# Hanging "dress clothes", suits and such, in the boat



## peterchech (Sep 2, 2011)

A big impediment I have right now to living aboard is the fact that both me and my girlfriend are professionals, and we need more than the usual hanging locker. I wear a suit every day, and I can't reduce the amount of shirts/suits that I have, at least not by enough to fit in a standard little hanging locker.

Does anyone have any creative ideas for hanging up dress clothes in a boat? And for how to secure them underway, so they don't all get wrinkled after a daysail?

I am currently looking at boats in the 30-37' range to liveaboard. I don't mind doing some minor interior carpentry. I am hoping to get a boat with an aft cabin but I'm not certain about that yet...


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## Tim R. (Mar 23, 2003)

We are also two professionals living aboard. We have a forty foot boat with 2 cabins. each cabin has a hanging locker. My wife gets the bigger locker. My locker in the aft cabin was actually a shelved locker. I removed the shelving and installed a hanger rod. We keep this cabin cool to prevent condensation in the winter. We run a 110v dehumidifier at the forward head which keeps the boat fairly dry. You will not have a problem with smelly clothes if the boat is not smelly and you keep your lockers well ventilated. We shower on shore year round. Me at the marina and my wife at her gym across the street.

My locker is about 2' wide. I can fit 7 pairs of dress pants and 10 shirts in it. The dress pants stay wrinkle free but the shirts do not. I iron a shirt each morning before work. Jackets I leave at the office. I use a standard iron with a tabletop ironing board in the salon.

My wife only stores clothes for the particular season in her locker. Others stay in our storage unit and get swapped out each season. She is not a shoe person so she has minimized the number of shoes she owns. Although she could keep her shoes at work because she does not walk the cobble and brick sidewalks here in her dress shoes anyhow.

Our boat is slipped about 4 blocks from either of our offices so it is easy to pick up a jacket if I have to travel.

Do you have the ability to store clothes at work? 

Get creative. You will find a solution. This is what living aboard is all about. Adapting and minimizing.


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## Faster (Sep 13, 2005)

It's not only wrinkle free you need to be worried about... it's also moisture, smells, possibly mildew etc. I think this is a problem generally for office types that choose to liveaboard.

We keep things in large zip loc bags if we want them fresh and dry, but this is mainly guest/spare bedding and linens and such, we don't liveaboard full time and when we do it's mostly summer conditions and in any event suits are not in my repertoire anyway... I don't imagine the ziploc bag idea would do for you. There are also vacuum bagging options to reduce bulk, but again same issue. It would work to minimize space taken for undergarments and such, perhaps.

I suspect for the space you're talking about you'll need to focus on the upper range of your hunt.. few 30 footers will be able to provide what you need.

We've also noticed that most full time liveaboards (in the PNW, anyhow) will use shore facilities for showering to avoid the humidity in the boat. Inconvenient but overall the better choice long term.

One boat that does come to mind with the space you'll need, often priced in the 37 foot range with a spacious aft cabin is the mid 80s Hunter 40.. it has a double walkthrough to the aft cabin, one of which might be sacrificed for extra storage/closet space. Big boat, though, when it comes to all the other stuff (moorage, rigging, paint, etc...)


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## TQA (Apr 4, 2009)

It souns like you are in a marina and don't move around. 

If you go sailing you need to ditch that hanging storage, unless you can fill it up to the point where nothing moves. 

Why CHAFE!

A 24 hour sail can wear holes in your suit / shirts / pants / or in my case my kilt. Ask me how I know this.


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## Tim R. (Mar 23, 2003)

TQA, we do live at a marina but are very active. We sail just about every weekend from May to Thanksgiving with a 2 week cruise in late August. Neither of us has experienced any chafe. I have pants in my locker that are going on two years and still strong.

Both of our lockers are fairly snug although I usually have 5 shirts in the laundry when we sail weekends.


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## RobGallagher (Aug 22, 2001)

I must wear a suit to work. I always figure if I move aboard I will have to buy a mini-van, SUV or something similar to hang the suits/shirts/ties.

As it stands now, I spend weekends in season on a mooring. I leave a set of work clothes hanging in the truck for Monday morning.

