A common item stored on boats these days is the Standup Paddle Board or SUP. They are a wonderful piece of equipment to have aboard and are generally easier to stow and transport than kayaks. I like to use the SUP for exercise or just to get away from the boat and enjoy the edges of the anchorage. Exercise on boats is an entire topic in itself but I will put in a quick plug for the SUP. I am one of those people that gets antsy if I do not get a workout. Whenever I can, I love to go for a long swim. Swimming is often times not possible if the water is too cold or polluted or if the anchorage is too busy with other boats. The SUP is often the most accessible way for me to get some exercise. It is also a great way to explore the edges of the anchorage. It is much quieter than the dinghy and standing above the surface gives a different view of the shallows. I have had many a wonderful encounter with wildlife from this vantage point.
Once I realized how much I enjoyed having the SUP aboard our boat, I spent quite a bit of time sorting out the best way to store the SUP on deck. What I came up with was a simple set of storage hooks and straps that I put together from parts that I found in a HomeDepot. HomeDepot has a decent selection of metal shapes in a bin in the Hardware Aisle. I purchased a piece of aluminum flat bar measuring 1”x1/8” x 3ft. I cut the flat bar with a hacksaw and bent the flat bar in a vise that I found in the community shop area at Marathon City Marina. The vertical portion of the storage hooks measure about 7” and the horizontal portion measures about 4”. My wife stitched together a small piece of vinyl to provide a bit of protection from the hard edges of the aluminum. Finally, I attached the storage hooks to the bases of my lower shrouds. The SUP rests on the storage hooks and straps go around the shrouds to hold the SUP snug against the rigging. My shrouds have wood rollers which help prevent the rigging wire from chafing the surface of the SUP.
The storage solution that I put together offers a couple of key features that I think are essential. First, the SUP is up off the deck. When I wash anchor mud down the side deck, it does not collect under and around the SUP like it would if the SUP were resting on the deck. Secondly, that SUP is attached to the rigging vs the lifeline stanchions. I see SUPs lashed to stanchions on many boats. The stanchions are not strong enough to handle the potential load from a big sea crashing into a SUP lashed to this structure. Standing rigging is much stronger. We have transported our SUP on our boat for over 12,000 miles including many offshore passages without any issues.
Check out the photos for more details and let me know if you have any questions.
