Making the Most of the Cuddy - Equipment Storage Ideas

[Woreign]

I've search through the forum and haven't been able to find any related posts...

Other than just throwing in coolers and plastic bins, what type of ideas or improvements have you all made to maximize the storage space of the cuddy? I read that the DS1 had trays on either for storage, but the DS2 & 3 just have an open area. Also, would it be OK to drill holes in the cuddy roof reinforcements to add hooks or other attachment hardware? I've also been considering having some cushions made to fit the floor of the cuddy in case my family or I would like to rest inside for any reason.

I started by attaching the fire extinguisher and air horn the lower end of the mast:

[GreenLake]

There's nothing that speaks against adding supports inside the cuddy to hang things.

You have various options. If you care about maintaining an undisturbed surface, you could grind off a spot on the inside, glue a pad (plywood etc) with epoxy and then screw into that.

John Alesch, who was a long time contributor here was partial to something he called "saddle staples" (of I haven't mixed up the names). These are the flat, elongated eyestraps that would fit something like a leather saddle strap (and you should be able to get them in stainless from a number of sources).

The key to his method was to mount two of them - back to back, with bolts that went through the side of the cuddy. That way, the nuts were on the inside and the outside presented a clean 'staple' - which he could additionally use to secure a tarp or whatever to.

On the inside, he would put a webbed loop (or several lanyards) through the staple to hold whatever he wanted to keep off the cuddy floor.

Or, if you don't particularly care, you can just drill a hole and use a round-headed bolt with a washer on the outside and any suitable fixture on the inside. If you wanted to, you could even build yourself some shelves, line those found on the DS1. In my experience (which does not include camping in or from my boat) they are useful, moderately so. They do keep things out of the water/off the floor, but the forward end is not easy to get to, and stuff tends to "mingle", unless you keep the number of items down.

On the DSII your opening is restricted, and that allows you to place some stuff on the inside of the bulkhead. John always had many things hanging from supports in that corner - those items are moderately easy to get to from the cockpit.

For longer excursions, he designed a special lid for the cuddy opening that not only had storage in the lid itself, but could also be opened partially for quick access without taking it out completely while underway.

Smaller passengers enjoy "nesting" in the cuddy, if given half a chance, and can be relied upon to be very creative in that endeavor. Spare life jackets and throwable flotation will be repurposed. One managed to find a bungee cord and a spare jacket and turned that into a curtain for the cuddy opening. Larger crew will rarely find the space as congenial

For day trips, I mostly organize the smaller items in 5 gal buckets. Nice to have in case of serious needs for bailing, the buckets keep everything together for easy loading/unloading and are not to hard to use when trying to retrieve specific items. Lately, I've started to zip-loc the smaller items like the various tapes, spare batteries etc. by "theme" and only leave larger items like ropes, lights, etc. out.

I'm a fan of not overthinking this and letting things evolve a bit.

If I were to prepare a boat for the Tx200, I would approach things more methodically, but for an event like that the amount of gear and provisions is at least an order of magnitude more, and needs more planning.

[Gus]

IMG0006_2.jpg (13.42 KiB) Viewed 7877 times

The best system I found for additional storage under the cutty is a net attached under the roof of the cutty with the leading edge of the net is held in with elastic.
The net lets you store things you want to stay dry or if wet then to dry. These things will stay with the boat if the boat capsizes. Been there and done that.

/Users/augustwheismann/Desktop/IMG0006_2.jpg

[Woreign]

I like the elastic net idea! I'll check the auto parts stores to see if they sell something that would fit.

[Gus]

My nets came from a West Marine kind of a store. They there a hammock for the galley to store fruits. I open them up and threaded shock cord on the front.