I could probably go the sports jacket route, but, at this point it might not be so good for my career.


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## travlin-easy (Dec 24, 2010)

I discovered a few neat tricks while storing hanging clothing on my previous boat, a Catalina 27. Obviously, space is always quite limited, which is something I can never seem to get through to my loving wife. If she were making a long voyage, the entire boat would become a hanging closet/locker. Guys don't usually need much more than a two-foot-wide hanging locker and a drawer or two--that's it!

Boats, unfortunately, have their own, unique odors--usually somewhat musty. Much of this is due to a lack of air circulation. I overcame this problem by installing a couple vents in the hanging locker, one near the bottom, and another near the top. The one at the top will chimney the air through the locker, but the volume of air was not sufficient to keep things as odorless as I would have liked. Therefore, I added a small, 12-volt, computer fan to the top vent. The fan draws very little electricity, the volume of air it moves is incredible and when the boat is open you can switch it off.

Vacuum bags specifically designed for hanging clothing are wonderful to reduce the amount of space required for clothing, but they do have their drawbacks--the clothes are always wrinkled. When I'm working, which is sometimes 7 days a week, I wear black trousers, a satin shirt, matching tie and a silk vest. I'm an entertainer. I sing and play an arranger keyboard and in this business every day is dress-up day. (Gotta' look good for the ladies!) Therefore, my biggest challenge for the upcoming winter will be to find a steam-iron that runs on 12 volts so I can press my shirts and slacks. There must be one out there somewhere. 

Good luck,

Gary


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## wingNwing (Apr 28, 2008)

RobGallagher said:


> I must wear a suit to work. I always figure if I move aboard I will have to buy a mini-van, SUV or something similar to hang the suits/shirts/ties.


Yes, this is what I did during my time as a Washington bureaucrat, and it worked very well. Make sure you put something in the windows to prevent sun fading the shoulders of the clothing you hang. Even my liveaboard neighbor, a judge, kept his workday clothes in a van (robes in his office).

Another thing I did was pick all my clothes for one season in one set of colors - say, black, white, gray, red, pink for winter; blue, tan, white for summer - so that I only needed one set of accessories & shoes to go with everything. Not having to keep navy, brown, AND black socks, shoes, purses, etc really helped save space.


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## wingNwing (Apr 28, 2008)

travlineasy said:


> Therefore, my biggest challenge for the upcoming winter will be to find a steam-iron that runs on 12 volts so I can press my shirts and slacks. There must be one out there somewhere.
> 
> Good luck,
> 
> Gary


Maybe an antique store? Have you investigated the old-fashioned irons that you heat on the stove? No electricity at all?


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## Jetexas (Apr 3, 2012)

Perhaps you could turn an armoire into a dock box?


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## Capt Len (Oct 9, 2011)

If the hanging clothes can swing you've got chafe. I use bungi cord , one end permanent mounted and hooks inside the door to hold.


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## Tim R. (Mar 23, 2003)

One other tip. We have a hydronic heating system and the hot water hoses go through both our hanging lockers and shelving spaces. This keeps everything nice and dry.

I doubt you will find a 12v iron. Any type of electrical heating device eats amps.


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## travlin-easy (Dec 24, 2010)

wingNwing said:


> Maybe an antique store? Have you investigated the old-fashioned irons that you heat on the stove? No electricity at all?


Because I AM an old guy, I have actually used an iron you heat on the stove--they were terrible!  Lots of scorched shirts, many of which were white and had to be thrown away. I'm going to check out some RV sites, which may be a better source of finding this sort of item. If I cannot find a 12-volt steam iron, I'll probably get a larger inverter and just plug in my regular steam iron.

Cheers,

Gary 8)


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## Silvio (Nov 10, 2010)

Not to hijack this thread, but when I was living aboard, going to work in my office, and needed to iron I would run an extension cord onto the dock and avoid all the inverter, 12v, stove top iron issues. I found I didn't really need to iron when I was anchored out and the dock had 120v power connections that I could reach with an extension cord. 

Just a thought.

