The original stove was probably a two-burner propane model. During the refit in the early 2000’s, a genset was installed, the propane stove and locker were removed, and a non-gimbaled induction cook surface and convection oven were installed. Toward our goal of being environmentally friendly, we removed the diesel-burning genset and the galley appliances. Our options for a replacement propane stove were limited. In fact, there was only one commercial stove that would fit, a Force 10 “Euro Sub-compact” 3-burner stove. Unfortunately, the new stove is about 3 inches narrower than the previous one. As a first effort, we made a spacer out of teak (using the discarded cheeks from the rudder). While functional, we did not like the appearance., the gap seemed to invite dropping things in the crevasse, and it did not seem sturdy enough. So, we set out to construct a proper cabinet. Because the brackets for the new stove required high tolerance (within a 1/4″ in width) and the existing cabinet was (naturally) not square, it was necessary to have proper woodworking tools. Unfortunately, ours were not in Mexico. We borrowed a cheap miter saw from a relative in Tucson and purchased an inexpensive table saw from Home Depot. As an aside, we highly recommend the Ryobi RTS12T Table Saw for about $200. While at Home Depot in Tucson, we also picked up some 1 x 3″ (actually 0.75 x 2.5″) appearance board. To make the construction easier, we also picked up a cheap nail gun at Harbor Freight (on sale for $20) and used the compressed air in the yard. The first step was to create a frame (the piece in the back is temporary and some of the components required gluing before ripping to the proper width).
After filling the nail holes, sanding, varnishing (necessary to apply the veneer), and sanding smooth, we insulated with some fiberglass and installed locally-sourced 20 gauge 306 stainless.
Teak veneer with 3M self-adhesive is easy to cut (and trim once applied) with a sharp utility knife, and once a couple of coats of varnish are applied, it is unlikely to come off.
Because considerable effort was put into “measuring ten times and cutting once”, the stove fit like a glove.
A bonus of the stainless firewall is the lock for the gimbal (lower right) is simply a hole drilled in the firewall (no need to install the hardware supplied by Force 10). As a note, if you are going to drill through stainless, you will need cobalt-tipped bits.
