# Food storage on a boat



## orchidius (Feb 7, 2014)

Hi there,

As some of you might have read in the "introductions" section of the forum, I'm prepping to take off in my 29ft sailboat and make what is known as an "Atlantic circuit". This will take me away from home for the better part of a year. I'll certainly be able to take in supplies along the way, but its quality might be doubtful, and its price will most certainly be too high. Therefore I'd like to take as much as I possibly can from home where I have the advantage to know where the food is cheapest, the quality is best and the biggest bulk-discount can be had. This of course beggs the question on how to store this much food to make it last without refrigeration. I've considered three main options:
*
Drying and vacuum packing*

This offers the advantage of being light and low in volume, but I am unsure how long foods will last unrefrigerated in this condition , and of course some foods aren't fit to be dehydrated so I've heard. Another disadvantage is the re-hydration process. From what I read online it seems like this takes hours. Cooking on a "small" boat means I have a 2-pit alchohol stove for which I have limited fuel. I also have no kitchen work-space and everything you put down on a rolling boat just wants to fall.

*canning (mason jars)
*
This option seems simple enough. Using re-usable jars means no waste, and the DIY aspect means I can even do it underway whenever I can get my hands on cheap fresh produce or when I catch a tuna that doesn't fit in my belly in one go . However, I'm a bit worried about the volume and weight of food packed this way. I have literally no clue as to how, say, a week's worth of food would look like as far as volume is concerned. Also the weight of the glass jars and the fluids inside them adds up quick. Lastly being on a rolling boat I fear some of the jars might break. That would be an absolute catastrophe and nearly impossible to clean up properly. Do plastic variaties exist? Or are there ways to secure them somewhat safely?

*canning (actual tin cans)
*
This seemed like a really good option too; being able to cook up your own food and just bring it to a butcher's shop to be canned into tin cans that last years. However, it seems like you have to buy all the meat from the butcher himself which would result in dramatically more expensive meals. Also you have to pay a few dollars/euro's for the actual canning, which means you might as well hire a support vessel to carry your private chef and supplies if you're planning on stocking the boat with a year's worth of cans.

What's your take on the situation and the above options? Perhaps a combination of all three? Dry some fruits and easily dried vegetables for quick snacks, take mason jars for some other foods and tin cans for yet others?

Many thanks for your input!


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## AquaHull (Jun 10, 2012)

Boats and glass don't mix. Canned food is heavy but works. I lived on a 27' Woodie one summer. Hang a B-B-Q- off one of the rails and have at it.


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## orchidius (Feb 7, 2014)

Cooking the food is not the issue (most of the time), it's procuring and storing it that's the hard bit. Food is more expensive in some places then in others, and the difference between buying food on every separate island and buying it at home where I know it's cheapest/best/best bulk discount is probably just about half my cruising kitty. 

While having my food canned for me might sound like a good idea as far as storing the food is concerned, it's the absolutely worst idea as far as financials go. All in all the cost of the meal would be doubled or even tripled in some cases like that. No es Bueno. Buying ready-canned vegetables in supermarkets is affordable, but there's barely any choice and you don't want to eat beans every fcking day for protein...


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## Piratesailor (Nov 9, 2012)

Ben, provisioning, IMHO, is going to be dictated by your route/distance and time. If you're hopping around port to port every week or so then it's different than 28+ days at sea. I guess your acquisition, from your comments, might be different. Sounds like your interest in canning and dehydration. Are you set for water for a crossing? 

Finding cheap food in one place would be good to mitigate expensive food in another. The trick is to load up and store the cheap stuff. Canning would work well enough but "rust" is always a threat. As you know, it happens quick. Glass would work if well protected. A dehydrator would be great given room but it goes back to water.

I "think" what you'll find is that as you move around, from cheap food to more expensive, it will equal out relative to cost. In light of a 29' I'd look to the pre-canned stuff when you can find it cheap and stock up on fresh stuff where you can. 

Tons of books and sites out there with suggestions. This was just my thoughts.


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## LunaticFringeInc (Nov 20, 2012)

Drying and vacuum packing is the way to go and that's coming from a prepper who lived on a 37ft sloop rigged sail boat for 7 years!

Can Goods

Convienent but heavy and they will rust I don't care what you do about it. They also don't lend themselves that well to storing in the places that are available on a boat to store stuff and get the maximum space utilization out of them. The other aspect of that is that they will invariably get dented although the seal rarely breaks but its a possibility and getting severe food poisoning while under way especially if your soingle handing the boat is a disaster waiting to happen.

Mason Jars

These are better but they are still a no go. They hold up much better than canned goods, the lids are easily changed out time to time when they start to rust. They aren't much better shape wise for storing though. Glass is heavy and space and weight on a boat is at a premium making this really a no go.

Drying and Vacuum Packing

Its a great way to pack a gang of scoobie snacks onboard. Its water proof, light weight, doesn't break like glass, doesn't rust, lends itself very well to packing it away in any nook can cranny you can find to put something. Now that's the kind of features that make this a winner!!! I used a mix of vacuum plastic bags and the plastic jars from wally world and 2 or 3L soda bottles to hold most of my food items that weren't "fresh". The amount of dried potatoes, onions, carrots, bell pepper, celery, mushrooms etc...you can store on board this way will blow your mind if you give the storage side of it some thought! With those basics you leave yourself a wide variety of meals that can be prepared based on what every else fresh you were able to have. Easily half the meals I prepared came from using dried ingrediants that were rehydrated. 