As for keeping away the boat smell (never real bad but still slightly noticeable in an office) I kept my jackets, ties, and dress shirts in my vehicle when they came back from the cleaner's and since I typically showered at the marina on my way in it wasn't inconvenient to grab them and dress off the boat in the marina facilities. It made a significant difference to quality of life when i moved from one marina with rather sparse accommodations to one with very nice restrooms and changing areas. 

One thing I learned the hard way is to get the clothes out of the locker if you decide to deep clean the bilge. I cleaned the bilge and then tossed a bromine tablet into it thinking it would keep anything from growing in there. Certainly kept the bilge free from growth and odors but left a distinct "swimming pool" smell in my clothes. Live and learn.


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## Minnewaska (Feb 21, 2010)

We have a set of bunks, where the upper bunk will fold down to make a couch. It's just a fancy set of pipe berths. I've often thought, if we moved aboard full time, the top bunk could be removed or kept down and a hanging rod put in. Maybe close it in with fabric. 

Big problem with clothing that stays aboard full time is odor. Our boat does not smell !! However, when we bring foulies home for he winter, we can tell. It's faint enough that the odor disappears after a few days at home. Nevertheless, your office mates may notice.

I have wondered whether some Kanberra gel inside a hanging locker is a good idea. May try it this year.


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## Minnewaska (Feb 21, 2010)

Btw, I hate putting a suit on when on the boat. Hate it. I always go home to change first.


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## tdw (Oct 2, 2006)

nah sorry but given the money you save by living on board, spend some of it having your clothes laundered and ironed. The very idea of daily ironing on board (unless of course we are talking over 50 odd feet) is simply ludicrous.


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## Capt Len (Oct 9, 2011)

Blue jeans and an old shirt, maybe a change of underwear. More than that and you need to look at lifestyle modification. In the meantime .try a cherry flavoured urinal block under sole. Kills the musty and may not be overpowering It works under a car seat pretty well.


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## peterchech (Sep 2, 2011)

Thanks for all the replies. I didn't even think about the smell, that could be an issue...

What if I lined the hanging lockers with Spanish Cedar? I wonder if that would help at all...


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## Tim R. (Mar 23, 2003)

tdw said:


> nah sorry but given the money you save by living on board, spend some of it having your clothes laundered and ironed. The very idea of daily ironing on board (unless of course we are talking over 50 odd feet) is simply ludicrous.


Wrong and wrong.

Many do not save a lot of money by living aboard although I do because I eliminated a car and a mortgage. Your expenses are generally the same. The issue is not who irons your clothes but where to store them. Storing a freshly ironed shirt on a boat is a bigger challenge. Taking out a clean shirt from cramped storage will require ironing whether or not someone else already did it.

Paying someone to do something I can easily do myself is what I would consider ludicrous.


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## travlin-easy (Dec 24, 2010)

If you look at my Avatar, that's the outfit I wear to work, or something similar. Tonight I'll be entertaining about 125 people, mostly seniors who love to dance, they'll be decked out in their finest clothes. For some of these events I have to wear a tuxedo, but for most I do not.

Now, when I sail south this winter (health permitting) to the Florida Keys, my performance attire will change a bit. Hopefully, a short-sleeved Hawaiian shirt, dress slacks and boat shoes will work out in the Tiki Bars at the marinas. For the private parties, though, it's the same outfits I wear up north.










Still trying to find a 12-volt steam iron, but so far, Google hasn't turned up anything other than high-wattage and high-voltage irons. I have one of them at home. Shore power may be the only viable solution for ironing the duds.

Cheers,

Gary


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## Ajax_MD (Nov 24, 2009)

Dumb question, but have you considered doing it the old-fashioned way and just heating the iron on your stove?
Think back to the 30's, when an "iron" was simply that- a flat, cast-iron with a handle on it.

Edit- Sorry Gary, I see where this has already been addressed.


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## Tim R. (Mar 23, 2003)

travlineasy said:


> If you look at my Avatar, that's the outfit I wear to work, or something similar. Tonight I'll be entertaining about 125 people, mostly seniors who love to dance, they'll be decked out in their finest clothes. For some of these events I have to wear a tuxedo, but for most I do not.
> 
> Now, when I sail south this winter (health permitting) to the Florida Keys, my performance attire will change a bit. Hopefully, a short-sleeved Hawaiian shirt, dress slacks and boat shoes will work out in the Tiki Bars at the marinas. For the private parties, though, it's the same outfits I wear up north.
> 
> ...


