would be easy to add if you think you'll ever need access to the alternator, etc.

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pvb said:
In my boat, the heads is against the engine compartment, to port, and there's a waterproof access hatch on the wall of the shower compartment. Would be easy to add if you think you'll ever need access to the alternator, etc.
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I might not have been clear - it's the oil-and-fuel side of my engine that's against the heads bulkhead. And it's sort of behind the Jabsco itself, so a hatch like that wouldn't be able to open and would be tricky to work through even if it could.

There is just about enough room to do the necessary work reaching down the side from the front, though it would be hard to avoid spilling fuel or oil when removing old filters. Hence why I removed the fuel filter housing (as on many engines, it's only bolted in place and connected by rubber hoses) and put it on the bulkhead next to the primaries. I also fitted a remote kit to put the oil filter just inside the access hatch and mounted vertically so that it doesn't spill when removed. I modified the dipstick tube to point forwards instead of up because the calorifier is just above the engine and it was awkward to reach. And I clipped a length of PVC tubing to the sump drain and ran it over to the hatch, where I can connect the wide tube of a Pela sucker to extract the oil.

There's a GRP splashback and tray under the fuel filters which I won't bore regulars with yet another picture of, and hooks to hold a zip-lock bag for the oil filter to drop into followed by any drips. With all that plus a Speed Seal on the water pump, regular servicing is a very quick and clean job.

I suppose what I've just proved is that service points on the engine needn't dictate cabin layout after all :p

Pete
 
My layout is not surprisingly is the same as pvb's. You only appreciate the access if you have the misfortune to need to remove the starter motor.
 
BlowingOldBoots said:
I am right handed so prefer port.
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No one has taken me up on this point. Firstly, why should preparing meal underway be more important than navigating underway when it comes to the collision regulations, especially when most voyages are crewed and a watch can be maintained? I would have thought that navigating and being on starboard tack would be more important if this was the determining factor in galley position.

Rather, perhaps there is a bias at work. Handedness plays a role in design and subconscious choice and as most people are right handed then a bias to the right could be expected. Lots of stuff on the internet about this. I propose that the chart table was far more important to the yacht designer of yesteryear than the galley and therefore a subconscious acceptance that the starboard side, to the right, was where it should be placed. Now, with the galley taking prominence over chart tables in modern yacht design, the galley moves to the right. My hypothesis could be nonsense but bias is real and observable.
 
Maurice Griffith on the layout of yacht Storm: “...a convenient sized galley to port (recommended side so that it is usable when the ship is riding hove-to on starboard tack in heavy weather),…..”
 
BlowingOldBoots said:
No one has taken me up on this point. Firstly, why should preparing meal underway be more important than navigating underway when it comes to the collision regulations, especially when most voyages are crewed and a watch can be maintained? I would have thought that navigating and being on starboard tack would be more important if this was the determining factor in galley position.

Rather, perhaps there is a bias at work. Handedness plays a role in design and subconscious choice and as most people are right handed then a bias to the right could be expected. Lots of stuff on the internet about this. I propose that the chart table was far more important to the yacht designer of yesteryear than the galley and therefore a subconscious acceptance that the starboard side, to the right, was where it should be placed. Now, with the galley taking prominence over chart tables in modern yacht design, the galley moves to the right. My hypothesis could be nonsense but bias is real and observable.
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I am right handed and I prefer my chart table to port, so that my writing hand is not obstructed. My boat now has this layout, the one before that had the chart table to starboard and that was a lot less comfortable for chart work. As far as cooking underway is concerned, I see no difference. A good position to brace yourself in is much more important. The argument about cooking when hove to is a red herring. In over 30 years of sailing I have never felt the need to heave to in order to prepare a meal. And if it should come to that, sea room will be much more important in determining the tack on which to heave to.
 
It has never occurred to me.

Next time I am at the boat I will ask the skipper what side the galley is on. It could even be central for all I know. I have no idea as I have never visited that part of the yacht. I will also ask him whether the crew have any preference.

I shall report back. :cool:
 
Previous boat was port, current is starboard can't say I've thought about it. Big difference is that previous galley was more open whereas current is a bit more enclosed so one can wedge oneself in more when its a bit bouncy.
 
3-2 Starboard for me.

Cant see it matters what side, as long as it's well thought out. It is one of the first things I look at on a new boat and a deal breaker if it's not fit for cooking outside a marina - which many are not.
 
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