Life aboard Banyandah would be difficult without non-slip mats lining the shelves, drawers, and bench tops. Rolls 30 cm wide can be bought cheaply from discount stores in a good range of colours and wider material is available at ship chandlers. It hand-washes well and dries quickly.
When the non-slip becomes too scruffy to use on the bench tops I renew each piece as needed, or the whole lot if I want to change colour. I recycle the used mat throughout Banyandah. It’s so useful, very little is thrown away.
Some places to use non-slip mat
1/ Shelves, drawers, and bench tops –the sink bench in my galley has a length on which my plastic draining tray stays put, holding low items from falling when the boat is underway. The cutting board also stays firmly in place on it. Only partly covering the bench, the non-slip mat stops the rush from spills, giving me time to mop up. See Photo.
2/ Between different size plates – a piece is under the dishes that we use all the time and another between sets of different size plates in my dish locker.
3/ In our fridge – drinks cooling on the eutectic plate sit on a piece of non-slip mat with another piece on top to keep those lying down on them from falling out. – See photo.
4/ In storage and tool bins – there’s a piece at the bottom of my hard veggie bin for potatoes and onions, etc. And there’s some in Banyandah’s shallow bilge under the saloon cabin sole where open top plastic bins take excess when on a long passage.
5/ Cockpit – we have it around our compass so we can safely put down sunnies, books, binoculars.
Tip. A piece of non-slip cut slightly smaller than a soft floor mat is surprisingly good at keeping it in place. Cosy comfort on a cold night.
For more non-slip ideas and photos: Practical Boat Bits and Tips by Jude Binder
