All of us here at Crystal Coast Interiors are overjoyed about our newest product, The Step Box, designed by owner, Cathy DiMauro. It is a top quality, one of a kind necessity that you must have for your boat! There are so many unique features to it that set it apart from any other step box.
The Step Box (what Cathy so aptly named it!) is light to carry but adequate for fishermen and pleasure cruisers of any size to feel safe on. Cathy selected all stainless steel hardware for the hinges and lid support brace and wanted integrated handles to be incorporated to keep with the sleek, smooth, curvilinear design of her step box.
The innovations in color and design of her potential customer’s boats motivated her to make sure that she could offer some unique standard and custom features. All of The Step Boxes are available in a range of Gelcoat colors but can have a customized paint upgrade using Alexseal or Awlgrip paint treatments and colors. Each step box comes with a beautiful teak non-skid, grid patterned top that in the future will be available with a custom carved design such as a compass rose, fish or perhaps the boat’s name. Some other customized additions that Cathy decided to offer are boot-striping around the base and the boat’s name offered in vinyl made from the customer’s supplied font and logo style.
Crystal Coast Interiors was a sponsor at this year’s Virginia Beach Billfish Tournament and debuted “The Step Box” there with rave reviews from all who saw it. Prior to this tournament we donated one to the winner of the Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament (held right here on our beloved Crystal Coast), boat owner and captain of the 55’ Jarrett Bay “Inspiration”, Casey Wagner.
Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament 2014 winner and owner of the “Inspiration”, Casey Wagner with his team.
All of The Step Boxes are made to order at present but in the future we plan on keeping a stock inventory ready and available for customization. There are also plans in the works for the storage compartment to double as an ever-necessary bait or drink cooler. The Step Box, handcrafted by us here at Crystal Coast Interiors, is the only step box you will ever need! Check out our website for pricing and contact information and get out there and have some fun out on the water!
About Crystal Coast Interiors…
Crystal Coast Interiors is based in Beaufort, North Carolina but we will travel anywhere in the U.S. to meet the needs of our clients. Since 2003, we have been offering premier custom marine interior and exterior design and fabrication services. At Crystal Coast Interiors we offer the best quality products available on the market to our customers and create beautifully tailored soft goods and top quality furnishings to meet their needs. Visit our website to learn more at https://www.ccinteriors.us.
Approximately four years ago, Cathy DiMauro, the owner here at Crystal Coast Interiors was pondering the evolution of “old school” Carolina sport-fish boat design and the new integration of curves. She wondered why no one had given any thought to adding curvature to one of the trade’s standard tools: the step box. Cathy decided to research step boxes on the market and found that the same boxy design was still out there with no improvement on its looks to compliment the new and innovative boat designs being created. She thought issues such as safety (a historical subject with step boxes- to be discussed later), overall function, and storage capabilities needed to be improved upon. Cathy dove in and began trying her hand at developing a design.
Cathy began the process by researching all the components of existing step boxes on the market and the design and application of plug and mold fabrication, materials used, hardware, and finishes.
With her many years of boat design experience, time on the water, and her knowledge of current products available, she began looking at ways to make the long over-looked step box evolve with the changes in boat design. At every stage of her design process she planned, researched and went through trial and error before moving forward with each component of her new step box design. Cathy believed in keeping everything “local” and proudly can say that The Step Box is all American made.
Safety has always been an issue with step boxes on boats. It seemed logical to Cathy to start examining ways that her new design could compensate for the issues of foot slippage and falls due to imbalance and instability. How many times have any of us experienced this first hand climbing on or off-board or witnessed someone else slip or have a fall? Cathy decided that her step box would have a low center of gravity with a wider base and that the lid for an inside storage compartment should be smaller than the boxes it sits on. All of these features ensure good stability and that the lid will not flip up at the hinged side and cause an injury. Recently Cathy came across a great article about safety considerations with step boxes on sport-fishing boats in the March 2014 issue of Marlin Magazine. It cited how many people in the industry overlook basic safety design issues and maintenance of step boxes. This article was another little affirmation of what Cathy had been thinking all along.
Keep a sharp lookout for the next blog post so you can learn more about the finished product and its features. The Step Box handcrafted by us here at Crystal Coast Interiors, is the only step box you will ever need! Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram and check out our website: https://ccinteriors.us/. to order yours today. Now get out there and have some fun out on the water!
About Crystal Coast Interiors…
Crystal Coast Interiors is based in Beaufort, North Carolina but we will travel anywhere in the U.S. to meet the needs of our clients. Since 2003, we have been offering premier custom marine interior and exterior design and fabrication services. At Crystal Coast Interiors we offer the best quality products available on the market to our customers and create beautifully tailored soft goods and top quality furnishings to meet their needs. Visit our website to learn more at https://ccinteriors.us/.