Haven't read those! Thx for the titles, I have to go do library returns today anyway, might be able to find it.

Right now I am using plastic bins, and from experience I know that having bins will make stuff "self sort", with the less frequently used items going into the harder to reach bins. I haven't ruled that out, but it will come down to bin sizes as to whether I use them in the quest to maximize space usage. Another thing I like about bins is, if they have tight fitting lids, they'd serve for a little while at least as flotation in the event of catastrophe. They could also be thrown out of the boat if it was sinking, and it seems that the more stuff you can carry with you in a raft, the better the chances of having something that could make a difference in survival. Not that I'm planning on that of course, but better safe than sorry.

I've figured out that my icebox will project above the current 14" counter height, and probably even above a 20" counter height. Why? Insulation. 3" of it all around a 20" high box would leave 14" of height on the interior. A 2 liter bottle is 12", for scale. However, I want at least 4" of insulation, so am thinking that the box might be 22" or 24" in height above the current berth level. I did a quick drawing (on my site) of that to see what a stepped countertop would look like, & it seems OK looking. 24" height would put the icebox top about 5" below where it used to be. Just now I thought this: I should cut down thru the berth level and use the area below. That makes a lot of sense, & uses an otherwise hard-to-reach area. Hmmmm... Food for todays thoughts.