26M mirror

[Paul S]

I want to reduce the size of the mirror on our 04M. Going to make a mod (rack) to mount to the bulkhead the mirror is on.

Has anyone removed (or know how to remove) the mirror? How hard is it?

I either want to cut it in half, or replace it all together.

Is it a real glass mirror or some other type (plastic, etc)


Thanks

Paul S

[Terry]

It is definitely plastic, I checked and I have the same idea as you, I'd also like to install some sort of rack above the sink. Not sure about behind the stove though, (fire hazard) but if it is safe to do so I'd like to scrap the mirror all together and build something more usefull than a goofy mirror. I'm open to suggestions to make better use of that spot.

[Paul S]

I like some mirrored surface.

We bought a nice teak rack at the defender sale that I wanted to mount on the starboard side of the mirrored bulkead. Maybe add some other racking for frequently used items.

If the mirror is plastic, I guess I could just drill right through it. But I think removal would be best and replaced with some other kind of mirror, or cut that one down in size.

Paul

[Paul S]

any idea how the mirror is mounted? I assume some kind of double stick tape or the like. Anyone know?

Paul

[Richard O'Brien]

Here's what I'm doing with mine. Don't be fooled. The craftsmanship is fairly mediocre in places, but it serves my needs for the time being. i didn't screw into the plexi-mirror, or anything else. the 3/4" plywood pieces are jammed in and screwed together, sort of pressure fitted to the available space. i spray painted the back of the plywood with flat black so it wouldn't reflect the back of the raw wood.[/img]

[philbrook]

Richard,

Nice work. Think I'll copy it!

Phil

[edurbin]

Hey that pic looks nice. I just drilled 4 holes thru my mirror this weekend.
What I did was put a stainless steel rail (19mm diameter) from one side to the other at about three quarter height. From this rail, I can now hang a chrome coated wire rack(s), or whatever I decide is needed. For example, I bought a corner rack that hangs from the rail (hardware/kitchen supplies) at about 10 to 12 inches above the stove. This will give me extra bench space to put down a hot saucepan when cooking, and provide a place to drain wet dishes after the washup. Looks really neat - I'm going to buy another corner rack to hang over the sink against the daggerboard case side of the galley. I'll take a picture later on when I get home and post it here.

Craig

[Richard O'Brien]

Thanks for the compliment Phil, RE: Copying -In retrospect, If i were to do that aforementioned galley mod again, I would first make some patterns out of 3/4" high density foam panels. Then i would leave my square in the box, along with my level.

[richandlori]

Damn Richard....do you know the work your great mod post has caused me?...I guess you do. As soon as the admiral saw your mod, it was all over and she now wants me to copy it......

Oh well, that is the fun of owning a Mac.

Great Mod.


Rich

[Paul S]

Here's what I'm doing with mine. Don't be fooled. The craftsmanship is fairly mediocre in places, but it serves my needs for the time being. i didn't screw into the plexi-mirror, or anything else. the 3/4" plywood pieces are jammed in and screwed together, sort of pressure fitted to the available space. i spray painted the back of the plywood with flat black so it wouldn't reflect the back of the raw wood.[/img]

Looks good. Close to the idea I was going for. Reduce the size of the mirror to build some built-in accessories (paper towel holder/rack, etc)

Question, how did you attach the wood panel to the daggerboard trunk?

The rack you mounted to that board on the db trunk looks similar to what we bought.

How did you remove the old mirror? How did you hang the new one?

I am trying not to reinvent the wheel

[Andy26M]

Richard, that is awesome!!

I'm guessing you left the entire old mirror intact and the mirror we see is just a hole in the plywood? I think you're going to see a lot of copycats among us 2003-2004 26M owners!

My question: Can we buy the same sort of laminate that MacGregor used on the original cabinets so that everything matches? If so, where? If not, what finish have you folks found that most closely matches the original cabinetry?

Your idea of using the angles and channels already built in the satructure to hold everything in place matches the concept I've had in my head for a while, but until now I lacked the vision to make it work!

Great, now that I have several canvas projects lined up, I have a new woodworking project to add to the stack...

- AndyS

[Richard O'Brien]

Thanks for the kind words guys. Yes the mirror is the same one, but you wouldnt want a glass mirror on a boat. The three main components are: 1. the back panel, ogee routered edge of hardwood plywood. 2. The starboard panel which was made twice but fits tightly into the available coffered area, and holds the back panel tight to the mirror on that side.3. The port daggerboard trunk panel which I scored to run inside the left edge of the back panel. It is fastened with 2-1/2screws and a long magnetic bit thru the slot between the forward side of the trunk, and the mirror. The port side panel with the dish rack is held at the top by an acrylic wine glass holder from RV Camping world. This is getting replaced by wood since the goblets slide out too easily. Nothing is screwed into the boat except the wine glass rack. Everything comes apart. The towel holder is oak stripped of its finish and dyed with aniline dye, The only kind strong enough to match the mahogany laminate. The gallery spindles are from Lowes. Nothing is square, and I had to do everything twice. I hope this helps.

[Andy26M]

Richard O'Brien wrote:

and I had to do everything twice

Sounds like you do things the way I do!

Andy says:

%^&*%$ it! I've cut this thing 5 times and it is STILL too short!!!

Seriously, though, I figured out real quick when trying to measure things on the boat that squares and levels are about useless. Every single dimension has to be taken separately - so it becomes a lot easier to make a pattern out of heavy cardboard. Even the windows on the port side are not precisely the same shape as the windows on the starboard side - they were cut by hand obviously, probably by 2 different people - I want to make trim rings around my windows similar to the ones on the '05's, and every one is going to have to be unique.

- AndyS

[edurbin]

Just posted some pictures of the rail and corner basket approach to the 26M galley improvement. At the MODS page for those interested. Its a work in progress, or at least a starting platform that I'll build from and add to as required.

Craig

[Richard O'Brien]

'Just looked at your mod Craig. Wow! very nautical , Simple (I know it's not really) & Clean looking. Do you have any trouble with things bouncing around on the rack? I can't completely figure out what holds the objects down?