You keep what in your drawers?

I know what you're all thinking, where was last week's post? (no one is thinking this, in fact, I'm sure everyone appreciated the break) But, I was busy socialising last weekend and complaining about the high winds keeping me up at night to pretty much everyone I met, I didn't have the time or the energy to write anything.

But, not to worry, as this week we have a riveting post about storage on a boat. When I first purchased the boat I was worried about what room I'd have for all of my crap, moving from a flat to a 37ft boat came with a lot of baggage most of which is sitting in my parents loft (sorry mum and dad!) You might think that this meant I had to get rid of quite a bit of stuff and you're partly right! I had to decide what stuff I couldn't live without, what stuff I needed, and then what stuff would make every room look cosy (candles, lots of candles) I was, however, pleasantly surprised with just how much storage I had available to me, so let's delve into this further.

Please note, that I cleaned these cupboards before taking these photos (they were a mess) So, let's go from the bow of the boat and work our way down to the stern.

Front Room

The front room offers quite a bit of storage space, towards the bow I have two shelves which I

have used for books, and to the port side, there is what I like to call a built-in tv cabinet thing. This area offers a huge amount of space and I have used it to store a first aid kit (my friends would be proud of me for this) and various other items which you can see in the photo. In the middle of the living room, I have an old-fashioned trunk that I use to store blankets.

Kitchen

Although narrow, the kitchen offers quite a bit of cupboard space. I have two cupboards under the sink which I have used for cleaning products, bin bags, and loo roll. The other two cupboards are used for saucepans and plates. As you enter the kitchen, there is a tall cupboard to the left which has the bin and food in.

Bedroom

The bedroom again, like the kitchen, although small, offers quite a bit of storage space. Under the bed are two drawers which I have used to store, jumpers, socks, and underwear. The storage space opposite the bed provides enough room for the rest of my clothing. And, I have two shelves above this which have more jumpers and other bits.

Backroom/Office

If you read my previous post, you will know that to combat the space taken away from removing two drawers, we (my dad) put up two shelves where the blue sink used to be. This space has allowed me to store various bits and pieces like paint and sketchbooks. I also have a trunk (kindly bought by my parents as a boat-warming gift) that allows me to store my paddleboard and bits associated with this. By the door, there is another tall cupboard which I hang coats up in and I use the floor space for mops and cleaning items.

Outside, at the stern of the boat, I have a large storage area that I have used for toolboxes, hoses, and other bits that I don't want inside the boat.

So, quite a bit of storage space for a 37ft boat. I will say that things like my kayak and bikes etc have to be kept at my parents. I could secure them to the outside of the boat however, they would be exposed to the great British weather and would probably get damaged. It is doable though. I am also quite lucky as I have been able to store a lot of stuff at my parents' house. This stuff consists of items that I don't want or can't have on the boat but I didn't want to get rid of just in case I decided in a few years' time that liveaboard life isn't for me.

What I would say to those that are thinking of living on a boat is to make sure you are organised. You have to make sure that everything has a place and that those items get put back into their designated place. This is something that I'm still working on but I'm finding that if I don't do this then the boat quickly gets messy and cluttered.

That was it for today, I'm sure it wasn't worth the wait but I hope you enjoyed ready anyway. I'll leave you with my music recommendation for this week and this one doesn't come with a meaning behind it you'll be glad to know. This week it's a song by one of my favourite artists, Lights. It's Real Thing (ft. Elohim) - Lights