Hey there guys I hope you can help me. For university I need to design a
galley for a houseboat and I am not too sure where to begin.

I have my design constraints as well as some images about houseboats but
thats about it.

Anyone have any ideas that could help me out? That would be great or atleast
a starting point for me would really help me out.

Thanks

alex wrote:
Hey there guys I hope you can help me. For university I need to design a
galley for a houseboat and I am not too sure where to begin.

Houseboat galleys are just about identical to those on RVs (recreational
vehicles--travel trailers and motor homes). In fact the only real
difference between most houseboats and most RVs is: RVs are on wheels,
houseboats are on hulls or pontoons.

Peggie
----------
Peggie Hall
Specializing in marine sanitation since 1987
Author "Get Rid of Boat Odors - A Guide To Marine Sanitation Systems and
Other Sources of Aggravation and Odor"
http://www.seaworthy.com/html/get_ri...oat_odors.html

How is the term "houseboat" being used in the context of your class?

There are two definitions.

Here in Seattle, we have huge communities of "floating homes." These big
structures, (often 2-3 stories) are very similar to a traditional house. They
are built on barges, and most will never move from the spot where they are
initially moored. Many people call these floating homes, "houseboats". You
would design a traditional kitchen rather than a galley for such a project.

The other common use for the word "houseboat" is a cruising houseboat, one that
is designed to move around under its own power.

A few tips:

1. You must decide at the outset whether you are doing an AC or a DC galley. AC
galley will require an AC generator to power the electric cooktop and oven, and
sometimes the refrigerator/freezer in an AC galley is AC only.

Major component considerations:

Galley sink: The deeper the better. I go aboard boats where the galley sink is
so shallow that it will need to filled to the brim
in order to do any serious dishwashing, etc. That's OK in a house or maybe even
in a motorhome parked in an RV parking lot, but won't do when the boat is
rocking.
You will want several inches of depth above the waterline in the sink. A
divided
sink is handy, but dividing a sink that is too small leaves you with two
unusable sides.

Sink capacity is also a function of your potable water supply. You don't want
to put 5 gallons of water into a galley sink if you only have 20 or so aboard.

If your houseboat is going to be operated
outside of dirty marina envirnoments, etc,
consider a sal****er rinse option for the galley sink. Again, you will want to
use clean sal****er for the rinse, not something with a slick of outboard motor
oil floating by.

Cooking:

If you deisgn an AC galley, you can use a traditional electric stove and oven
(as well as microwaves, blenders, etc etc if space permits). DC galleys will
use a cookstove fired by propane, or sometimes diesel.
DC galleys allow you to be a better neighbor when anchored out, the generator
doesn't need to run all the time. That said, what is the climate like where
your mythical houseboat will be cruising? Is air conditioning a requirement
most of the time? If so, you will most definitely be running an AC generator on
the houseboat anyway.

Consider specifying the use of some adjustable arms or rods to serve as "pot
holders" under way. Once again, cooking and food prep won't be done in a stable
environment. Nobody wants a pot of boiling water sliding off the cooktop.

Don't skimp on the oven and cooktop. A well fed crew is a happy crew. :-)

Refrigerator/freezer. How many people aboard your houseboat? While you'll need
at least 3 cubic feet of fridge space to accomodate basic needs, you will
probably want to add a cubic foot of space
per person aboard beyond three. On an AC boat, many people use common household
refrigerators like a Whirlpool, or etc. Better choices are probably the AC/DC
units, (commonly available in 3-9 cu ft sizes). The AC/DC unit continues to
operate from battery power when underway.

An AC galley also permits the installation of an ice maker. Handy if your
houseboat is primarily used as a floating cocktail lounge.

A few other considerations:

Everything you take for granted in a shoreside building is in short supply on a
a boat. Water, electricity, etc etc. Design accordingly.

Check your local regs. You may be required to drain galley sinks into a "grey
water" holding tank rather than discharge it overboard.

Make the galley a central feature of the houseboat, rather than an afterthought
tucked away in a remote corner. People recreating on the water enjoy eating and
drinking while doing so.

Lighting: Another point where you will need to balance finite resources with
the need for adequate service.

Good luck. :-)

Thanks for all your help, its much appreciated.

Its a great start for me.

Thanks again


"Gould 0738" wrote in message
...
How is the term "houseboat" being used in the context of your class?

There are two definitions.

Here in Seattle, we have huge communities of "floating homes." These big
structures, (often 2-3 stories) are very similar to a traditional house.
They
are built on barges, and most will never move from the spot where they are
initially moored. Many people call these floating homes, "houseboats". You
would design a traditional kitchen rather than a galley for such a
project.

