Storage Solutions For Small Spaces

For anyone who owns a narrow boat or is thinking of purchasing a boat will recognise straight away the limitation of space. So clever storage ideas are a must to be able to maximize the space you do have. Furnishings should also match your budget and surroundings.

If you decide to live on a narrow boat full time, then this is a great time to downside your possessions as well as your living space if you are moving from a larger living dwelling to a narrow boat.

Depending on the size of narrow boat you buy/have this will affect the amount of space you will have and can create.

Good boat builders will have already considered storage when designing the interior of the narrow boat; adding corner units, under bed draws, storage under sofas or benches at the breakfast bar, under seat storage on the stern deck, wall units, clever kitchen storage, gate leg table and folding chairs, storage for spare gas bottles etc.


If you are in the process of looking for a narrow boat take into consideration what storage the boat offers already and what changes you could make to maximise the inside and outside of the boat.

What can you do to make the most of the space you have?

Here are a few tips which you can follow when you are limited for space:

• De clutter – be ruthless go through your belongings and decide do you really need it or could you live without it. You will be amazed at just how much stuff you have that isn’t actually necessary.
• If the bed on your boat hasn’t got under bed storage, replace the bed with a bed that has this facility. This is a great place to store bed linen, towels, blankets and out of season clothes etc.
• Use vacuum pack storage bags this really reduces the amount of space needed to put away clothing and soft furnishings, the bags are made of clear plastic so it is easy to see what is inside once stored.
• Plastic stacking boxes are also another useful way to organise your belongings, available in a variety of colours, sizes and locking options.
• If you are a lover of reading, instead of having lots of books consider take these books to a charity shop and swap to a Kindle. A friend of mine did this and she gained so much new storage space.
• Many people use roof boxes on the top of the boat to store items. There are many types on the market to choose from, but care needs to be taken with the height of the roof boxes so that they are not going to affect going through a tunnel!

If the narrow boat doesn’t have the great storage ideas a good boat designer should have fitted, considering adding some of these features yourself or have a boat fitter do the work for you.