Dinnerware

[SKYCHENEY]

Okay, so the Admiral thinks that the old non-skid melamine dinnerware that we have had on our boats since 1975 should be replaced. I have looked at similar stuff made by Galleyware but I was wondering what everybody else has and what works well. We like the non-skid but it rarely is actually necessary. Any thoughts? Preferences for plates, bowls, cups, etc?

[Angela]

I'm sure I'm not the norm, but I've never had so much fine china, crystal, and silver in my life until I got this 58MY! LOL Yeah, yeah, it's that charteryacht thing I'm developing......and my mother's contribution.....now if I had a place to stow it all.... I need a bigger boat.

I had the plastic, non-skid Galleymaid stuff on my former boat (and I brought all four of those plates and bowls with me to this boat), and I liked it except that it is not microwavable for any real length of time. It begins to burn after a minute or so in the microwave, and the plates tend to heat up faster than the food on them in the microwave. So, I had to be very careful with it when using it in the microwave. I won't use the plastic for my coffee, beer, or champagne, but that's just my personal quirk. Otherwise, for every day, I enjoyed them, but tried not to use real sharp knives on them for fear of scratching (and then staining) the plates. I still use those for my every day dishes, mostly because I haven't unpacked the other stuff for lack of a place to put it. When I got this boat, my mother made sure I had different a place setting for each meal of the day, for more than one day, for 8 people, plus dessert place settings...and matching silverware for some of the different patterns. Now I know why I can't see my new bottom paint above the water line anymore!

On such a large and stable boat such as your 53EDMY, there is no reason why you should feel compelled to have to use the plastic dinnerware. Have you considered Corelle? Not always the prettiest stuff (but plain white is pretty generic), but it's very durable, and what's really nice about Corelle is that it stacks/nests very thinly so it doesn't take up much space. In addition all the fancy stuff, I also have onboard a set of 8 to 12 of just about every size Corelle plate/bowl (no, I didn't buy MORE dishes for that boat - those came from the house I sold in Ohio when I knew I'd never go back home after I bought my first cruiser!)

Ang

[Leeward251]

My previous vessel was a 45' sailboat which we lived on. I had china (I went with a pattern that had some weight and could be microwaved) glassware (also something that had some weight) and good quality stainless (Less chance for rusting). I stored it well and lost only 1 salad plate in 10 years due to a miscalculation by the Captain (I forgave him but it cost him). And this was on a sailboat!!!

On my '66 41TC I have continued the tradition even though we are not living on her. There are some great nautical themed patterns out there in all price ranges. A good idea is to pick a pattern that has mugs as opposed to cups and saucers.

Hey, even living on land there is ALWAYS the chance of breakage. Store in a closed cabinet, which doesn't have to be in the galley, and make sure stainless is dry before storing. I feel silver or silverplat is a bad idea if you are in a saltwater invironment.

Remember this IS a HATTERAS and life is too short not to enjoy the finer things. Isn't that why you have one?

[SKYCHENEY]

I have thought about china. The microwave aspect is a plus, but those non-skid bowls sure make great drink holders. Maybe I should just keep some of the non-skid and get some china for normal use. I have to do something because those 1975 plates are getting all cut up and stained.

[jim rosenthal]

One of our forum members (SeaEric) got some custom plates etc for a 42 Post that he redid, and they looked great. I will try to find the name of the company, or if he reads this maybe he'll post it. No pun intended.

[Nonchalant1]

We've had regular porcelain china for 3 years and n'ary a problem. We have little round pads of non-skid, but rarely actually need them except when we put a plate on the helm station underway. Those same little non-skid pads are great for bowls, glasses, and fru-fru around the boat. My Admiral looked and looked at nautical theme stuff, but picked Vista Alegre - Bali instead. You can order just one of something if you do ever break one. And no Sky, that's not pot on the dinner plates...too many leaves!

Doug

[SeaEric]

I did indeed have custom china for my 42 Post. The guys who made it http://www.kitchenshop.com/china/index.shtml did a great job and were wonderful to deal with. The price was quite reasonable. I had service for 10 made, and kept 8 aboard. The extras stayed at home as back stock for breakage, which there has been none so far. That boat is on its 3rd owner now, all is intact. The china was a commercial grade which was very nice and very durable. It is a quality that they make for yacht clubs, country clubs and restaurants. Dinner guests aboard were always intrigued by the custom stuff.

[Fanfare]

For thirty years we had crummy ironware that I grew to dislike more each year. I bought it because it was on sale, and therefore I wouldn't be upset if the occasional piece got broken. In all that time I broke about three pieces. The stuff had little ridges which were a pain to wash by hand, which we did after the original wall-mounted Ling-Temco-Vought dishwasher wore out and was removed for more storage space.

Finally the Admiral said "If you don't like it, let's get something nice." A friend is a potter in Canada, so we commissioned a full set for the boat. After ONE TRIP the Admiral decided it was "Too heavy for the boat. We can't waste the fuel." Now it's at home where we use it daily. (!)

She replaced it with some stuff from Crate and Barrel which was not too expensive and has held up well except for two or three chips in the edges of the bowls. One broken piece in about seven years. It's light, easy to take care of, microwaveable and can go in the freezer. It is really nice to have. It lives in the cabinets behind the sink, where I have drilled dowels to keep the various sizes of plates and bowls from shifting.

Still having no dishwasher (despite having a watermaker now, so I no longer have to worry about wasting dishwasher water), we use paper plates for larger gatherings, with neat woven rattan holders underneath to stiffen them and make them look nicer. I think we got them at West Marine.

[Maynard Rupp]

OK guys..here is the ultimate. A friend of mine is the captain on a 70' racing sailboat, in fact they will do the Bermuda race this weekend. They have always looked for neat ways to save weight. They ripped all their light wiring out and made it smaller. They then replaced all the bulbs with LEDs. Now here is the kicker..They have titaniunm silverware. Apparently this stuff is available at backpacking stores. It really looks nice and sure makes a great conversation piece.

[Liquid Asset]

I have the non Skid Stuff you get at boaters world and Worst Marine. It is whatever since it is plastic. I am not sure it is necisary, but when we were out fishing on the last thanksgiving and it was 10' seas it sure was nice.