Gary, try some Downey Wrinkle Release or similar. It does work.


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## travlin-easy (Dec 24, 2010)

Thanks, I'll give it a try. My wife has some stashed in the laundry room. All I have to do is find it. 

Cheers,

Gary


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## Capt Len (Oct 9, 2011)

Maybe a golf shirt with a clip on bow tie would give you an office image that sez to all,'I am what I am' At least it solves the ironing issue Really hard to control iron temp with a propane burner, Needs a good woman's touch and a wood stove. Lots of water sprinkled on shirt and iron to dry will help prevent those unsightly scorch marks.


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## Tim R. (Mar 23, 2003)

How about a Butane powered iron:

USA Made*|*Home*|*Butane Clothes Iron - Lehmans.com

Or an antique Coleman gasoline powered iron. Not seriously. There must be a good reason no one makes these any more.


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## gus_452000 (Mar 11, 2012)

Its a bit of a nightmare, I agree, but I use an electric iron, and it works, but had a female friend, who went with us sailing for 5 weeks last year, all in the Med, and told her it was going to be hot, not too many clothes, not too many bags etc! The boat was like a sailing clothes store, needles to say, I never asked her to come onboard again.
I keep 3 suits with me now, and 6 shirts, and when I can they dont ever get worn, but hanging space no matter how big or small the craft is, is always going to be a problem.
My daughter is now just turned 15 and I noticed that some or her things are now in my locker, because in her cabin she's run out of room, I miss the days when she was happy to be in a T shirt and pair of shorts lol.


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## WanderingStar (Nov 12, 2008)

Not on board, but I think I once used a pot of boiling water to iron a shirt. The pot won't be over 212. It wasn't easy, maybe with practice. Or try steaming it, maybe with a teapot and a hose. Or it's too late and I've been drinking.


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## SVAuspicious (Oct 31, 2006)

I lived aboard with a suit and tie job for about three years. I rotated through about 12 suits. Each hung individually in a suit bag I got in (I think) 3-packs from WalMart that were quite inexpensive. The bags protected the suits from dust and chafe.

Shirts I had laundered and folded. That worked great.

Ties took some work. Ultimately I folded them in half and then in half again before rolling them up. They went in one of two "tie drawers." When I moved aboard I downsized from 400 ties to about 80. *grin*



peterchech said:


> Thanks for all the replies. I didn't even think about the smell, that could be an issue...
> 
> What if I lined the hanging lockers with Spanish Cedar? I wonder if that would help at all...


Tackle smells at the source. Scrub the bilge. Make sure you don't have any fuel leaks. Follow Peggie Hall's guidance on checking sanitary hoses for saturation and replace them early. There isn't anything wrong with cedar, but masking or otherwise covering up smells is not nearly as good as avoiding them in the first place.


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## BayWindRider (Jan 27, 2010)

I would fold most of the shirts and use a shark steamer to take out the wrinkles. Perfect.

Welcome to Shark® | Official Site


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## travlin-easy (Dec 24, 2010)

The shark looks like it requires a fair amount of 110-volt AC power to operate it. I couldn't find the power consumption information, but in order to generate that much steam and heat I'm guessing the power consumption would far exceed my 300-watt inverter.

Gary


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## Cap'n Al (Jun 21, 2012)

Pants are easy...sleep on them (not in them). ie set up your creases and lay them under your bed matress overnight with a sheet of plastic over the top to keep them from getting damp. 

Al


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## tdw (Oct 2, 2006)

treilley said:


> Wrong and wrong.
> 
> Many do not save a lot of money by living aboard although I do because I eliminated a car and a mortgage. Your expenses are generally the same. The issue is not who irons your clothes but where to store them. Storing a freshly ironed shirt on a boat is a bigger challenge. Taking out a clean shirt from cramped storage will require ironing whether or not someone else already did it.
> 
> Paying someone to do something I can easily do myself is what I would consider ludicrous.


Missed this back then .....

