Meet Eli St. Amour a boat renovator from Pennsylvania, USA. Fed up with not having enough space for the tools Eli decided to build himself a cunning workbench and tool storage solution! The tool cupboard is tucked neatly under the space located under the gunwales. A strong galvanised chain makes sure that his workbench is both strong and stable (the opposite of the British government) Eli uses a pegboard to attach the tools and keep them in position securely whilst underway. An LED light strip lights the cupboard making sure all the tools are easily seen, no matter what time of day, perfect! The clamp positioned to the left-hand side is the finishing touch, the
We love the fact that most people would be using this space to store a selection of fancy spirits, but not Eli! Eli has his priorities in order. His tool storage solution is the centrepiece of the boat, and rightly so! Every good sailor knows that boats are a constant circle of repairs and maintenance, therefore having tools onboard is crucial. After all, your life may depend on those tools one day!
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Q&A
We had some questions for ELI.
Louis – So first of all, tell us about your boat, what model is she and how long have you owned her?
Eli – She’s a Catalina 30 Sailboat I bought her from a friend about 5 months ago.
Louis – So we can tell from your work that this isn’t your first rodeo, how long have you been working on boats for?
Eli – I’ve sailed on tall ships professionally, as well as being a leader in the sea Scouts program for about 5 years. This was my first major boat project where I’ve had the chance to work on a boat I own, although I do have experience in projects on the land.
Louis – Did your project require any specialist tools?
Eli – No, not really just the basic tools most boat renovators would already have. The thing that I think would be most difficult for people to find would be the long piano hinge I used to hinge the bench. Luckily, I had one laying around I just had to Derust it.
Louis – The golden question – how much do you think this project cost you?
Eli – The project only cost me about $40 as I already had the hinge, board and vice. I acquired the LED lights from a boat that was about to be scrapped that I had permission to salvage from. The pegboard, chain, eyelets, bolts, quick links and all the hooks for the pegboard were purchased from Lowe’s
Louis – what’s the next thing you’re working on?
Eli – I’m working on replacing my companionway slat boards with double doors. If I end up staying in the cold weather again next winter I’m also going to try to put in heated floors. The hardest part about this project is that none of those angles that look square; are square, but that’s because it’s a boat!
Louis – Cheers Eli! we look forward to seeing more of your work.