Deck and Dockside Living

It’s not very scientific, but we took a poll of people we’ve featured on this blog to determine the most popular uses for our deck and dock boxes. Here are the results.

Over the last few months, we’ve featured a lot of DeckAndDockBoxes.com customers; and the top-quality polymer and marine-grade fiberglass boat boxes they’ve bought from us. We asked them, and many other customers, how they use their products and put together this chart based off what they told us.

Popular uses are:

• Boat Tools, Rope, Life Jackets: Unsurprisingly, the most popular use for our boat boxes is to store boating equipment! From rope, buoys and hooks to life jackets and flashlights, a boat box is the perfect place to keep essential equipment close at hand.
• Garden Furniture, Cushions: Our deck boxes are also highly popular on people’s decks and patios – used most commonly to store cushions, tiki torches and other garden items when the weather is inclement.
• Fishing Equipment, Rods, Bait: Our products are a fisherman’s friend; which is why they’re frequently used to store bait, tackle, fishing rods and other essential fishing equipment. We’ve even produced dock boxes specifically designed to hold fishing rods.
• Pool toys, inflatables: Another popular use for our products is by the pool. They’re great for storing pool toys, floaties and other equipment. Customers often choose our seat top boxes for this purpose; combining all-weather storage with poolside seating options.
• Pool cleaning equipment: Pool-cleaning chemicals and solvents can be dangerous, so the sturdy molded-in locks of our deck boxes make them a great place to store them away from kids and pets.
• First Aid Kit, Medical: Gauze and bandages are useless when they’re wet – and water can contaminate sterile equipment. That’s why our boat boxes – especially products like the small and portable Small Polymer Boat Box – are popular choices for first aids kits on both freshwater and seawater boats.
• Beer, Water, Beverages: They weren’t designed for this purpose, but both our polymer and our marine-grade fiberglass boat boxes make awesome coolers. Fill them with ice and water and you can chill bottles of beer, wine or water down in less than 30 minutes.
• BBQ tools and equipment: Lighter fluid, charcoal and grill tools can get messy; but with our deck boxes, you can keep them safe, secure, out of the elements and within easy reach when you fire up the grill.
• Exercise / gym equipment: A popular option in sunny places with frequent rain showers! Our deck boxes make the ideal place to safely and securely store weights, resistance bands and other fitness equipment outside – and products like our step top box can even be used during training.
• Other: From a puppet show to a used book dealer, we’ve discovered some offbeat uses for our boat boxes! They defy classification; but demonstrate how versatile our products are.
• Firearms: Hunters appreciate our deck and dock boxes because they’re a smart place to store firearms. From alligator hunters on the bayou, to woodsman storing their long guns, our dock boxes make sure they’re secure from theft, kids and the elements.

When Neil and Lara’s son bought his first boat, they thought a boat box would be the perfect gift.

Larry Parone’s beat-up old boat makes a good home for the small boat box his parents bought him.

“I’m not going to lie,” says Neil Parone, from Massachusetts’ North Shore region. “When my son told me he was buying a boat, I thought he was nuts.”

At 19 years old, Neil thought his son Larry would be saving for his first car or his next spring break vacation. Instead, he invested a whole summer’s worth of barista’s earnings into a 20ft Maxum Cruiser.

“When I first saw it, it was everything I feared it would be,” he emailed to tell us. “The engine was seized, the fiberglass had cracks in it and I figured it would sink the first time it hit the water.”

But as it turned out, Neil should have had more faith in his son.

“Over the next three months, he spent every hour he wasn’t working fixing it up,” he wrote.

“He got that engine working, he patched up the cracks and replaced all the parts he couldn’t repair.” And the end result? “It still looked like s__t.”

But looks, Neil soon discovered, could be deceiving.

“I wouldn’t have believed it,” he admitted, “but it passed inspection. Larry paid up, rented a trailer and the next thing we know, the damn thing’s on the water.”

Neil and his wife discussed how to celebrate all of their son’s hard work.

“We bought a small boat box online,” he wrote. “My son likes to fish, and we figured it would be the perfect thing to hold his bait and tackle. It might not seem like much – but from the way they’re made, we figured it would probably last longer than the boat would.”

Made from marine-grade fiberglass, that’s not an idle boast – our deck boxes are built to withstand the rough treatment that comes standard with recreational boating.

“We also liked the fact that you could lock it – when Larry’s out on the water, it’s a secure place to hold his wallet and keys; and small enough to throw in the truck of his car on the way home.”

As of right now, the boat box hasn’t outlived the boat – “although with the number of hours he spends in that thing, it’s only a matter of time.” In fact, that was one of the reasons why Neil and Lara bought a dock box in the first place.

“We figured he’ll still be using it for years to come,” he explained. “Boats come and go – especially when they’re in the condition Larry’s is. But a love of boating? That lasts forever.”

Fort Lauderdale resident Nico Giani got his first taste of scuba diving in East Africa.

Whether operating from the boat or the beach, Nico's scuba school relies on our deck and dock boxes.

“I was twelve years old,” he remembers. “My parents were missionaries and we were living in Arusha, in East Africa. I used to spend the summers on the beach with the other Americans and, one day, one of their parents showed us the basics. I was hooked.”

Fifteen years later, Nico is no less passionate about diving – and has turned his hobby into a profitable business by teaching scuba diving from his shop in Pompano Beach, FL.

“I get to do what I love every day,” he admits, “and it’s really rewarding to be able to share that with the students that I have. I’m PADI certified and considered one of the best instructors on the beach.”

To help him with his business, Nico invested in not just one of our boat boxes but several.

A Seat Top Storage Bench provides comfortable seating and a stylish storage option.

“I needed two right outside my shop,” he says. “One is your Seat Top Storage Box. It’s great for storing scuba gear, rope and tanks – but also makes a comfortable place to sit down, hang out and watch the world go by when it’s quiet.”

His other dock box is a Large Polymer Dock Box.

“It’s huge,” he explains, “which means I can use it to store tanks, masks – pretty much everything I need – within easy reach. I can lock it too, which is great peace of mind even in a neighborhood with a low crime rate like this one.”

Although they’re left out all year round – often in direct sunlight well in excess of 100 degrees – both boxes look brand new.

Our Small Polymer Dock Box is secure, yet versatile.

“It’s incredible. I have to repaint my chairs and table every year because of sun damage, but these boxes are clearly made to last.”

Nico also has a pair of Small Polymer Boat Boxes which he uses as storage solutions for his boat when taking students out on the water.

“They’re good for all sorts of things,” he explains. “I like to throw my student’s belongings in there – things like wallets, phones etc. That way they know they’re safe. I’ve also been known to use them as a cooler once in a while!”

With a hectic schedule and a constant stream of customers, Nico has this simple reason for choosing our products:

“The initial purchase cost might have seemed high, but they’ve lasted me for years. I can’t imagine what a hassle it would be to have to replace the boxes every summer, when they fade or crack because of the sun. I think I’d have spent much more on cheaper options in the long run.”

That’s a philosophy Nico learned from scuba diving:

“Always invest in quality equipment,” he says. “Because you don’t know where you’re going to be if the cheaper alternative craps out on you!”