One of the first things we did when we moved aboard Barefoot Gal was to replace the pillows on the bed. The old ones were horrible!
What to do with the old ones? They sat around for a while — not really trash, but not good enough even to be guest pillows. One went into the car for the dog.
Then as Dave started getting into the deck lockers and working on the engine, he discovered that he was always having to lean against the edges of fiberglass partitions. OUCH!
And so that extra “awful” pillow had a new lease on life as the work pillow. It provides just enough cushioning to make things tolerable (along with Dave’s knee pads) and we don’t care if it gets filthy. Between jobs, we just slip it in a trash bag to keep from transferring the grease onto anything else, then tuck it onto the storage bed.
So if you’ve got an old bed pillow, cockpit cushion or even an old PFD, think twice before throwing it in the trash — would it be a good work pillow?
Carolyn Shearlock has lived aboard full-time for 17 years, splitting her time between a Tayana 37 monohull and a Gemini 105 catamaran. She’s cruised over 14,000 miles, from Pacific Mexico and Central America to Florida and the Bahamas, gaining firsthand experience with the joys and challenges of life on the water.
Through The Boat Galley, Carolyn has helped thousands of people explore, prepare for, and enjoy life afloat. She shares her expertise as an instructor at Cruisers University, in leading boating publications, and through her bestselling book, The Boat Galley Cookbook. She is passionate about helping others embark on their liveaboard journey—making life on the water simpler, safer, and more enjoyable.
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Jan Bogart says
Happy Birthday!
Deborah Ruths-Brown says
Happy happy birthday Dave!
Frances Liz Fernandez says
Happy birthday to Dave. I hope you have a great day
Barb France says
Happy birthday! !!
Barb France says
Happy birthday! !!
Terri Zorn says
Happy Birthday……Have a wonderful day 🙂
Terri Zorn says
Happy Birthday……Have a wonderful day 🙂
June Stein Kelly says
What a great idea. Comes under the heading “why didn’t I think of that?” I am just about to replace our pillows!
The Boat Galley says
I love repurposing!
Sheryl Shard says
Great idea. And Happy Birthday to Dave!
mark says
I use the square type seat, life-ring cushion type?
Deana Jones says
Troy has to lay across our engine to work on the generator. He has always used an old pillow laid across the engine. Works great!
Mike Boyd says
Happy Birthday Dave.
I use one of those garden kneeling pads for this same purpose. It is “slightly” easier to clean oil and grease off of…but saves you from that dreaded ledge induced bruise on the ribs.
-Mike
ThisRatSailed
Denys Stryker says
or a moving blanket
Matt Garand says
I use a work pad/pillow also and it really helps!
Colin Mombourquette says
Definitely a necessity as I grow more “seasoned”. I use 3 hi density, canvas-covered foam pads sold at a local store as kneeling pads for gardening. Kneel, sit or lie on them and use one to protect my belly when I need to lie on top of the engine to reach the stuffing box. Guess my belly is also a stuffing box
Pacific NW Boater says
PFDs work great in a pinch!
Paul Sunshine says
Is that like the garden knee pad?
Pat McCoy says
I always where my knee pads when doing work around the boat.
John Rushworth says
I just use some foam wrapped in a heavy poly bag, taped with duct tape. Regardless whether pillow or that, essential for the less able, less flexible ageing sailor like me!
Steve Cooper says
Matt Gross!!! Brilliant!
Matt Gross says
It’s still painful but a hair less so.
It’s in my dock box,
in a bag just like that.
Dorothy Griffith says
I’m the plumber in our boat, and after getting bruised ribs, I started using my bed pillow stuffed inside a black garbage bag to cushion my body. The garbage bag protects my pillow, and the slipperiness of the plastic allows me to move easily without getting bound up on the pillow fabric. Bonus is not having to store an extra pillow!
Rhon Nelson says
Excellent Idea ! Cudoes to you