There are yacht chandlers and canoe shops and camping emporia, but as yet we dinghy cruisers have to struggle along without any dedicated shops of our own, picking up kit where we can, adapting and inventing where there is nothing suitable on the market. And that is good, because it makes us the self reliant, resourceful and stalwart people that we are.

Here however are a few proprietary items that I have found to be up to the hard life of an open boat gizmo.

Boots Radio 'Sports RX45'

One good thing about Test Match Special now being on Long Wave, and mucking up the Radio 4 schedule instead of Radio 3, like it used to, is that radio manufacturers have finally had to produce compact radios that include this waveband, which is of course vital for picking up regular shipping forecasts. This particular radio set is a real peach. It measures only 13.5 x 7.5 x 3.5 cm, has a sturdy case and recessed knobs which won't drop off the first time you drop it. It only receives FM and LW, but that's all you need these days, isn't it? Only £10 in Boots.

'Thermarest Staytek Long' self inflating mattress

I struggled with lilos for far too long, because although these American mattresses were over here, I thought they were over-priced. Now I know better. They are superbly well made, and transform bed making completely. You just open the valve and they inflate themselves, with the aid of perhaps a couple of puffs to hurry them along in cool weather. Then you close the valve, and there you are - a comfy bed in seconds! When you want to deflate them, you simply open the valve again and roll them up. Your bed then becomes a roll about 15 cm in diameter. Thermarest do various sizes of mattress, including those for backpacking, but this version is the one I use. It measures 51 x 183 x 3.8cm when unrolled and inflated. Available in most decent outdoor shops, at the moment it costs £70 in Blacks. I find this thickness perfectly adequate, but if you want more padding go for the 'L. E. Long' which is the same length and breadth but 5cm thick, and costs a hefty £100. Both mattresses weigh 1134g (21b 8oz).

Seal Line 16 x 22 inch map case

The chart cases you can buy from chandlers are far too big for a dinghy, and anyway the zips seem to give up the ghost at the first splash of salt spray. This robust waterproof map case will take a quarter folded Admiralty chart with room to spare, has a robust D-ring in each corner to lash it down, and is just the job. You can do chartwork on the transparent surface with a chinagraph pencil, (available from art shops), which will wipe off after use. I plan to buy another of these map cases soon, before Blacks discover that it they are far too big for OS maps and stop stocking them! £16 in Blacks.