If you come to our boat and Eben isn’t mid-project, doing something, it is a very rare occasion. He keeps himself so busy that it can be dizzying/frustrating at times, but it is also what we knew we were getting in to by buying a project boat. It is also what I knew I was getting in to when I married this creative man; he’s always going. And although it can be a little tough living with the Energizer Bunny of Boat Projects, the things that he creates are truly astonishing.

   His latest project was to make two custom dock boxes for the back of our boat. To clean up the look of the boat, and to have somewhere to hide the excessive amount of ropes we carry onboard! As with ALL boat projects, you guesstimate they will take a certain amount of time and they always end up taking slightly longer. But after four full-on (non-consecutive) work days and one very tired Eben, we now have these awesome storage bins that can replace the UV-deteriorated Tupperware bins we had been using prior. 
   Because of the lack of accessibility of marine plywood (or should I say lack of any at a decent price) in St Thomas, Eben decided to us PVC sheeting to create the form of the boxes instead. He said it was surprisingly easy to work with and we don’t have to worry about wood rot from the rain in the future. So he created these two box-forms, that follow the shape of our boat perfectly, and held the pieces together with tiny nails and PVC glue. Once he had them looking the way he wanted, he then covered them in fibreglass and epoxy. A few layers of that stuff and these flimsy forms became rock solid and strong enough to have the dock boxes double as seats. He then cut off the top two inches of the boxes and created a lip so they top could easily just slide on and off, and be held snug in their place. The final step was a couple of layers of Awlgrip paint to make them shiny and beautiful. 
   I think the hardest part of this whole endeavour was finding work spots, where he could bring these oversized boxes to, bring all his tools, and not be bothering anyone that was on their “dreamy” vacation. And I am pretty sure that the sanding, fibreglassing, and sweating was a 
b!*@h too!
   While he was at it, he also made us a bbq holder/fish fillet table that hooks to the back rail, above the starboard dock box. It is starting to look pretty slick back there. We are movin’ on up and our boat is going from a “work aboard” to being no too shabby.

Starting with the PVC sheeting

piecing them together with glue and nails

Then the epoxy work started

You can see the BBQ holder/Fish fillet table here too

I think this is going to be his new favorite hang out spot
The finished result, after the alwgrip was applied, sanded, and reapplied

The one currently stores our generator, a tarp, and some sail material for repairs
The other has our propane tanks, a work blanket, and lots of rope!
the painted BBQ holder

The beautiful finished result