All of our designs, sail and power, have always had large forepeaks for storage of sails, ground tackle, running rigging, awnings, and a variety of other gear. On WindHorse this area is 16 feet (4.9m) long. Although there are no sails to be stored, we seem to have enough other items to keep it well occupied.

When we designed the boat we did not have a storage plan in mind. As a result, we welded in a series of three horizontal pipes on both sides, thinking we would tie gear and running rigging to these. They’ve worked, but for some of the items (like awnings, water skis, dinghy mast, oars, and life jackets), they’ve been less than perfect.

Then, a few weeks ago, we got an idea. The concept was to weld a series of 1/2" (12.6mm) pipes to the hull and then use aluminum rods for "shelving". This was one of the projects on the list last week at Ventura Harbor Boat Yard.

Here is one of the rods, in this case supporting the three sets of oars we carry (two pairs for the rowing dink and one for the aluminum skiff). Note the low "fiddle" bent into the inboard end to keep things from slipping off. You can see the socket welded to the frame and hull to the center left of the photo.

A wider view, looking forward, of the port side. The various bits of spare rope and a few coils are tied to one of the original horizontal pipes. The oars can be seen on their shelves, and above this the brackets holding the awnings (there are awnings here for the deck and the house windows). When we are headed offshore, lashings will be used to keep the various items on their respective shelves.

Our photographic skills are challenged – and found lacking in this tight area. What we are trying to show you here is one of these aluminum rods being used to store a series of life jackets. We have three for the dinghy (adult size) on one rod, another for kids’ life jackets, plus rods for shore power cords, our dock hoses, and sundry other items. The mast section and boom for the rowing dink are stored above.

This socket concept will work on metal boats, and probably could be adapted to fiberglass, albeit with a bit more labor for the installation. What we like most is the flexibility of the system. It is easy to change rod length and configuration.