Yacht Shangri-la
until now.
I was invited to stay on a friend's boat for a few days and it was a real eye-opener. It was a motor yacht called Shangri-la and it has a great history. It previously belonged to the movie star Robert Mitchum, but now it belongs to my friend Allen.
It’s a beautiful, classic motor yacht, but it needed a little clutter clearing. It’s his home as well as his boat, so all his belongings are on board. Years and years of accumulation.
Boats are very cleverly designed and storage is created where ever possible. You lift up a trap door on the floor and you find an empty space! There is storage under every bed and seat, and little cupboards wherever they can be fitted.
It’s okay if you are just using your boat occasionally, but a whole different matter if your boat is your home. I didn’t realize how many people do live on their boats full time!!
Clutter clearing your boat | Where do you start?
Well, I suggest you take one area at a time.
1) The Engine Room- Start by throwing away old containers of paint, varnish, etc, that are no longer useable. Put racking on the walls to hold tools. Label boxes and containers to make it easier to find things.
2) The Lazaret - (small storeroom within the hull at the extreme stern) This is not usually a big space, so store extra ropes and smaller objects that you need to get to easily.
3) Under the Beds or Bunks, store duvets and blankets. A good tip is to use the vacuum bags ( the ones you suck the air out of with the vacuum). They collapse to paper thin and so take up very little room. They can also be used to store out-of season clothes. In fact, anything that is soft can be flattened.
4) Be brave and Have a Good Declutter before you pack things away. If you haven’t used it for a year and are not likely to, let it go. I know that’s a slightly different rule for a boat, but I’m sure there are some things you no longer need.
5) Organize Kitchen Cupboards into different usage. Have a good clearing out of old food, crockery and utensils.
6) Sort Paper Clutter. Keep what you think is important, but throw away what you no longer need. It takes up unnecessary space.
After helping Allen to declutter Shangri-la and give it back its Hollywood Image, we relaxed with our cocktails on deck. I explained to him that I’d attached labels where ever possible and I gave him a detailed list of what was under each bed. (Shangri-la has real beds!)
Now when he needs something he doesn’t have to go searching under all of them. He can go straight to what he needs.
Boats are wonderful to be on and so cleverly designed to create storage. It’s up to you to utilize it to the full and do lots of clutter clearing. Happy Sailing!!!
I was invited to stay on a friend's boat for a few days and it was a real eye-opener. It was a motor yacht called Shangri-la and it has a great history. It previously belonged to the movie star Robert Mitchum, but now it belongs to my friend Allen.
It’s a beautiful, classic motor yacht, but it needed a little clutter clearing. It’s his home as well as his boat, so all his belongings are on board. Years and years of accumulation.
Boats are very cleverly designed and storage is created where ever possible. You lift up a trap door on the floor and you find an empty space! There is storage under every bed and seat, and little cupboards wherever they can be fitted.
It’s okay if you are just using your boat occasionally, but a whole different matter if your boat is your home. I didn’t realize how many people do live on their boats full time!!
Clutter clearing your boat | Where do you start?
Well, I suggest you take one area at a time.
1) The Engine Room- Start by throwing away old containers of paint, varnish, etc, that are no longer useable. Put racking on the walls to hold tools. Label boxes and containers to make it easier to find things.
2) The Lazaret - (small storeroom within the hull at the extreme stern) This is not usually a big space, so store extra ropes and smaller objects that you need to get to easily.
3) Under the Beds or Bunks, store duvets and blankets. A good tip is to use the vacuum bags ( the ones you suck the air out of with the vacuum). They collapse to paper thin and so take up very little room. They can also be used to store out-of season clothes. In fact, anything that is soft can be flattened.
4) Be brave and Have a Good Declutter before you pack things away. If you haven’t used it for a year and are not likely to, let it go. I know that’s a slightly different rule for a boat, but I’m sure there are some things you no longer need.
5) Organize Kitchen Cupboards into different usage. Have a good clearing out of old food, crockery and utensils.
6) Sort Paper Clutter. Keep what you think is important, but throw away what you no longer need. It takes up unnecessary space.
After helping Allen to declutter Shangri-la and give it back its Hollywood Image, we relaxed with our cocktails on deck. I explained to him that I’d attached labels where ever possible and I gave him a detailed list of what was under each bed. (Shangri-la has real beds!)
Now when he needs something he doesn’t have to go searching under all of them. He can go straight to what he needs.
Boats are wonderful to be on and so cleverly designed to create storage. It’s up to you to utilize it to the full and do lots of clutter clearing. Happy Sailing!!!
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