If two people cannot live on board cheaper than on land then there is something very wrong indeed. In our situation if we rent an apartment we'd be paying around $1000 a week , mortgage payments on the same thing would be more than that. Marina berth is around $1000 a month and the boat carries no debt. My attitude is simple ... if you cannot afford to pay for the boat then it is too expensive though I guess if you can live aboard and work at the same time then loan to buy boat is not out of the question. Nonetheless I find it hard to come up with a boat that would cost me more than an apartment or house.

Ironing work clothes (presuming suits and ties here) on board is for me dumber than dumb and a pain in the arse beyond my pain barrier.

(To be clear, we do not live on board and our boat is not on a marina. If we chose however to work while living on board then I would want to be in a pen, not on a swing mooring. Swing mooring might be fine for weekenders and non working liveaboards not methinks for permanent liveaboard. )


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## Bilgewater (Jul 17, 2008)

tdw said:


> Marina berth is around $1000 a month


WOW


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## tdw (Oct 2, 2006)

Bilgewater said:


> WOW


How much in your neck of the woods ?


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## Bilgewater (Jul 17, 2008)

tdw said:


> How much in your neck of the woods ?


Well in all fairness, I suppose Vancouver would be a little better comparison to Sydney. But in any case, for 37' LOA I pay roughly $130/month including 20amp shore power.


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## tdw (Oct 2, 2006)

Bilgewater said:


> I pay roughly $130/month including 20amp shore power.


WOW


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## Bilgewater (Jul 17, 2008)

Quite the extremes I'm sure you would agree. But then again, this is a very small city and a few days sail from anything large. On the other hand, I am right downtown off the main street.


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## Tim R. (Mar 23, 2003)

tdw said:


> Ironing work clothes (presuming suits and ties here) on board is for me dumber than dumb and a pain in the arse beyond my pain barrier.


Then my wife and I are "dumber than dumb" along with about 20 others living in our marina who do the same.:hothead I would love to have you standing in front of me and my wife and say this to our faces. Luckily I am strong enough to restrain her. I was specifically talking about shirts. You may want to re-read my post.

Living aboard is a challenge to do things that we thought easy to do on shore. If you find ironing such a challenge you might be better off staying on dry land.



tdw said:


> .....
> 
> If two people cannot live on board cheaper than on land then there is something very wrong indeed. In our situation if we rent an apartment we'd be paying around $1000 a week , mortgage payments on the same thing would be more than that. Marina berth is around $1000 a month and the boat carries no debt. My attitude is simple ... if you cannot afford to pay for the boat then it is too expensive though I guess if you can live aboard and work at the same time then loan to buy boat is not out of the question. Nonetheless I find it hard to come up with a boat that would cost me more than an apartment or house.


I agree with you here but not everything gets cheaper when moving aboard. Our boat insurance is much more than homeowners. Our slip rates are less than a nice apartment in this area. Food is equal, medical/dental is equal. We save on transportation because we both work only blocks from the marina so that does not really count. Maintenance on the boat is more than what we paid for our 2,200 sq ft. house. Heating is cheaper once you remove the amount we paid for the heater.

BTW, Ironing our own clothes is part of this savings equation.

Living debt free and within our means is how we make it work. But this is so foreign to so many.


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## tdw (Oct 2, 2006)

treilley said:


> Then my wife and I are "dumber than dumb" along with about 20 others living in our marina who do the same.:hothead I would love to have you standing in front of me and my wife and say this to our faces. Luckily I am strong enough to restrain her. I was specifically talking about shirts. You may want to re-read my post.
> Living aboard is a challenge to do things that we thought easy to do on shore. If you find ironing such a challenge you might be better off staying on dry land.


Nah ... not worth fisticuffs over a creased shirt. I didn't say you or your good lady wife were dumber than dumb, I said I considered ironing on board to be dumber than dumb. OK, so maybe that was a tadge strong and I apologise for any offence but having ironed on board a boat I have no desire to ever do it again.

Were I to be living on board and not working I'd not be on a marina. In that case what laundry I needed to do I'd probably do myself at a local laundromat but if I was still working it would be for me at least a whole different ball game. I stand by my original post, what I would save by living on board I will spend at least part of to have my work clothes laundered. Like stuffing mushrooms, life is to short for some things.

