What Not to Store Behind Your Boat Galley Stove

When moving aboard, most of us can only think of finding space for everything. Not all storage spaces, however, are created equal. The space behind your galley stove, created by the curvature of the hull, deserves extra thought—especially if you want to stay safe. 

I learned the hard way. You don’t have to.

My Newbie Error

Years ago, on my first passage (aboard a friend’s boat), I reached across the stove top to get something out of the storage locker behind it. I burned my arm on the steam from a boiling pan. Luckily, my burn wasn’t severe. But it taught me a lesson I’ve never forgotten. 

Never put anything behind the stove that you might want to use when a burner is lit, or when there is a hot pan on the stove!

Dangers from a Hot Stove

There are several ways to injure yourself, besides being burned by steam. Your sleeve could catch fire from a lit burner. Or, if the boat rolls while you’re reaching, you could fall into a hot pan, touch the burner, or splash hot food on your body. 

Don’t assume you’re safe in a calm anchorage. A wake from another boat or a JetSki can create enough movement to create a risky situation. 

Just turning the burner off before reaching across doesn’t eliminate the danger. After all, the hot pans are still there.

Other Reasons To Avoid Storing Items Behind the Stove

Hopefully, I’ve convinced you not to store items you’ll need to grab during cooking behind the stove for safety’s sake. But this space also gets quite hot. It’s next to the hull and adjacent to the stove. 

Now you know it’s a bad idea to store spices there since you might have to reach for them while cooking. But the heat will also cause your spices to degrade. Find a better place for them. 

Obviously, you don’t want to use the space for items that might be flammable, like cleaning products. 

Things You Can Store Behind the Stove

So what can you store in that convenient area behind the stove? I used it for “leftovers” containers. I only needed them when we were finished eating. By then, the stove and pans were cool enough to get them out safely. 

Rarely used items like baking pans (if you don’t store them in your oven) work well. They don’t suffer from heat, and you’re likely to get them out before you begin work. 

When you visit other boats, ask your hosts what they store behind their stoves. Fellow cruisers offer a wealth of ideas. And if they’re storing risky items there, you can offer them advice. 

Cruiser’s Tips

Christine B. protected the drawers behind her stove by adding stainless steel cladding to provide fireproofing. She found scrap pieces in the trash. After cutting them to size with tin snips, she screwed them in place using oval head screws and #6 finish washers. Clever, right? And how resourceful to see something being tossed out and repurposing it.

I hope my experience helps you avoid an injury when reaching over the stove. Now that you know, you’ll never look at the stowage behind your stove top the same way. 

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