Space - the final frontier?

[sailingdog]

That'd make the boat slightly bigger effectively...

Originally Posted by eryka

You mean, because we were able to do without the v-berth that first year? Nah. I will, however, consider giving up the job so as to no longer need to store the dress-up clothes

[Bene505]

It's not the space (on our 50' Beneteau), it's finding everything. That's probably becasue we only coastal cruise. We use the crew quarters as the garage, and even call it that. The big things fit well in there, including the pieces to the sailing dinghy (not the dinghy itself), spare anchor (strapped down really well), extra life jackets, a net with a long handle, fenders and a couple hoses for filling the water tanks.

If I refurbish the crew quarters this winter, it will give us another real berth. The stored things will have to find a different home. That will be an interesting challenge.

davidpm suggested taking everything off the boat for winter storage. I've made several trips already. I think that will help us know where everything is, since I can put it all back in an organized way come spring. One thought is to color code things so everyone knows where they go back to. (The flashlight with the red paint on it goes in the drawer with the red sticky on it.)

defrich helped stow things last month prior to our big (for us) sail. He instituted a store-like-with-like method that I think will work well.

I still haven't found my multimeter (so I can check for drain on the engine battery) but I know where I'm going to look next.

[sailingdog]

Eryka-

Just curious, what nesting set of pots/pans did you get??

Originally Posted by eryka

John - re linens - we roll the blankets and other spares for guests into a bolster covered with our same upholstery fabric as the rest of the cushions and use it as an extra cushion in the main salon. When company comes it gets put on the bed and the cover folds down to nothing. I've read of people doing the same thing with their winter coats off season - turn 'em into pillows.

Chuckles - I think it was CruisingDad who convinced me to buy a set of nesting pots at the boat show last year, they are MAGIC for storage! Our particular set contains 4 pots, lids, removable handles, and plastic covers so the pots double as storage/mixing bowls. and a skillet. The whole set coincidentally fits inside our pressure cooker and has a total footprint of about 1 square foot in the locker. Not cheap but paid for itself with compactness.

[eryka]

Hi S'dog, it's this set of Fagor from The Galleyware Company
http://www.galleyware.com/default.as...oducts&grp=256
We like this set so much we took it with us when we lived on land for a few months last year -- even though we had space for more traditional pots & pans.

[sailingdog]

Thanks darling... I'm looking to replace the set I've got now....

[Triquetra]

Originally Posted by eryka

What category of item has been your biggest challenge in finding space to store? Tools? Books? Spare parts? Beer? It would also help to tell us what size boat you're on and where you sail.

I solved problems about CD storage by getting a 40 Gb MP3 player and putting the CDs in storage, most books by using a Kindle, and beer by kegging my homebrew , but negotiations are ongoing with my Admiral-to-be about personal item storage , whenever I get my refurbished boat back.

[Shack]

Eryka,
We're happy with our space, but the access to stuff seems to be the bigger annoyance. The best we have done so far is to refine the "verticle" order. We ensure that the stuff we need less is on the bottom of a storage area, and visa versa for the stuff we need more often.

Tools Tools Tools!!
Can never have enough or enough space for them.
We finally turned our navigation seat into a tool box. That worked real well. It use to be a top loading storage seat, but we cut a big hatch on the inboard side. Then we slid a 4-drawer craftsman tool box in there. Now, whenever we need a quick tool of any kind we just pop the hatch and the whole box is accessible. We can still put power tools in the top and behind the box. What's nicer is that I can lift the decking and stand in the engine hole with this box right next to my head.
Its 2 cool.