The other common use for the word "houseboat" is a cruising houseboat, one
that
is designed to move around under its own power.

A few tips:

1. You must decide at the outset whether you are doing an AC or a DC
galley. AC
galley will require an AC generator to power the electric cooktop and
oven, and
sometimes the refrigerator/freezer in an AC galley is AC only.

Major component considerations:

Galley sink: The deeper the better. I go aboard boats where the galley
sink is
so shallow that it will need to filled to the brim
in order to do any serious dishwashing, etc. That's OK in a house or maybe
even
in a motorhome parked in an RV parking lot, but won't do when the boat is
rocking.
You will want several inches of depth above the waterline in the sink. A
divided
sink is handy, but dividing a sink that is too small leaves you with two
unusable sides.

Sink capacity is also a function of your potable water supply. You don't
want
to put 5 gallons of water into a galley sink if you only have 20 or so
aboard.

If your houseboat is going to be operated
outside of dirty marina envirnoments, etc,
consider a sal****er rinse option for the galley sink. Again, you will
want to
use clean sal****er for the rinse, not something with a slick of outboard
motor
oil floating by.

Cooking:

If you deisgn an AC galley, you can use a traditional electric stove and
oven
(as well as microwaves, blenders, etc etc if space permits). DC galleys
will
use a cookstove fired by propane, or sometimes diesel.
DC galleys allow you to be a better neighbor when anchored out, the
generator
doesn't need to run all the time. That said, what is the climate like
where
your mythical houseboat will be cruising? Is air conditioning a
requirement
most of the time? If so, you will most definitely be running an AC
generator on
the houseboat anyway.

Consider specifying the use of some adjustable arms or rods to serve as
"pot
holders" under way. Once again, cooking and food prep won't be done in a
stable
environment. Nobody wants a pot of boiling water sliding off the cooktop.

Don't skimp on the oven and cooktop. A well fed crew is a happy crew. :-)

Refrigerator/freezer. How many people aboard your houseboat? While you'll
need
at least 3 cubic feet of fridge space to accomodate basic needs, you will
probably want to add a cubic foot of space
per person aboard beyond three. On an AC boat, many people use common
household
refrigerators like a Whirlpool, or etc. Better choices are probably the
AC/DC
units, (commonly available in 3-9 cu ft sizes). The AC/DC unit continues
to
operate from battery power when underway.

An AC galley also permits the installation of an ice maker. Handy if your
houseboat is primarily used as a floating cocktail lounge.

A few other considerations:

Everything you take for granted in a shoreside building is in short supply
on a
a boat. Water, electricity, etc etc. Design accordingly.

Check your local regs. You may be required to drain galley sinks into a
"grey
water" holding tank rather than discharge it overboard.

Make the galley a central feature of the houseboat, rather than an
afterthought
tucked away in a remote corner. People recreating on the water enjoy
eating and
drinking while doing so.

Lighting: Another point where you will need to balance finite resources
with
the need for adequate service.

Good luck. :-)

"alex" wrote in message
. au...
Hey there guys I hope you can help me. For university I need to design a
galley for a houseboat and I am not too sure where to begin.


"For university" ??? Do you mean that you have a college class assignement
where you are designing a galley?

What kind of class is this: Cooking? Architecture? Engineering? Art?


Anyone have any ideas that could help me out? That would be great or at
least
a starting point for me would really help me out.


It would help to know some of your constraints.

What is your definition of a houseboat?

What kind of power do you have available?

How many people do you need to feed via this galley?

For the most part, the galley design for a houseboat wouldn't be much
different than for any small house or apartment. You want to get the most
use out of very little space. Since houseboats tend to be rectangular in
shape it will generally force certain design considerations: for example,
you need an aisle that goes the length of the houseboat that will either
constrain or divide your galley space.

The power available will be another issue. If this houseboat is tied to a
dock you can use 110 volt power (220 is usually not available). If you need
to be able to cook away from the dock then the boat will either need a
generator or gas appliances should be used. Keep in mind, however, that a
hull style houseboat (verses pontoon) will have safety issues when using
propane, and there will be certain legal requirements that have to be met.

Water conversation is often a key item. Garbage disposals are never found
on a boat. The entire boat is usually limited to 30 amps of 110 volts, so
all your appliances need to co-exist in this constraint.

Houseboats tend to be used mostly during the summer, which means that the
galley can get quite warm when cooking. Might be a good idea to work out a
good ventilation system.


Rod