Projects While Living Aboard

Maddie and I both love to do projects, so we need to manage our space efficiently to allow us to work in a small space.

The most important thing to keep in mind is that space is multipurpose. We do have spaces that are dedicated "junk piles" but for the most part, we keep everywhere available to use.


On a Wednesday night,  Maddie was creating a painting on the salon table and needed space to organize her paints, meanwhile I'm working on the rope fenders and need space to organize the lines and tie the knots. 

This is where space management pays dividends. The salon table has folding leaves, which allow the table to grow and shrink on demand.


I was able to keep the fenders tucked under the galley sink, with the old lines coiled in the galley, and me working in the hallway and the other leaf of the table. 

The quarters are tight, and we have to work around each other, but we are able to complete our projects in the space available. It's just a mindset of being creative with what space is available.

In the past, I have made all of the dock lines, standing rigging, and running rigging inside the cabin in this limited space.  

Things that we have found to help organizing the space is good communication. When Maddie needs space for a project, she tells me and I get my stuff out of the way for her; the same when I need space as well.  We also try to complete the project as quickly as possible to clear the area again. I have been working on these rope fenders for about a week now. As soon as I'm done working, I clear the area for Maddie. The coiled lines go into the cockpit, the fenders slide under the galley sink, and the floors are once again clear for walking.