I hate drilling holes in my boat

Although I keep a cordless drill on the boat, I hate using it. Mainly because it’s hard to undo a hole that’s already been drilled.  When something needs to be mounted, I won’t drill a hole unless I’m 100% sure that I’ve picked the perfect spot.  So far, the only holes I’ve drilled have been for mounting fire extinguishers.

For other things that need to be attached or hung, I rely on suction cups and velcro. I must have two dozen suction cup hooks and holders around the boat. They hold all kinds of things like life jackets, pencils, small tools and my binoculars on the bridge. I’ve experimented with a variety of suction cups and I’ve found the ones that have mechanism to create extra suction work the best. Here’s some links to my favorites:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000VKMMP0

Suction cup hook

http://carbungeecordsonsale.blogspot.com/2012/04/suction-tie-downs-keep-things-secure.html

Suction tie down

I keep velcro strips onboard and use them for all kinds things. I have my dust-buster velcro’d in place because I wasn’t sure if the spot I picked for it was “just right”.  It’s been there for 6+ years now…still with velcro.  I really didn’t want to drill holes into my dash to mount the holder for my thruster remote…so velcro to the rescue and my drill stays unused again. I was even able to velcro our knife block in place so that it wouldn’t move around while underway in rough seas.

I like both the velcro 4″ strips and the “coins” (circular size) like these ones:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B012EWJGO2

Self-stick velcro coins

Here’s a shot of everything. Two suction cup holders, my intercom to the bridge attached with velcro, and a fire extinguisher that is properly attached with two screws that…yes…I drilled holes for.

Useful stuff!

Am I the only one that hates drilling holes in my boat? What tricks do you use to avoid drilling holes?

Thanks for reading and happy boating!

-Boatnut Brian