On Aug 17, 2005, at 11:12 AM, Tom Smith wrote:
#496 has an abbreviated port quarter berth .... The idea I'm toying with is a short galley that occupies half the berth and slides aft when not in use. I like the idea of two people being able to sit across from each other.
Hi Tom, I agree with you on that. When I was first looking for a 17 I really wanted one with a galley, but then the one that I ended up buying had two berths instead (full length in my case, but I like the idea of the abbreviated berth and more cockpit locker better). Turned out I thought it was great having a place for two people to sit across from each other and chat. Heck, even while I had it in a barn, working on the rebuild, if someone stopped by we'd oftentimes end up sitting below - across from each other - and chatting :-) Then too, I realized that on a small boat you often want to cook in the cockpit - or maybe on the beach, so it makes sense to have a portable galley - and a 17-footer is pretty small to have both fixed and portable appliances. I realize the built-in galley provides some handy stowage, but I ended up really appreciating the opposing settees. To each their own in any case, but I just thought I'd throw my two cents in, since I started out *really* wanting a built-in-galley boat and ended up liking the other set-up a lot. --- Rachel Fatty Knees 7' #302 Former owner, M-17 #334 Former owner, M-15 #517