Maybe a better title for this is “Container Wars”. Or is that the name of a reality TV show? I digress.

It’s amazing how easy it is to lose things on a boat, even a small one. Keeping items corralled into containers can mitigate this reality. But what containers to use?

On Calypso, we have 4 different KINDS of containers for storing things, not including the repurposed containers from things like peanut butter pretzels and the like. Open ones (no lid at all, more like baskets), ones with press-on covers, “positively latching” (some kind of latch that locks the top into place so that the top can’t fall off if the container tips over) ones with gaskets, and positively latching ones without gaskets. There are different sizes within each category. It’s enough to make your head spin. So what are some things you might want to consider?

A note: at least on a monohull, storage lockers often bottom out into a v-shape of some kind. Containers won’t fit flat onto the v (and they stack a lot better when flat!), so either filling the bottom or providing some kind of flat space will help a lot. I’ve used things as simple as foam blocks wedged into the space (especially helpful in potentially wet spots, like inside the locker under the sink); we’ve also gone so far as to install tabbing with a piece of plywood. Some containers will also chock against the hull/locker face with a little encouragement (like a knee or tabbing piece forming a lip).

Note 2: Don’t be afraid to think of lots of different sizes of containers.

What are you storing? This is important both for the kind of box but also the size. When we put a printer on board, we looked for a gasketed box that would snugly fit the printer, ideally to fit in this one locker behind the settee with a 5” high opening. No luck keeping it that small, but we did find one that holds the printer along with a ream of paper, an extra printer cartridge or two, and the power supply. We use the gasketed boxes for more moisture-sensitive items like electronics and tools; I’ve also got a number of these in the galley. The larger, press-on top ones serve to mainly keep any spillage contained - the epoxy box, the generator box. Open baskets help organize job-specific items: I love being able to grab my “basket” of baking gizmos from the galley locker. We also keep a larger basket or two permanently under the dodger for trying to keep cockpit chaos in check.

Where are you storing it? This is a consideration both for the kind of container and especially for the size you want to think of. When my friend Wendy was recently looking for containers specifically for her fridge on Luna, she’d measured the available space in all directions and came to the store armed with the dimensions. She found positively latching ones that would fit perfectly stacked 3 on top of each other.

Look in lots of departments. We’re constantly on the lookout for containers, especially since we’re not 100% done with stuff on board yet. At stores like Target and Walmart, Ikea and even Home Depot, we’ve found containers in the kitchen aisle, the laundry spot, even with the seasonal items. The storage section, obviously. Home organization. We have not walked into a “Container Store”, in part because the prices seem high but also we’ve not been anywhere with a Container Store.

Not all containers are created equal. Even in terms of plastic boxes, you’ll find the gamut of softer, flexible ones all the way to brittle ones that will crack at the first provocation, plus a good selection of something in between. It’s hard to tell online which ones are which (though the perfectly clear boxes, in our experience, have tended toward the brittle side of the equation), and you might find you have a preference. As with every other aspect of on board organization, we have multiple kinds.

Maximizing space usage isn’t always easy. Boats are not square. (Er, at least not boats I’m familiar with.) Boat storage is not square. Fitting square boxes into not square spaces means you might have some dead space. This might just be the nature of the beast. You might be able to squeeze some soft goods into those spaces, or rolls of toilet paper. Or spare ziploc bags. Or not. Just because you have a ton of space doesn’t mean you need to fill every square (see what I did there?) inch.

Speaking of sizes . . . While exterior dimensions matter in terms of where you can store the boxes, interior dimensions matter in terms of what you can fit inside. There’s no point in buying a box, for example, that fits in a certain spot if you can’t put what you had planned into it. Check both the interior and exterior dimensions. Be aware too that boxes often are not straight-sided (an annoyance if you’re really trying to maximize space!) and some manufacturers measure inside dimensions from the top of the box. This is one of many reasons I prefer to find storage containers in an actual store as opposed to online, at least for the first round.

Think minimal. Size, that is. It’s easier to store small boxes than larger ones; it’s also way easier to find what you’re looking for in a small, focused (if this makes any sense) box than a large one. Yes, one larger box will have more usable space than 3 smaller ones that take up the same footprint, but losing the bit of storage will more than pay off when you can find things OR just take out the one small box you need.

Think outside the box. The best containers for your tools might be Rubbermaid containers you find in the grocery store. Those shoe boxes at Walmart might work excellently as t-shirt drawers. Just because someone else in a marketing department somewhere calls it some specific kind of storage doesn’t mean you have to use it that way.

Boxes and baskets essentially form smaller lockers within lockers. From the fridge to the lazarette and even the cockpit, there’s not a space on board that won’t benefit from a little organization love!

Favorite boxes?

LocknLock Challenging to find in a brick and mortar store in the sizes that seem to exist on the web. Expensive. Durable.

Utility Dry Box Like Pelican boxes at a fraction of the price. We’ve had these on Calypso for almost 30 years and just bought more for Mischief. These are our go-to tool boxes.

Walmart Mainstays flexible drawer organizers Love these for jobs where we need to corral small bits together. Grippy, flexible, compactly stackable.

Sterilite gasketed boxes We first found these at Home Depot in some seasonal display. They feel very durable, with thick walls that will resist any puncture from any sharp objects inside.

Rubbermaid Roughneck boxes These are the lazarette specials on board, housing the larger items that need to have spillage contained. There’s a box for paints, one for epoxies, one for the generator. The lids don’t positively latch, which is a negative, but they do stay on pretty well.

There are plenty of square-sided containers with screw-on tops, repurposed from things like shark fittings for the plumbing or fancy rice mixes. My granola container once held peanut butter pretzels. Don’t be afraid to reuse good containers!