As for finding ironing a challenge ... nope .... do it now on a daily basis but I have no intention whatsoever, on a regular basis, of ironing all my clothes on a saloon table or galley bench. Ain't gonna happen. Will carry a 12v iron for the odd emergency but I've found that out on the hook if I need an ironed shirt hanging the thing in the rigging for an hour or so takes pretty good care of the wrinkles.



> I agree with you here but not everything gets cheaper when moving aboard. Our boat insurance is much more than homeowners. Our slip rates are less than a nice apartment in this area. Food is equal, medical/dental is equal. We save on transportation because we both work only blocks from the marina so that does not really count. Maintenance on the boat is more than what we paid for our 2,200 sq ft. house. Heating is cheaper once you remove the amount we paid for the heater.
> BTW, Ironing our own clothes is part of this savings equation.
> Living debt free and within our means is how we make it work. But this is so foreign to so many.


In some respects we may well be in agreement. Yes insurance is more expensive but its one of the few things that in reality really is. I doubt very much indeed that slip fees + boat maintenance + lpg and diesel would get up to total of rent or house maintenance + property taxes + utilities. You have to be in front overall. It beggars belief for it to be otherwise.

Now as to my unsuitability for life on board ? Crikey ! I've considered a lot of the negatives .... big winds, big seas, tsunami, leaks, mould, damp, kraken, cramped living spaces, rowing to shore on a cold wet windy day, where to put the wide screen tv and the patio furniture not to mention sauna and spa but I've never actually considered ironing as a pressing reason to stay on shore. You've certainly put a wrinkle in my plans. The boat goes up for sale tomorrow. My stuff is just not right enough, I realise that now.

Sheesh.


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## St Anna (Mar 15, 2003)

Talk about the 'blues' TDW. Get over the 7 years in a row loss and toughen up . 

Iron your own shirts....


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## tdw (Oct 2, 2006)

St Anna said:


> Talk about the 'blues' TDW. Get over the 7 years in a row loss and toughen up . Iron your own shirts....


Having just discovered tethering this is my first post from the Womboat at anchor. Oh dear. What have I done.

Toughen up ... you mean HTFU surely but it was cruel of you to mention the blues arsehat. What's more you concussed poor old Robbie so the tigers were creamed by the effing Bulldogs last night. Oh woe.

Anywho I do iron my own shirts but for now here I sit in wrinkled spendour. eff its cold though.


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## ParadiseParrot (Oct 6, 2010)

Storage Locker onshore. 
Leave the suits at the cleaners till u need them.


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## St Anna (Mar 15, 2003)

tdw said:


> Having just discovered tethering this is my first post from the Womboat at anchor. Oh dear. What have I done.
> 
> Toughen up ... you mean HTFU surely but it was cruel of you to mention the blues arsehat. What's more you concussed poor old Robbie so the tigers were creamed by the effing Bulldogs last night. Oh woe.
> 
> Anywho I do iron my own shirts but for now here I sit in wrinkled spendour. eff its cold though.


OK, I was very harsh considering I dont get this housework thingo everyone nags about. I just work, sail, eat and sleep. [& watch only certain football matches]. I type quietly unless the boss hears me...

My humble apologies to an enlightened snag.

BUT, Come on, us Captains must start living what we state. Solidarity as well. Its a fair call.


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## DavidB.UK (Sep 11, 2011)

To offer a different way to approach the problem...

Buy clothing specifically designed for travelling professionals.

I spent 10 years living in hotels all over the country in my previous career, sometimes for a weekend, sometimes I would be there for a few months.

And whilst yes a hotel room is not the same thing as living aboard, I have learnt one or two things along the way!

As soon as I started reading this thread I wondered if anybody would mention this? nope!

travel clothing tends to have 3 particular features, lightweight (for packing), quick drying and wrinkle resistant.

The latter 'can; mean wrinkle FREE and no need to iron at all, *IF* you hand the shirt to dry in such a way that any crease will fall out.

Rohan makes some very, very good quality clothing designed to do just that.
________________________________________________

The chaffing thing, is a new one to me and will have to leave that one to percolate...

