We’ve had some discussion lately about what we should keep in the dinghy. There are of course the required items:

  • Copy of Registration
  • Life Jackets
  • Flashlight
  • Sounding device (we have a whistle, although since I can whistle louder than the typical whistle the plan is to pick up a small canned horn next time we pass one)

So what do we have to make the rides more pleasant and ensure we are comfortable? We generally keep a few things floating around, or rather tied to the dinghy or inside of the waterproof boat box so that if we forget something we’re all set.

  • A set of sandals for each of us, we keep our “everyday” sandals in the dinghy since we have more than once needed to turn back form them.
  • Older sunglasses for days we forget those as well. I’m also considering a hat for my head which lacks natural protection.
  • We keep a VHF in the Boat Box. It’s an inexpensive low power one that I picked up while trying to be cheap. Just strong enough to call around the anchorage.
  • We keep a depth sounder, perfect for moving around the potential swing radius and double checking depth or scouting another potential anchoring location.
  • A manual bilge pump or other bailer. We used a large cup with a handle for the longest time.
  • Boat Cards in a waterproof box of their own.
  • An anchor and quite a bit of line (we’ve got some serious tides in the north east) to help with beaching.
  • And new to us are a set of backup masks since it’s even more likely for us to forget our masks than it is for us to forget our sandals.

Engine wise we’ve moved to an electric which has changed what we keep in the boat but with a gas one we kept extra fuel at the ready after running out of gas on two different occasions. These days we have:

  • A 55lbs Thrust electric trolling motor.
  • A 55 aH lithium battery
  • A 100W folding solar panel (two 50W panels that open up)

With this setup we can power to shore, open the panel up and when we are done for the day we generally find a full battery for our return trip. The setup has turned our dinghy into a perpetual motion machine which is quite nice.

What are the things you keep handy in your dinghy to make your life a bit simpler and more enjoyable?