I learned a valuable lesson a few years ago and I think it has some relevance.
I'm a devoted cook and gourmand. While never a gadget freak in the kitchen, I acquired over the years as much
equipment as our comfortably large kitchen would reasonably accommodate. Some of them were gifts, such as the mandolin from my wife and the constant stream of various items that my sister, a professional
chef, proclaimed as "must haves."
Two years ago we moved to a smaller house, closer into town, and I renovated the kitchen and part of the first floor. With lots of windows we ended up with only one overcounter cabinet, which suited me fine as I expected to die in that house and did not want to be reaching up at 85 to put plates away. When we moved I put "things I know I will use" in one set of boxes and "stuff I occasionally use" in another set.
I've yet to reach for anything in that second set and have found that many things are just tools for simplifying tasks that are already pretty simple.
Don't duplicate. Do you really need an
electric can opener when a manual one is smaller, more reliable, and uses less of a precious resource?
Select versatile tools. Do you really need a paring knife when you can use a non-serrated steak knife?
Nest. Many kitchen items are hollow and make perfect containers for other items. Once you have it organized you'll know where everything is and what seems like a PITA of
fishing things out of bowls will just come second nature.
Adjust your expectations. Simplify. Yes, you can prepare gourmet
meals on a boat, but they will be
different gourmet
meals than you are used to. Cassoulet? Nah, a more primitive but delicious one-pot stew can be had for a tenth of the effort.
Half the fun of
cooking on a boat is being creative and embracing simplicity. Besides as a friend of mine once said with a huge *$&# eating grin on his face "Man, everything tastes better on a boat."