This may or may not help but I have found that the best way to prevent creases when packing a suitcase, is to out lay out all of your clothes flat (completely flat, nothing folded).
Biggest first, then getting smaller in size. then pile smalls and socks in the middle, then wrap the socks/smalls in the sleeves etc of the clothing one layer at a time, much like "pass the parcel" game that children play, but in reverse.

This method invariably means that clothes are bent into curves around the centre parcel rather than being folded (a deliberate crease) and tend to stay pretty much wrinkle free.

But definitely go the route of technical fabric travel clothing, Rohan (i love their stuff) have a range of shirts which look just like a normal office dress shirt but perform far better.









Just went onto their website to get that picture and they currently have a sale on!


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## tdw (Oct 2, 2006)

St Anna said:


> OK, I was very harsh considering I dont get this housework thingo everyone nags about. I just work, sail, eat and sleep. [& watch only certain football matches]. I type quietly unless the boss hears me...
> 
> My humble apologies to an enlightened snag.
> 
> BUT, Come on, us Captains must start living what we state. Solidarity as well. Its a fair call.


One of life's weirdities really .... most straight blokes I know would think of me as a snag I guess but the Wombet would fall down on unreconstructed neanderthal who just happens to be able to cook. My mother worked all her life so I've been ironing my own shirts since my teens and now I'm shacked up with a bloody feminist so how much of my ironing do you reckon she does ? Never did get the hang of housework though and in no way could I be categorised as neat.

Ah sod it, who cares really. Come Friday afternoon I am out of here and on board as soon a possible. Books, music, cryptic crosswords and food, with the Wombet by my side ..... I'd love it to be permanent but this is better than nuffink mate.

Solidarity of course .... sailing is what binds us after all, not bloody football.


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## wingNwing (Apr 28, 2008)

I'm like David B - bought Travelsmith clothing when I needed to look professional. Washable (no dry cleaning) and wrinklefree. Another tip: buy everything in one set of colors, then you only need a single set of accessories (belt, shoes, socks, purses for those of us who need 'em), not a complete set of black, and duplicates in brown or navy.


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## DavidB.UK (Sep 11, 2011)

Hi WingNwing,

Are TravelSmith similar to Rohan?


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## sloss321 (Jul 5, 2012)

*Hanging "dress clothes", suits and such, in the boat*

Wingnwing,

Living aboard is still a dream, but your advice of sticking to one color pattern is key. I currently do that because I hate all of the clutter of extra stuff that you end up accumulating. All of my dress shirts are Non Iron wrinkle free as well. Trying to do everything possible to make living aboard a reality before I am to old.


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## wingNwing (Apr 28, 2008)

DavidB.UK said:


> Hi WingNwing,
> 
> Are TravelSmith similar to Rohan?


David, from what I saw when I skimmed both sites, Travelsmith.com is a little dressier/more professional level clothing, blazers & suits, targets an older and pricier demographic. But you don't need to buy very many pieces, either. I had when working 2 pairs black pants and 1 pair of gray, 5 sweaters/blouses (black, white, gray, red), 2 blazers and a few scarves, that was all I needed - pick a boring style and nobody will remember that you wore the same thing twice. Hell,if what I'm *wearing* rather than what I'm *saying* is the most important thing you remember about me, I'm in trouble anyway ...

Dan has a tan suit of theirs, very classic style, it's been working for him for 6 years, and counting.


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## wingNwing (Apr 28, 2008)

*Re: Hanging "dress clothes", suits and such, in the boat*



sloss321 said:


> Wingnwing,
> 
> Living aboard is still a dream, but your advice of sticking to one color pattern is key. I currently do that because I hate all of the clutter of extra stuff that you end up accumulating. All of my dress shirts are Non Iron wrinkle free as well. Trying to do everything possible to make living aboard a reality before I am to old.


Hang in there sloss. BTW, don't know how old "too old" is, there's a guy on our dock in his mid-70s who lives in a 40-ft C&C, he hasn't owned a home on land for >20 years. Another guy in his late 70s finally gave up sailing ... and moved aboard a trawler.


