On Boat Storage

[svReboot]

When I moved out of my apartment onto Reboot I simply stowed everything in large plastic boxes that I had used for the same purpose in my apartment. I have slowly transitioned about half of the material into lockers in the boat, or have simply used up or thrown away stuff I was carrying.

My question: How do you store (as in wrap, bag, dehumidify, etc.) tools, spare parts, etc. I have a couple of large storage spaces (of course of irregular shape) to use, but I don't just want to toss in a few hundred items and hope for the best.

So, what? Canvas bags? Smaller plastic boxes? Sunbrella? Most of my extra clothing is in vacuum bags. That seems inappropriate for the kinds of items I need to store.

Also, how do you secure it all so that it doesn't flop around in the seaway.

Thanks in advance for insights

[redbopeep]

We have a weird assortment of storage for everything from tools, spare computer parts, and boat parts.

Things that fit nicely in ziplocks go into ziplocks. Some people have a foodsaver that they use for that stuff. However, ziplocks work for lots of things you want to get to repeatedly. They come in sizes from sub-sandwich to 2 gallons. Here in the US, at Smart and Final, the 2 gallon size is same as 1 gallon.

We also have clear shoe boxes which organize fasteners and little boat parts.

We have a variety of gym bags (small, med, large) which we organize these categories: electrical, engine, general boat, plumbing, "googe" (e.g. caulks and glues), and rigging tools and spares into. Some of those bags (like the rigging one) are so heavy that they can't really be lifted, but we don't have to remove them from their "spot" in order to get stuff from them.

We also have gym bags with various clothing, extra bedding, sleeping bags, my sewing stuff and so forth. The soft stuff is in vac bags just to reduce size.

We have a few large rubbermaid bins that have stuff in them. One has nothing but drill bits, router bits and such. Another has nothing but sand paper, scrapers, varnish and such. Another has the cans of 2 part epoxy, paint, and thinner that we'd be very unhappy to have spill into the bilge if the original container leaked.

One of our favorite storage items is a 10-pair shoe organizer. It hangs on a wall in the stateroom and doesn't have any shoes in it. It carries our jewelry, spare glasses, sunglasses, batteries for flashlights, spare flashlights, pens, sharpies, scissors, gloves, business cards, boat cards, padlocks, and other stuff as well. It is a combination of our "top drawer" in the bedroom at home and our "jumble drawer" in the kitchen at home. But much better organized.

We rebuilt our boat and still have numerous interior projects, plus hubby just loves projects, so we carry a wide variety of tools aboard--a 12" thickness planer, chop saw, portable planers, jigsaw, circular saw, take-apart drill press, three different drills, a couple sanders, a grinder, air tools, an air compressor, automotive tools, you name it. These are kept in their plastic cases or heavy Cordura tool bags. The reside against the hull in a large storage area and don't have problems with rust.

Finally, we use a combination of netting (think of the kind that you see on lifelines), seat belt webbing, cup hooks, and small line to segregate areas, tie things in, add hammocks, and such. It all works.

[svReboot]

Thanks. I have been using Ziploc bags too. I like the gym bag idea, I am looking for a bunch of cheap sturdy bags. Maybe I can find the source of the Patriots win the Superbowl stock! They should be cheap...