Keeping ice chests in place

[Capt Cefus]

Large coolers -- those in the 50 to 100 quart range have a habit of moving around on the deck when the seas get a little sloppy.  I really didn't want to drill any holes in my deck to install cooler tie-downs, and I don't always keep the cooler in the same place.   So I made my own version of non-skid to place the cooler on, and it works pretty well.

Take a piece of the 'mesh' rubberized cabinet shelf liner (which also works really well in the drawers of toolboxes), and cut it the length of your cooler.   Lay it on the deck and sit the cooler on top.  If you've got some weight in the cooler -- like a bag of ice -- then it will stay in place, even in a fairly steep chop.   The rubber matting is about 16" wide, and 1 width seems to be a plenty.   When it's time to clean the boat, just place the mat on the gunwale of the boat and hose it off.  After a month or two of heavy use, the mat will need replacing.   The good news is the stuff comes in rolls about 12 feet long, and it's pretty inexpensive.  One roll should last you an entire summer or longer.

You can also cut smaller pieces, about the size of a placemat and put them on the cooler top to keep things from sliding around, or use some on the top of your helmstation for the same purpose.   I've tried using it in my underseat storage areas, and it works fine provided they are not high humidity areas.   I tried some in my anchor locker, and it mildewed pretty quickly.

[Riverrat]

I'm going to glue some to the bottom of my shoes.