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## DavidB.UK (Sep 11, 2011)

wingNwing said:


> David, from what I saw when I skimmed both sites, Travelsmith.com is a little dressier/more professional level clothing, blazers & suits, targets an older and pricier demographic. But you don't need to buy very many pieces, either. I had when working 2 pairs black pants and 1 pair of gray, 5 sweaters/blouses (black, white, gray, red), 2 blazers and a few scarves, that was all I needed - pick a boring style and nobody will remember that you wore the same thing twice. Hell,if what I'm *wearing* rather than what I'm *saying* is the most important thing you remember about me, I'm in trouble anyway ...
> 
> Dan has a tan suit of theirs, very classic style, it's been working for him for 6 years, and counting.


I did a search for travel smith and eventually found them.

I must admit I don't thing their stuff is a patch of the Rohan kit, but maybe I have been seduced my the blurb...

Love these trousers for example:











Rohan Website said:


> _Regular trousers - that happen to be waterproof.
> 
> Our Dry Requisite Trousers look and feel like a regular pair of chino-style trousers. Relaxed, casual and classically styled, they'll look the part in the pub; they'll toe the line at work and will cut the mustard on the golf course.
> 
> ...


They are not suit trousers (with creases down the front), be could certainly be worn with a dress shirt tucked i and dress shoes to a highbrow restaurant, and could just as well be worn with a T-shirt and trail shoes to go trekking through the mountains!

And they are waterproof!


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## wingNwing (Apr 28, 2008)

I'm not sure what you mean by "I must admit I don't thing their stuff is a patch of the Rohan kit, but maybe I have been seduced my the blurb..." Help! Could you translate from UK English to American English please?


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## DavidB.UK (Sep 11, 2011)

wingNwing said:


> I'm not sure what you mean by "I must admit I don't thing their stuff is a patch of the Rohan kit, but maybe I have been seduced my the blurb..." Help! Could you translate from UK English to American English please?


ha ha ha ha!
Wow the old adage of *"USA & UK, to nations separated by a common language"* is coming into play!

I simply meant that the impression that I got having reviewed the TravelSmith site was that their products were not as 'high-performance' as Rohan garments.

I think that the Rohan garments are more versatile, my impression was that the Travelsmith garments I looked at did not go beyond 'easy iron' whereas the Rohan garment are designed to offer demanding performance garments that could also be worn with dress shoes and jacket.


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## wingNwing (Apr 28, 2008)

Ah, okay, got it. You're correct - the clothing I required was not "high-performance" in the outdoor or sport context. I needed some higher-end business & professional clothing for work in downtown Washington DC (very conservative clothing style). The climate challenges I faced were political rather than atmospheric


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## Cal28 (Jul 6, 2009)

I'm in a similar situation ... you might want to try Costco for their wrinkle-free dress shirts (button-down collar) ... they ARE wrinkle free and finally coming in some more 'distinguished' colors ... for $20.


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## DavidB.UK (Sep 11, 2011)

Fair enough,

thats how I found Rohan in the first place, quite by accident but that is exactly what I was looking for. Clothing that could be used to go for lunch with a client, then change into trail shoes and spend the afternoon trekking in the mountains with a rucsac!


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## Geoff54 (Oct 30, 2011)

Cal28 said:


> I'm in a similar situation ... you might want to try Costco for their wrinkle-free dress shirts (button-down collar) ... they ARE wrinkle free and finally coming in some more 'distinguished' colors ... for $20.


While fine for many, some people need to be careful with wrinkle free shirts in general and Costo wrinkle free in particular.

Anyone driving on route 6 in MA last summer may have seen someone pull to the side of the road, leap from the car and rip their shirt off. Yes, that was me and yes, that was a Costco wrinkle free shirt.

As I understand it, the usual way to make cotton wrinkle free is to treat it with urea and formaldehyde (really!). Either Costco uses more or they use something else. I've always found wrinkle free shirts could be a little itchy until they had been washed a bunch but, when traveling, I was willing to put up with it for the advantages. The Costco one was in a league of it's own - drove me nuts and I couldn't wash it out. I've since discovered a way to get rid of the treatment but then the shirt is no longer wrinkle free.

Yes they are really wrinkle free and great for most people but you might consider trying one before you buy a bunch.


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## sloss321 (Jul 5, 2012)

We're actually only 30, but i dont want to wait for some elusive retirement date to experience life. I always find every way I can to be off of work doing and trying new things.


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