- for cruising simple boats

Most members quite rightly spend a lot of time and effort in modifying their dinghies so as to incorporate watertight storage lockers into the fabric of their craft. However, there may be good reasons why some owners do not wish to attempt this: they may feel that they do not have the requisite skills to make a satisfactory job of the alterations; they may not be willing to cut their boat about because it is one of a racing class and it may take the dinghy out of class; or they may feel that they might not keep the dinghy for long and it simply isn't worth the bother. Nevertheless all is not lost if they would like to attend a DCA rally or have the odd weekend away, even if the dinghy is not really a cruising type. For myself I have often felt that the seaworthiness of my Roamer was not required for a proposed trip and if I could find a camp site, I often settled on a smaller or lighter craft which didn't have a tent or cuddy.

Regardless of type, dinghies often take a deal of spray on board and water can be expected to swill about the bottom. Lacking watertight lockers one has to find waterproof containers of some sort and arrange their stowage. Where to put them depends upon what parts of the boat you need to access in order to sail or row it. I find it useful to put some screw eyes into the gunwale or coaming. One can then hang the less water resistant bags or sacks above the bilges.

When I first started dinghy cruising I found that the cooking gear was the most difficult to stow. I therefore built a galley box which I fitted out so that basic pots and utensils have individual stowage. This has a removable front and the stove is bolted to the base inside so that it is shielded from draughts. I still have this and it has been used in a number of boats. All this is not really necessary however; a simple wooden box like a small school tuck-box will work as one can screw clips into it and/or arrange a web of shock cord to keep things in place. It doesn't have to be watertight as there will be nothing in it to hurt provided any food you may put in is in sealed plastic boxes. In order to improve its weather resistance one can tack a strip of canvas type material round the edge of the lid so that it overlaps the joint; water falling from above will run off it; water below will float it! For the vulnerable provisions a large Tupperware type container is both cheap and effective and big enough to include a small loaf.

Bedding and clothing will require something better than the above. Some years ago I purchased from a canoe retailer a plastic barrel with a screw top incorporating a sealing ring: it was obtainable in various sizes. It is virtually indestructible so ideal for a location where you may need to tread hurriedly as for example, to reach the anchor. These are still available as I see that the Topper people have incorporated them into their new Cruz dinghy. The trouble with the barrel is that it is hard and unyielding and cannot be squeezed into odd shaped spaces. For the latter one needs absolutely waterproof bags. I discovered these described as waterproof kit bags, in the sales list of Force 4 Chandlery; probably canoe shops also sell them. The first one I bought from them a while ago was American. One I bought recently turned out to be French. Both have proved watertight so far, with a simple but effective method of sealing by folding the specially stiffened top over a couple of times, which also forms a handle. If you fear capsizing, lanyards can be attached both to these and the barrels thus preventing them sailing away on their own if the worst happens.

It is regrettable that the sailing holdalls sold by chandleries are very seldom waterproof and are in any case often more expensive than the kit bags. These latter cost between £14.95 and £26.95 according to size. If you want their latest list, Force 4's telephone number is 071 828 3900 (almost certainly changed since this was written……). For more about this casual approach to cruising I can recommend 'Beachcruising' by Douglas Alvord, published by McGraw Hill.

So there we are. By the time you have put everything into your dinghy for the weekend it may look a bit crowded, but it's astonishing how little space you really need just to sail a boat. If you need to row it will almost certainly be calm so you should be able to rearrange your kit relatively easily - see you at the next rally.