My onboard paper towel holder is my favorite type of idea. It was cheap, easy and solves a bunch of problems that expensive “solutions” don’t!
Teak Paper Towel Holder
Aboard Que Tal, one of the previous owners had installed a beautiful teak spice rack and paper towel holder. It had two failings. Being over the stove and next to the ceiling, any spices stored in it quickly lost their flavor from the heat (see how to store spices). And since it was next to a port hole that I always left open, any little breeze would spin the roll on the dowel. I instantly had 10 feet of paper-towel flag blowing in the breeze. Sometimes it even threatened to stream right out the companionway.
The thing is, a similar teak rack now costs over $100. That is hardly cheap for something that really doesn’t really work. I put my spices in a small cupboard near the floor and cursed the paper towel streamer. But I never came up with a better way of storing the roll.
A New Method
Fast-forward to cruising aboard Winterlude with our friends David and Jan Irons, who writes Commuter CRUISER.com. Jan swears that I gave her the idea for her paper towel holder. And I’m equally certain I didn’t because I would have quickly retrofitted my holder. Regardless, it’s the best solution I’ve ever seen. And making it even better is the fact that it costs less than $5.
Jan used two cup hooks and a piece of bungee cord to make her paper towel holder. The idea is shown in the photo. But Jan admits that the bungee is a little past its prime and it works best when the shock cord is tight. One cruiser I know suggested that cutting a piece of PVC piping to put over the bungee helps save the cord. And, if it’s a little longer than the roll, keeps the roll from getting hung up.
You can use a pre-made bungee with hooks on the ends. Or custom-make one yourself to the exact length you need and make loops in the ends using hog rings. Quarter-inch shock cord provides the right amount of tension. You’ll need to replace the shock cord about once a year. While Jan put hers under an existing spice rack, you can put it anywhere that you can screw the cup hooks into.
Don’t want to put holes in your teak? Use Command hooks (Amazon) instead.
On our next boat, I put one vertically:
Very simply, the shock cord presses the roll of paper towels against the wall and keeps it from spinning in the breeze — but it’s still easy enough to pull off a sheet when you want it.
An alternative if you already have a holder mounted somewhere is to run the shock cord on the outside of the roll, again preventing it from unrolling of its own volition but easy to pull off a sheet when you want it.
Let’s hear it for another one of Jan’s “why didn’t I think of that?” ideas!
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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.
The Boat Galley says
Use Command hooks — no holes and they remove with no residue or marking.
Carolyn Shearlock says
Great idea!
Shawn Harlan says
I’m just being a smart ass
Kitty says
We do the same thing, but yours is prettier. 🙂