The other tip I will give you on this as well is look into sprouting beans and legumes! This is a great way to ensure that your getting some fresh produce just about daily when your in blue water. Its easy, takes up minimal space and with 3 sprouting containers you can usually have something fresh 24/7 for salads or cooked meals and they are pretty nutrious as well.

Instead of rice use minute rice! Cooking times are a lot faster, its super light weight compared to standard rice and taste almost as good. It compliments a wide variety of Asian food dishes, fried rice and a couple of my personal favorite dishes, Gumbo or Porkchops and Dirty Rice. It stores very well vacuum packed or in plastic containers that are water tight.

Liquor...if your taking any, take this advice too! Buy your hard liquor in plastic bottles vice glass. Youll be glad you did. Taking any wine? Take large wool socks and slip your bottles in them before you stow them away. This will cut down on the clanking every time you take a roll or hit a wave and you wont have to worry about them breaking either and they can add considerably to the enjoyment of a fine meal under way.


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## orchidius (Feb 7, 2014)

Thanks very much for the advice!

How did you cope with rehydrating everything? Didn't take too long or wasn't all too cumbersome?


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## paraquack (Mar 1, 2013)

LunaticFringeInc said:


> Drying and vacuum packing is the way to go and that's coming from a prepper who lived on a 37ft sloop rigged sail boat for 7 years!
> 
> Can Goods
> 
> ...


What did you do for water, carry it with you?


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## LunaticFringeInc (Nov 20, 2012)

I could carry about 30 gallons and had a water maker that could produce about 10 gallons a day (about half of what it was "rated" for...). The water temp affected what you really made considerably, warmer water = less water made.

Usually only about 5-10 minutes of soaking was all that was needed to rehydrate things. If making a soup just sprinkle a little of this or that in and let it cook.


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## Piratesailor (Nov 9, 2012)

And a pressure cooker is a must. It'll make just about anything tender and better... Well, almost. 

I have 150 gallons onboard.


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## Smitty901 (Nov 16, 2012)

On a boat. Just let it swim until 30 minutes before dinner time.


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## 1skrewsloose (Jun 3, 2013)

I was thinking the need for potable water, you got that down. Nets may get you fish, but what about the other nutrients us humans need? I've thought a mini-house boat and stay fairly close to the coast might work-need to do more research on that, shoot, they serve kelp in those uppity restaurants!


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## orchidius (Feb 7, 2014)

I'll be sailing an Atlantic circuit with the longest leg being under a month, all the others under 5 days. I'm not planning on running away from an apocalyptic event and remain self-sufficient on the water for decades waiting for society to rebuild .

Canned/dehydrated goods will supply nutrients for most of the trip, fresh produce when I can get it and for the first few days of the passages.

Do you reckon I will still need to take vitamin/mineral supplements or will that suffice for my intake?


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## LunaticFringeInc (Nov 20, 2012)

1skrewsloose said:


> I was thinking the need for potable water, you got that down. Nets may get you fish, but what about the other nutrients us humans need? I've thought a mini-house boat and stay fairly close to the coast might work-need to do more research on that, shoot, they serve kelp in those uppity restaurants!


If that style of boat is your plan....I would highly recommend a Holiday Mansion Barracuda in a size to suit your needs. They are built a bit heavier duty than a typical Gibson style house boat to handle the potentially rough waters you may occasionaly find on the coat and the higher bow will handle the bigger waves you will frequently encounter. Its still considered a coastal boat and not designed to safely make long forays off the coast.


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## LunaticFringeInc (Nov 20, 2012)

One thing I would definitely consider is installing at least 2 rocket launchers (as we fisherman call flush fit rod holders) and installing a couple of out rigger clips below the toe rail on the back corners of the boat would be most highly advisable and make fishing while your underway much easier. I always dragged a 6 inch Tuna Feather, "Door Knob" or "Kona Jet" trolling lure behind my boat when underway. It was a awesome and very effective way to add some fresh protein to the table. I could usually scrounge up something during the course of the day.


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## orchidius (Feb 7, 2014)

The "meat-lines" are accounted for . I have two stand-up outfits for big game fishing, I still have to come up with some type of rodholders though... Flush mounted ones are not an option in the steel deck. Have to be attached to the SS tubing at the back of the boat.

How about the vitamin/mineral deficiency, is that something to worry about? Even though I will be eating canned/dehydrated and some fresh produce?


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## LunaticFringeInc (Nov 20, 2012)

Shouldn't have too. The key is to eat as wide a variety of food items as you can. The more sources you have the more likely you are to ingest enough of them. 3 weeks is a while so maybe in that case it might not be such a bad idea but on the 5 day jaunts, not needed unless you have under lying health issues.

Those stand up rigs ought to be the cats meow. Got a 9/0 and 4/0 Shimano lever drag set ups. Dang it sucks being so far from the coat these days...how I miss the days of having to do the "Hot Tuna" dance up and down the rail and around the boat trying to get back some of my line!


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## Piratesailor (Nov 9, 2012)

orchidius said:


> The "meat-lines" are accounted for . I have two stand-up outfits for big game fishing, I still have to come up with some type of rodholders though... Flush mounted ones are not an option in the steel deck. Have to be attached to the SS tubing at the back of the boat.
> 
> How about the vitamin/mineral deficiency, is that something to worry about? Even though I will be eating canned/dehydrated and some fresh produce?


21-28 days crossing won't give you scurvy...wouldn't worry about it.  Leave with fresh vegetable and citrus and as those deplete it's on to canned or dehydrated. Most food now a days, even prepared, have minerals and vitamins enough for a short duration. I would imagine that even for a 29' boat, you should have quite a bit of carrying capacity.


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