Show me your ingenious storage ideas for awkward cupboards / lockers.

[Phil_boat]

Please!

The storage in my Merry Fisher 755 Marlin isn’t very useful. There’s plenty of volume but it’s awkward to utilise well.

There’s 2 top loading lockers and two doors, which don’t open fully due to the seat pedestals in front.

I bought some plastic boxes but they’re not the solution.

Has anyone done anything clever with similar space or got any great ideas?

Cheers

(Some not great pics…)

 

[PabloPicasso]

Perhaps alter the doors so you can open them. A bi-fold door? Cut the door down the middle and put a hinge there so it opens in half the space.

Have more smaller opening doors.

Put a rail accross ¼ of the way up to stop things falling out?

½ opening sliding doors perhaps? These can have a catch to stop them.opening when you don't want them to.

Slide and hide doors, or up and over like a mini garage door. Or just hinge at the top or bottom?

Get creative with how the doors open, or build in drawers?

Move cables and pipes to the back of the lockers and retain with clips to.maximise space. Elongate the service holes so you can move them back out the way.

Put in shelves with "fiddle" edges to retain things, add upright dividers as needed for the same reason.

Decide what the locker is for and customise it for that purpose.

That'll all develop your spacial woodworking skills.

 

[jakew009]

Buy a bigger boat

 

[fredrussell]

…Put in shelves with "fiddle" edges to retain things, add upright dividers as needed for the same reason…

That’s my favourite solution for deep lockers.

 

[Boathook]

My boat has cables and pipes all over the place from previous owners 'work' taking up lockers. It's going to be an ongoing project to tidy up. Still early days, as I only purchased the boat late December.

 

[ghostlymoron2]

I remember seeing one of the useful tips by a former PBO editor with ideas to make use more space on your boat. It was some years ago though!

 

[wonkywinch]

It would worry me stuff rolling around in compartments that had cables and connectors exposed like that.

 

[PabloPicasso]

It would worry me stuff rolling around in compartments that had cables and connectors exposed like that.

Yes i deed, clip the cables in place to prevent such issues.

 

[stone beach]

Stuff in bags is usually better than stuff in boxes, duffle bag style, obvious disadvantage you can't see what's in them, can be mitigated by different colours.

Fitting dividers in the locker also can help (if you can still get access from above after fitting dividers of course).

Btw, very cute dog, used to have one looked v. similar, still missed....

 

[Boater Sam]

Boxes waste space. Heavy gauge plastic clear bags are better.

 

[Buck Turgidson]

Stowage is overrated!

 

[Seastoke]

If you bag stuff , number bags and a list of what is in each.

 

[thinwater]

I like shallow trays that hang in the tops of lockers. Then big stuff under.

 

[Phil_boat]

Perhaps alter the doors so you can open them. A bi-fold door? Cut the door down the middle and put a hinge there so it opens in half the space.

Have more smaller opening doors.

Put a rail accross ¼ of the way up to stop things falling out?

½ opening sliding doors perhaps? These can have a catch to stop them.opening when you don't want them to.

Slide and hide doors, or up and over like a mini garage door. Or just hinge at the top or bottom?

Get creative with how the doors open, or build in drawers?

Move cables and pipes to the back of the lockers and retain with clips to.maximise space. Elongate the service holes so you can move them back out the way.

Put in shelves with "fiddle" edges to retain things, add upright dividers as needed for the same reason.

Decide what the locker is for and customise it for that purpose.

That'll all develop your spacial woodworking skills.

These are all great ideas cheers.

Drawers would be good if I can make them work in the space.

Buy a bigger boat

I do like this idea a lot

My boat has cables and pipes all over the place from previous owners 'work' taking up lockers. It's going to be an ongoing project to tidy up. Still early days, as I only purchased the boat late December.

It would worry me stuff rolling around in compartments that had cables and connectors exposed like that.

Yes i deed, clip the cables in place to prevent such issues.

Yes it’s not ideal having kit in the back of the cupboard but as with everything it’s a compromise. There isn’t really anywhere else I could have fitted it to keep it accessible but out of the way. I can always box it in if I find it’s vulnerable (or move it next winter).

Stuff in bags is usually better than stuff in boxes, duffle bag style, obvious disadvantage you can't see what's in them, can be mitigated by different colours.

Fitting dividers in the locker also can help (if you can still get access from above after fitting dividers of course).

Btw, very cute dog, used to have one looked v. similar, still missed....

I think duffel / dry bags is the way forward and divide the top access lockers from the cupboards, at the moment there’s nothing stopping things sliding straight through.

And yes the furry dude is a cutie, and he knows it! Cockers are ace dogs.

I like shallow trays that hang in the tops of lockers. Then big stuff under.

This is good! Would work well under the bed to make clothes “drawers”

 

[Humblebee]

Your plastic boxes are not the easiest to get a hold of. How about some similar sized ones but with recessed handles in the top? They work for us.

 

[Phil_boat]

I’ve stopped trying to overcomplicate things…

Bought a chopping board and cut it to fit as a divider. We now have a top loading box each side which we can drop various stuff sacks / bags into without it sliding back.

And then another couple of bags in the cupboards for food.

Sometimes simple is easiest…