On a fine summer’s day in sheltered water almost anything which floats can be used for cruising. But we want craft that can stand up to fairly rough weather in open water and yet be fast in light airs: that is what we mean by a cruising dinghy.

One of the attractions of cruising is that one meets people (or hopes to) with different ideas about suitable boats; there is a great difference of opinion on the ideal. However, we usually agree about unsuitable craft and some general principles seem relevant.

Unless you and your crew are midgets, anything less than 12 ft long is too small. With the weight of crew and cruising gear a small boat becomes slow and tublike to handle, and difficult to sleep on board if necessary. The upper size limit is a matter of cash usually, but anything over 18ft is not really a dinghy, and 16 ft is about the maximum for a boat that has to be kept or carried ashore.

Beamy boats are a good idea in a seaway and make for more carrying capacity. Also, one can be less energetic about sitting them out, and hanging over the side by the tips of your toes becomes tedious after the eighth hour or so.

Most experienced dinghy cruisers seem to prefer heavy clinker-built boats with substantial iron centreboards. Those are more comfortable to manage at sea and feel less flimsy, but are not supplied in kit form if you want to build them, and usually are out as far as an occasional race is concerned.

Still, strength of construction is essential, for sooner or later you will run aground or have to land on a beach, and there may be a swell running. Try landing on an open shore in a ¼in. plywood box a few times! There is nothing wrong with a well-built hard chine or moulded plywood boat. They can take it hard and are lighter to handle ashore.

A cruising boat should always be fitted so that it can easily be rowed, for, unlike racing dinghies, we have to be able to cope with anything, even the ditch too narrow to tack out of. When it is too narrow to row out of you get awfully muddy!

A short mast and low sail plan makes dinghy cruising easier. Few high sail plans will keep their shape in a blow, and they are harder to keep in good condition. As to rig, Bermudan or gunter are both suitable; the latter is better when reefed or at anchor. I like plenty of extra sails that can be rigged up in calm weather, also plenty of reefs in the working sails. Dinghy men are usually very careful in open waters, but there is always an off chance of capsize, and enough buoyancy for the boat to be righted and baled dry in a choppy sea is necessary. Don’t forget to fix your equipment in too. Have you ever seen a sleeping bag running downwind in the Channel? No! Nor have I — yet! But there is at least one camera at the bottom of the Solent.

If you like baling, don’t bother, but otherwise fit a deck of some sort. Tacking in a short sea is usually wet and a deck helps keep the water out of the bread and provides some dry stowage. Also, inside the boat fit fairly level floorboards and as few thwarts as possible unless they are removable. Equipment is being dealt with elsewhere, but if anyone disagrees with my outline of features to be included I hope we shall hear from them. Finally I include a list of popular class boats, any of which is suitable for cruising:—

Sheltered waters Open water (e.g. Solent)

GP14 W.E.C. Redwing Snipe Albacore Hamble Star Island Class14 Osprey Solent Seagull Jewel Humber Yawl Thames Estuary