Best Use of Space

[Calaban-Alleria]

First post here...

We are the very happy owners of a 26ft Grampian sailboat these past two and a half years. It was built two years before I graduated high school - a few years ago now.
We have been having fun taking Canadian Power and Sail courses, short coastal sails in the BC gulf islands while gradually updating the boat systems to our liking.

My question: The boat has a port side Lazerett that opens up to a large storage area which follows to the curve of the hull all the way down towards the keel area. Lots of room but because of the curve what ever you place in there has a tendency to slide down and form a jumbled heap towards the keel. Does anyone have any thoughts about how one might manage this space more effectively?

Thanks for your collected wisdom on this issue and any other tips on getting the most of the limited space on a coastal cruiser would be welcome.

[Stu Jackson]

Hi & welcome,


We had the same issue with our C25 from 1987 to 98. Found big stuff you don't always need in the bottom, with lines attached to grab and get them back. I've heard of folks doing complicated things with cleats (wood glued to the hull and used for attaching other things) and sliding flats with milk crates. Can get as complicated as you want to make it.


And it all depends on what you folks find you need to store there, too.


Good luck, nice little weather window we're having...

[Steve Bean]

For some items, you could install some hooks at the top and hang things in bags of canvas or netting. Long lanyards for items to be kept at lower levels. Some things, such as fenders, have their own lanyards. Edit: Stu writes faster than I do, it seems...

[ChesapeakeRich]

I had the same boat... a Grampian 26. I fiberglassed rails inside along the hull and the lower inner side of the lazerette, then I built a trio of shelf inserts that fit in place and rested on those rails. It worked great — about six linear feet of storage, and I could easily remove them if I needed to get access to below.

[Calaban-Alleria]

Interesting ideas - thanks for the replies!