Skinny Places

   My first boat had 4 drawers, all opening forward on either side of the companionway.  When standing facing aft, looking into the cockpit you had two on your right and two on your left. Above each bank of drawers there was a counter top approximately 2' long by 16" wide. To your right (port) was a small sink basin with hand pump and to your left was a counter top with a locked in place half top, split into two thicknesses. The top drawer on the right (port) when fully opened was cantilevered with long sides holding a complete 2 burner stove with fold up heat shields, the sink then just aft of it. The drawer below it had an open front (inboard) to access it's contents when the stove was out. Remove the bottom drawer and you had a huge hole all the way to the hull. Amazing what all could fit in that space. On your left (starboard) the top drawer pulled out with extra long sides so when completely pulled out and fully open it was supported by cantilever sides also so you could then flip the split counter top and cover the top of the drawer for a huge flat work space while cooking. The bottom drawer was the same as the opposite side with storage a plenty under the drawer when removed. Zero wasted space! Zero!

 My Pearson 424 has quite a few drawers with wasted space, quite skinny but I found a way to utilize every bit of it.

A few cleats to keep things centered, then finding just the right size containers gave me an excellent place to keep some screws and bolts within easy reach. I haven't quite figured out how to use the space "above" the drawers but give me time and I bet I'll hang something in that wasted space.

  Two large drawers under the bunk let me have a bigger space under the drawers which afforded me a space for heavier hardware closer to the bottom, center of the boat and still very easy access with the removal of the drawers. Again it was finding the right size containers.

Of course I'm not so sure I'd keep this system in place without more advanced ways to keep it all in place if I was planning a north Atlantic crossing in the off season or a battle around the horn, or Cape Town,  but for now, with nothing too adventuress in the plans I'll take the chance it will stay put in those skinny spaces.