In this video I show you how I build a custom hidden liquor cabinet in a 41ft Meridian Yatch.

I intend to build a set of plans for this exact layout but for now I’ll show you the process of how I got the final result.

If you’ve spent any time on a boat, RV, Tiny Home, Camper, etc., you’ll appreciate every square inch of the space you have. This project is for a good friend of mine and it’s first of it’s kind for me. There was a lot of trial and error in the beginning but it turns out great in the end.

I start by disassembling the existing TV mount and cabinet face. This cabinet was originally built for a TV with a larger footprint and, since the design hasn’t changed in years, there is a ton of wasted space behind the TV. Throughout this process I learned a couple of key lessons for building uplift-style cabinets, first, is how to select the right uplift hinges…

Selecting the Right Uplift Hinges:

There are a few things to consider when selecting the right hinges.

  • The weight of the cabinet face and TV that is being lifted (actually weigh your items and don’t guess like I did).
  • The upward swing angle and clearance, not only for the cabinet door but also for the hinge arms.
  • The resting position and clearance for the wood to articulate throughout the entire range of motion without striking the cabinet above

Click Here for Richelieu Vertical Uplift Hinges

These Hinges are from Richelieu Hardware and they are available in different sizes and lifting capacities, links below. We’re re-using the flat screen TV and the the TV mounting bracket, which was the heaviest part of the assembly, and a 1/2″ piece of plywood for the “door face” that I’ll re-name the TV backer since the TV blocks most of it anyway. I used two 30lb hinges which turned out to be WAY more than I needed.

Richelieu helped me put together a kit that included this cross member which helps the hinges turn together as one unit. I would recommend not cutting or installing this cross member until you are 100% sure your design will work. I had to make changes from this original mockup and because of that, I had to order a new cross member. This one ends up being just a fraction too short.

Key Take-Aways Here:

  1. Use Richelieu’s customer service to match the right hinges with your application. You will need measurements and approx weight of the cabinet face.
  2. If possible, use scrap plywood to mock-up the hinge location and test for clearance, you’ll likely need to move the hinges more than once
  3. Don’t cut your crossmember to size until you’ve finalized the inside of the cabinet design. This means interior shelves and inserts, more on that later.
  4. Be very careful opening and closing these hinges. The warning labels are there for a reason and they will pinch the poo out of your fingers. Ask me how I know.

Mock-up of the TV Backer

The cabinet itself had a bit of a “faceframe” even though it wasn’t actually a faceframe cabinet. This meant I would need to use a some scrap wood to mock up the layout since the hinges need to lay flat against the inside of the cabinet.

I used a piece of 1/2 plywood with a few coats of Rustoleum as a face to the cabinet and a backer for the TV. The hardest part was measuring where to mount the hinges on what will be the new cabinet face and the backdrop for the new TV. I guesstimated the approximate location of the hinges and mocked everything up from there. There were many mistakes made when it came to co-locating the hinge brackets and the location of the hinge lift assembly.

Tips for co-locating Hinges.

  1. I mounted the hinges first and attached the door side brackets to the arms in the closed position.
  2. I measured from the bottom and the edges and added about 1/16th inch for clearance in each direction.
  3. I transferred my measurements to the Backer and mounted the door side hinge brackets to the backer.
  4. If I would have though of it at the time, I would have used some masking tape and the Ol’ paint trick to transfer the marks.

Mock-up of the Custom Insert

With the face mounted I build a template inside the cabinet for an custom insert. Since there is a lot of movement on a boat I needed a way to keep everything in place. I use carboard and tape to mockup the height and the angles. It’s a real awkward space and the angles in the back of the cabinet get tighter towards the top of the cabinet. A template is really the only way to go here and, even then, it’s not fool proof.

I mock up a few different sized cut-outs for my friends’ favorite bar inventory and start cutting. I also make sides so the insert stands off the base of the cabinet about 1/3 of the way up the bottles. I just use wood-glue and nails to attach the pieces together. Again, I’m using Rustoleum oil-based paint to encapsulate this MDF and attempt to make is as moisture-resistant as possible. If I were to do this over again I would use a composite material like PVC Board.

More Error

We decided that the TV stuck out to far and the entire door face needed to move farther back into the cabinet. We also decided to add a shelf in the top of the cabinet. This all resulted in moving the hinges… again. Moving the hinges meant that I now had interference with my custom insert and I had to take make some alterations. So it’s back to the shop to cut some notches, re-assemble, and re-paint. “We do it nice because we do it twice!” The shelf also interfered with their Soda-Stream button on top. I was able to save my-self by cutting a hole through the shelf so you could still access the button. It just barely cleared but it works! You also may have noticed that I replaced the scrap boards used for the hinges with some extra pieces from disassembly. These pieces match the cabinet stain and give it a cleaner look.

Tips for Success:

  1. I HIGHLY recommend that you have everything mocked up the way you want it and check for clearances all the way around before you proceed.
  2. Any changes to the hinges, inserts, and shelves may present interference issues with the hinge mounting location and mean re-working your design.
  3. Measure for clearance in all directions, don’t forget about height clearances!
  4. I’ll chalked these growing pains up to “Research and Development” since this is kind of uncharted water for me.

Final Fit and Finish

With everything in place and functioning, I tidy up the wiring and add some motion-activated LED lights. They are usb-rechargable so no additional wiring needed. Lastly I adjust the lift strength of the hinges so that the TV doesn’t slam open or shut and also so it won’t open unintentionally while the boat is underway. We also used some clear silicone to glue the insert in place so it wouldn’t move around either. Overall it turns out great and I’m looking for a reason to do another one!

Final Thoughts:

  1. Expect to burn some time and materials on an few failed attempts before you get everything right.
  2. Weigh your cabinet door and all anything else that is hanging on it for an accurate measurement on the strength of hinge you need. As I mentioned earlier, I had way more uplift force than I needed and I set these to their lowest setting to get the right opening force/speed.
  3. Try your best to think ahead especially in terms of interior layout interference. I know I’ve said that multiple times but it’s because I had to make so many trial and error adjustments.

I hope you all enjoyed it and you’ll see me in the next one!