How We Store Water Sports Gear on a 46ft Boat (All Our Ocean Toys!)

The crew aboard Happy Days is very into all things water sports, as you may have noticed. What you might be wondering is — where on earth do we keep all the surfboards, dive fins, and kites? Well, great question!

Let me answer that as I run through what gear we have on board and how we store all our water sports gear on a boat, plus a few tips that can help on any vessel.

All the ‘Toys’

We love all things ocean sports, so most of the ‘toys’ we have on board are related to that. But there are also skateboards and even a folding bike to consider. Here’s a list of all the gear we have to find space for:

Surfboards.
We have a range of boards from 5’2” to 8’0”, and there are 11 of them. Sounds like a lot, huh? Well, they all have a home and don’t get melted or dinged…

Kitesurf gear.
There’s a lot of gear involved in kitesurfing — the actual kite, a board, a bar, harness, and a pump. And that’s for one person! We have four full sets of kite gear, as well as a few extra kites.

Wing foiling gear.
What? Foils on a boat? Yes! We have three of them, and they all deconstruct and fit into a spot. There are also wings (similar to kites), and we have four. Sounding like a lot of stuff yet?

Freediving gear.
We don’t have scuba, but there’s still a fair bit of gear that goes with freediving. All six of us have a set of fins and a mask, and they have to go somewhere!

Skateboards and bike.
One bike for me, and the rest of the crew have skateboards. These are our land transport (apart from running) and help a lot when we’re in a city and need to get around.

I think that’s most of the toys! A lot, huh? Want to know how we fit it all on our 46ft floating home without a garage? Here we go.

Surfboards

The surfboards live in three different places:

The first place is where our most-used boards are kept: the starboard forepeak. On some boats this is used as a crew cabin or sail storage, but on Happy Days we use it for surfboard storage and the watermaker. All these boards have to be 6’6” or under so they fit — thankfully our performance boards all go in here.

Then there’s the longboard, a foam funboard, as well as a SUP and beginner foam board. All of these live on the side of the boat. We have a SUP rack attached to the stanchions that fits the SUP as well as the soft-top foamy. On the inside of the rail, we keep the longboard, funboard, and a foil board (more on that in a second).

Lastly, we have three spares in case we snap or lose a board. These we keep in a big board bag lashed underneath the solar arch. This keeps them out of the way and secure if we ever need them.

Kitesurf Gear

Right, next is kitesurf equipment.

Like I mentioned earlier, we have four full sets of gear. All of this lives in one of the forward lockers on the starboard side. The boards slide between the water tanks and the anchor locker, while the kites, harnesses, and bars are stacked in front of the water tanks.

This works perfectly, keeping everything dry and out of the way.

Wing Foiling Gear

Okay, similar to the kitesurf and surf gear, we keep the foil gear up at the bow and on deck.

Thankfully, the foils split apart and deconstruct — otherwise this would be pretty difficult.

Two of the boards (without the foils attached) live in the surfboard forepeak locker, while the third and biggest one lives on deck with the longboard.

The deconstructed foil parts live in the port forward locker, while the wings live with the kites. It’s a bit spread out, but it’s safe and easy to access when we want to get out there.

Freediving Gear

Alright, on to the freedive stuff!

We have a designated locker at the stern for this, mostly because it’s one of the only spaces that can fit the fins cleanly. We keep all the masks and gloves in a bucket, then stack the fins on top.

For us, it works really well — and we can access it even when we’re wet.

Skateboards + Bike

Lastly — where do we put skateboards so they don’t get wet and seize up? Oh, and how is there a bike on board?

The skateboards also have a designated locker along with the shore power cable and some spare lines. They’re raised above the floor of the locker just in case it gets wet, and we use them often enough that they don’t seize up. They’re also really easy to access, which helps.

As for the bike — full disclaimer: it folds and is quite small. Okay, very small. But perfect for adventures or riding while the others run or skate. It folds and fits neatly under a bed, ready for its next outing.

Tips + Suggestions

Now, I know these systems won’t work on all boats — in fact, they’re pretty unique. But hopefully there are a few takeaways you can try on your own vessel.

Here are a few extra boat storage ideas for water sports gear:

• Have a garage
  We did this on our monohull, and it works really well. A “boat garage” is just a cabin dedicated to toys, gear, sails, and tools. If you have the space, it’s one of the best options.

• Store surfboards under davits or a solar arch
  A common method is strapping boards under the davits or solar arch in board bags. We do this with our spare boards.

• Keep foils assembled and lashed down
  You can store foil boards the same way for quick access — just be mindful of sun exposure.

• Store kites/wings under beds
  A great option if you don’t have locker space. Not the most convenient, but definitely workable.

Summary

I really hope this has given you a feel for how we store water sports gear on a boat, and maybe even sparked a few ideas for your own setup.

These methods have worked so well for us. We now have a solid system that keeps our gear safe, our home tidy, and still lets us carry plenty of toys!

If you have questions or suggestions, let us know in the comments — we’d love to hear your thoughts.