He Transforms Wood Pallets Into An Impressive Boat-Shaped Storage Shelf

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If you have a coastal or nautical theme in your home, you've probably already fallen in love with the various boat-shaped storage shelves on the market. How could you not? They are undeniably adorable yet practical, but they can be pricey as well. Even on Amazon, a basic build will run several hundreds of dollars — it's enough to break anyone's thrifty little heart.

Well, cheer up because an affordable boat shelf isn't just an ocean dream if you have some DIY motivation and the right selection of spare items. In a YouTube video from JohnnyD WoodWorks, the creator transforms wood pallets into a beautiful boat shelf at practically no cost. You can often source free wood pallets, and if you already have a reciprocating saw, a jig saw or circular saw, and a brad nailer, you won't have much expense beyond wood glue, nails, and, if desired, paint or stain. If your boards are in rough shape though, you may want to run a random orbital sander over them, moving from a coarse-grit to a finer-grit paper, for a smooth, splinter-free surface.

This impressive, affordable project is fairly beginner-friendly as long as you know how to use the power tools. Just ensure you choose pallets that are not chemically treated. Whenever doing any pallet project for your home, select pallets that marked HT for "heat treated" to be sure they are safe (pallets marked "MB" indicates they were treated with hazardous methyl bromide). Once you have your pallets, just cut them apart with the reciprocating saw fitted with a wood and nail blade.

The designer begins this project by cutting pallet slats into equal lengths for the outside of the boat shelf. Then, he puts several long boards side by side to create the back of the shelf, connecting them along the back with perpendicular boards. The backing is cut into a boat shape, and the smaller pieces are nailed around the outside edge. He cut trim pieces and glued them to the front of the shelf to hide the shelf supports and the seams between the board sections. The shelf supports consist simply of narrow horizontal slats nailed to the sides of the boat to hold the shelves at the right height. With those in place, cut boards to make the shelves.

According to Johnny, you can use tools to create the curved sides of the boat, but he prefers to draw his design onto the wood freehand and cut it with a jigsaw. His boat shelf was raw and rustic, but you could easily stain the wood or paint it to coordinate with your decor. For durability and moisture resistance, consider a topcoat like polyurethane.

Use your build for books or knickknacks or to create a fun storage shelf in a child's room. It's perfect for a nursery, to display glassware or bottles for your home bar, or to creatively store towels, soaps, and apothecary jars in your bathroom. Add a battery-powered LED strip above the shelves to create a beautiful showcase for a favorite collection, or waterproof it and put it outdoors as pallet wood shelving for herbs and other plants. One commenter even suggested adding a French cleat, such as the OOK French Cleat, on the wall to turn the build into a floating boat-shaped bookshelf.