When I bought Idéfix it came with the Origo stove mounted directly on top of a huge but ugly silverware drawer. We liked the convenience of the drawer, but the non-gimbaled Origo proved a challenge, with a few near-catastrophes happening every cruise season. So I decided that I wanted both: a drawer, and a gimbal. I carefully measured the space available, bought an Origo gimbal kit (nearly costs more than the darn stove itself!) and a wooden cutlery tray that one would normally slide into a kitchen drawer. Except that I used the tray as the base for the drawer itself.

I found a tray that had the perfect measurements manufactured by Pomerantz (aka JP Products), model 1377. It measures 17.5'W x 12'D x 2'H. Linens ‘n Things carry this brand, and it can also be found online at: http://www.hometownstores.com/detail.aspx?ID=76335

I bought two 12' full extension drawer slides and some spacers. When buying the full extension slides, make sure to buy a model that "clicks" into the closed position, so that the drawer will not open accidentally when the boat heels. I found mine with Lee Valley at:

http://www.leevalley.com/hardware/page.aspx?c=1&p=52484&cat=3,43614,43616&ap=1

I re-used the wood from the cover of the storage bin under the stove to make a matching front panel for the drawer. Here are the parts before assembly:

The previous owner has already cut a wide V-shaped opening in the front wall of the storage bin, to enable access despite the fixed drawer now covering the top. So the only thing I had to do was add the gimbal mechanism, screw the drawer slides and top cover in place, and presto - you have a nice silverware drawer.

Please click above to see FULL-SIZE drawing

The cover is 6mm plywood stained with Minwax Golden Oak and protected with clear Varathane. It is glued to two ½’ x 1½’ dowels screwed to the side walls. The slides are mounted on these dowels with spacers to get to the exact width of the drawer + slides (in my case, a 3/8’ spacer on each side).

I used small parts of plywood from the original storage bin cover to make a front panel for the drawer, plus two little strips to “hide” the front of the dowels and the slide mechanism. These strips are glued to the front of both dowels, right and left of the drawer front panel.

The Origo can still swing freely, as long as you mount the cover of the drawer exactly under the gimbal mounts. The overall fit is really, really tight. There is barely a millimeter left between the hull and the rear right corner of the drawer, but everything works to perfection. It might be necessary to remove the headliner to make more space in this tight spot.

Note that the drawer (plus its front panel) must be at least 1' narrower than the full 20 1/4' width available for the Origo - because the drawer must clear the door of the cabinet under the sink when open.

Boudewijn - Idéfix

Editor's Note:  One thing I was concerned about was losing some of the access for the "pots" below the new drawer.  Boudewijn said that the V-cut space actually allowed a good size frying pan and smaller pot to slide through with ease. One other note, one might consider reversing the alignment of the drawer, putting the large longer tray on the outside for easier access to the cooking implements - kh

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