Need help finding a confined space desk/chair

December 16, 2022 2:01 PM

Howdy fellow mefians. We moved on a boat this year. Ya! I gave up a cushy home office. I guess that's a yay and a boo... Right now I sit at whatever table and chair aren't covered with boat projects and it's killing me. Suggest portable work stations to help me?

Here's a picture of one of these things...
I'm not saying this is what I want but you get the idea. Ideally it's portable, or small, or breaks down into part that gets put away and part that has another use. It's hopefully all day conference call comfortable. And I dunno some, third, similarly impossible requirement.

Any suggestions for portable or small space workstations gladly accepted!!

posted by chasles to Home & Garden (14 answers total)

Boats rock and are 'cosy'. Boaties are familiar with gimbals, pulleys and cleats. In your situation, I'd like a board suspended from the deck above the cabin; which could be easily hauled up to the ceiling with its load of papers and a [thin] laptop and clamped above head height.
posted by BobTheScientist at 2:43 PM on December 16, 2022

Do a search for a "Murphy desk". It's a nice way to create a fold-away workspace.
posted by pipeski at 2:44 PM on December 16, 2022

I've seen a land based tiny house used "the head" as an office space.

Is there someplace you could mount a drop down table?

Card/ camping tables might be suitable if they are are sturdy enough. (At one point during the pandemic I was eying this one).

There are also folding ergonomic desk chairs.
posted by oceano at 2:46 PM on December 16, 2022

A potential space saving configuration might be an anti-fatigue mat + a standing (Murphy) desk since you would not need a chair.

There are also murphy beds with desks.

Could you also get some sort of (presumably) custom game/ puzzle table that has space for "stuff" inside, and then a board can be added on top as a work surface? (ex 1, ex 2)
posted by oceano at 3:01 PM on December 16, 2022

You need something that folds away, which generally means a murphy desk. Would be REALLY nice if it's height adjustable, and would be nice if there's a matching folding chair to go with it, but wouldn't an ottoman that also serves as storage be a bit better?

Freakin' Reviews just reviewed one of those multi-converting furniture that converts from a single seat to an ottoman to a sofa to a "bed". None of those look very comfortable to me.
posted by kschang at 3:18 PM on December 16, 2022

Have you thought about one of those "desk in bed" kinda setup, aka a "hospital bed table" that's also height adjustable?
posted by kschang at 3:29 PM on December 16, 2022

Levenger has a collection of what they call No-Room furniture that includes a few folding desks.
posted by FencingGal at 4:26 PM on December 16, 2022 [1 favorite]

I’d recommend looking at solutions in RVs. Theres a large population of folks working while traveling, and the overlap between RVers and boaters needs for workspaces is quite similar. There are tons of ideas out there, both stock from manufacturers and custom modifications. I don’t have many specific recommendation but I do know Lagun tables are quite popular with both groups.
posted by cgg at 6:18 PM on December 16, 2022 [1 favorite]

I bought this folding table when I was locked down during the pandemic in a trailer. It’s very sturdy, the front is curved, and there’s enough space for a laptop, extra monitor, notepad, and cup o joe. You’d have to have room to secure or store it when not in use.
posted by Silvery Fish at 6:48 PM on December 16, 2022

It’s not quite what you’re asking for, but I have this bed desk and it is surprisingly well-made. I mostly use it in bed, but have also used it while sitting on the floor or as a temporary standing desk by putting it on my normal tabletop. I like that it has a little drawer; the surface is slightly textured so things don’t roll around; the tilt is a great feature; the feet are long and sturdy; and it’s one of the widest lap desks I could find (important for me as both a fat person and someone who likes to move their legs around constantly).
posted by CtrlAltDelete at 6:59 PM on December 16, 2022

My home office is an RV for going on three years now. In my driveway, but still. In the summer I work on a table outside under the RV awning, so I have some experience packing everything out. It's not quite the same, but my thoughts:

Most important thing is the chair. Figure out how to get a comfortable chair in the boat, somehow. If you have a crappy chair nothing will ever be good. With a comfortable height-adjustable chair you can make any table work. I also have a heated massage pad for the chair, but your mileage may vary on that one. Chair is all that matters but for details of my setup: In the fall / winter everything stays set up indoors, but in the summer I set it up like this, on a mesh table outside under the RV awning.

I have a wooden crate, about 16" by 1' by 1' deep. Like the size of one of those plastic milk crates. In the wooden crate goes a wireless mouse, wireless keyboard, port replicator, dedicated video conference laptop, headset, portable fan, power strip, mouse pad. Just sitting in it, not packed away or anything. I also have a cheap old 24" LED TV that weighs maybe 10 pounds and I can carry with one hand. On summer mornings I take the crate out of the RV and take everything out of it. Power strip connects to the outside RV power, everything plugs into it. Conference call laptop on top of the crate, which is now on its side with the open part facing me. Work laptop in the crate (so they're double decker). Fan on top of the crate next to the work laptop, for when it gets warm. Headphones with extension cable into the conference call laptop. Mouse and keyboard and mouse pad on the table in front of me, port replicator connected to the main computer with HDMI cable into the old TV as a third monitor (which you may not need). Mouse and keyboard are logitech and support multiple devices so I can switch computers on the fly. Chair comes out and I'm all set.

That's about it - takes me maybe 8 minutes to set up and tear down, and everything except for the cheap TV packs in the crate.

But again, adjustable chair with adjustable armrests and everything else solves itself. Without a good chair you will always be sad, no matter what the rest of the setup looks like. I got cheap-ish one from amazon and it's totally good enough, but if you want to find one that does double-duty on the boat I'd spend 95% of your time on that and 5% on everything else.
posted by true at 7:39 PM on December 16, 2022 [2 favorites]

Like CtrlAltDelete I use a folding bed table as a desk. I had a desk in another room but prefer working in my tiny bedroom. Sitting on the bed wasn’t great for my back and after experimenting I found sitting directly on the floor with my back against the wall is great for hours at a time - maybe 90% of my ergonomic office chair? I use the floor as space to keep drinks and files while my laptop and mouse are on the desk at typing level. I slightly miss a second screen but value being able to pack everything away in 2 minutes end of the day.
posted by dorothyisunderwood at 8:42 PM on December 16, 2022

I got a flat pack plywood desk - as in the pieces slot together and can be easily pulled apart again - for working from home when the pandemic hit. I was in a small apartment so I bought a kids one which was a better height for me anyway. When I was tired of looking at my desk in my living room, I’d pull it apart (4 pieces?) and stow it under the couch. I’m in Australia and the one I bought isn’t available not, but there are plenty of similar ones.

But having spent time living on a boat, whether it would work for you will really depend on the boat..
posted by AnnaRat at 3:36 AM on December 17, 2022

First, you have to get the boat projects under control. Based on the doings of my internet boating friends, I'm picturing all horizontal surfaces covered with an alternator and water pump from the engine, a rat's nest of wires from the electrical panel, some new batteries waiting for installation, a few plumbing parts from the fresh water system, etc.

Does your boat have a nav station? If so, it's probably not suitable, or you wouldn't have needed to post, but a nav station does suggest what is necessary to get a workable desk in a small area.

Speaking more directly to your question, I would want the desk and chair to be separate so the desk can be used with more than one sitting option. I'd look for something smaller than this but with a similar geometry. And wheels that lock.
posted by SemiSalt at 5:37 AM on December 17, 2022 [1 favorite]