It’s helpful to know (although not always possible) whether you plan to mostly anchor out vs mostly stay at marinas vs making yours a day boat, since that may determine what kind of cooking you do and whether you keep or change out whatever stove and galley storage came with your boat.
We choose to prepare and eat three meals a day on the boat for our typical four to six week cruises (including the recent West Erie canal/Finger Lakes adventure). We have the same meals we have at home and drink the same amount of the same wine. Although it is indeed less expensive than eating out at a marina or restaurant three times a day, we are trying to avoid gaining weight while cruising, which is very easy to do and hard to un-do for us two 66 year olds who had to give up half-marathons way back in 2007 when arthritis got both of us.
Like others posting, we use Walmart plastic cabinets under the sink. We add straps bolted into the frame at the bottom and industrial strength Velcro patch (bolted into the top). They don’t slide around on the Dekadence carpet. The safe is SS cable secured around the rigging conduit. We keep pilfer items in there (like the $900 Fuji Stabi binocs, Steiner Marine binocs, 3 of 5 HH VHF radios, passports etc and most of the loaded weapons). We don’t lock the aft door, since it could be pried open with a large screwdriver and one Brat here related it was $10,000 to replace it.
We didn’t like the butane stove that came with our boat, so I removed it and found some same-size clear drop in plastic bins at a restaurant supply store that hold condiments etc, which are covered by thin cutting boards.
https://www.epicureancs.com/product/all-in-one-boards/
The white cutting board sink cover has bolts at four corners so it can’t slide off underway.
The collapsible basin fits in the sink perfectly; Eileen bought and uses two when cruising. The two are under 4 inches high when collapsed. The round black magnetic LED AA light turns on and off with a touch.
https://www.amazon.com/your-orders/pop/ ... =DxbYhcMqf
Our best galley mod was fitting a galley extension board over the sink forward fiddle rail that secures to a 1’’ trim piece with two removable screws. The forward portion rests on the top of the helm seat when folded down and on a throttle handle. Measure it so it stashes under the Nav seat cushion without interfering with the snaps when underway with the seat back reversed. With practice (and we’ve had a LOT) we can ‘reconfigure’ in two minutes, but it’s like a dance we’ve rehearsed moving that board around.
This holds the coffee maker (SS thermal unbreakable pot model), toaster, and Nu-wave induction skillet (2 sizes is all we need) with prep space with nothing on the table. Credit to Thataway for finding this alternative, which doesn’t heat up the cabin or the skillet, and allows limiting the wattage on a dial. We also use an electric skillet with deep sides for larger one-pot meals.
We chose to remove the water heater, since every marina has all the hot shower water you could want, not just six gallons. This frees up the 15 amp circuit the water heater was hogging, so I connected that to a GFI outlet just outboard of the helm seat for all those galley appliances and fans and just changed the label on the AC distribution panel under the table. I plugged the plumbing connections, so this can be easily reversed in the future. A Seaward heater is a $260 item.
This converts the cabinet under the helm seat to more galley storage. There is some binnacle and helm wiring back there behind the water heater. I bolted a clear lexan barrier there to protect that wiring from interference with the new stored items shifting around.
Our only other 110v galley appliance is a mid size Breville toaster oven. We find that much more useful for us than a microwave for the kind of dinners we like. We often place it up by the power pedestal and connect it with a 30A/15A adapter directly. That way the heat is not in the boat, and we can keep the Air Conditioner on while staying under 30 amps grand total on our shore power line.
https://www.amazon.com/?&_encoding=UTF8 ... ative=9325
When we do anchor out, we use 1 pound propane bottles, a SS dual burner camp stove, a HD SS percolator coffee pot for coffee and heating basin baths with the collapsible basins, and the small Mr Buddy space heater (only when awake with cabin ventilation and two CO alarms).
We also used clear plastic Walmart shoe boxes with lids (for stacking) for storage under the table and under the Nav foot rest.
There are 31 flavors of cruising, and you’ll find what works for you. If Brats here help out with ideas, all the better.
Hope this is helpful as you make your trawler transition to your TC255...the very best trailerable pocket yacht for a cruising couple!
John
