Favorite Dinghy Accessories

[BenBowSirocco]

Hey everyone,
We finally bought our own GoDu 10.5 and I wanted to ask the community for outfitting ideas.



Our Standard Dink Accessories Include:-Life Jackets @4 (Inflatable)
-Paddle

-Anchor on 100' of Line
-Registration (US only)
-"Storm" Whistle (on the outboard safety lanyard)
-Outboard Tools (factory kit: sealed up)


Things we are dreaming of adding:
-Custom fit fuel tank
-Rigid Fixed Ladder

-Nav Lights



I am wondering if anyone has any other dinghy accessories we may have never thought of?

What dinghy accessories are you favorites?

[rslifkin]

Our list is similar to yours. We carry a pair of oars, an anchor (small danforth with a few feet of chain and 150 feet of line), and a set of battery powered nav lights (with removable mounts). Fuel tank for us is a standard rectangular 3 gallon strapped down under the forward bench seat. It's pretty much out of the way and serves to keep the anchor rode from sliding aft (it sits in front of the tank).

We tend to use non inflatable water ski type PFDs in the dinghy. Depending on conditions we'll either wear them or stow them within reach under our seats. They don't stay in the dinghy, we just grab the appropriate quantity from the mothership before getting in the dinghy to go somewhere.

The registration point is an interesting one. I haven't found a safe place to keep the dinghy registration, so it generally stays on the mothership. I've always wondered how much of an issue that would be if we get pulled over at some point. But our dinghy registration is transferable, so if left in the dinghy, someone could easily forge a signature and effectively sell themself the dinghy with a valid looking paper trail. That, and a lack of enclosed or dry storage leads to not keeping it in the dinghy.

[BenBowSirocco]

Regarding Registration Papers:

We have an inexpensive waterproof bag that we put the registration in and roll it up tight. Couple dollars at some big box store.

Our lifejackets are all stored in a "Grab Bag" of Sunbrella ready to go. This means we never find ourselves without enough in the boat and we keep the waterproof bag with registration inside that grab bag.



Water cops here in the USA tend to be pretty hardcore about the rules.. I have always thought it was so nice of them to print your vessel registration on plain printer paper and then tell you to carry it aboard your boat.
Oh and DO NOT copy it onto decent waterproof paper. It could be falsified they say.



As usual the rules make so much practical sense that most people can not reasonably comply with them.

[rslifkin]

Originally Posted by BenBowSirocco

Regarding Registration Papers:

We have an inexpensive waterproof bag that we put the registration in and roll it up tight. Couple dollars at some big box store.

Our lifejackets are all stored in a "Grab Bag" of Sunbrella ready to go. This means we never find ourselves without enough in the boat and we keep the waterproof bag with registration inside that grab bag.



Water cops here in the USA tend to be pretty hardcore about the rules.. I have always thought it was so nice of them to print your vessel registration on plain printer paper and then tell you to carry it aboard your boat.
Oh and DO NOT copy it onto decent waterproof paper. It could be falsified they say.



As usual the rules make so much practical sense that most people can not reasonably comply with them.

At least NY is nice enough to make the registration paper reasonably waterproof. But I should probably find a good way to carry it in the dinghy. I just worry about leaving it in there unattended.

[MicHughV]

I do a lot of spearfishing so mounted two 2" pvc tubes either side of the engine to hold my pole spears, this keeps the pointy end away from the tubes, but also good to hold fishing rods for a bit of slow trolling or fishing.

You'll need a bailing scoop to get water out of the dink, rain water, etc. You can buy these or....I make mine out of half gallon milk jugs by cutting out the side with a scissors, and lash them to the dink somewhere with some light line so they don't blow away.

I don't see where a ladder will do you much good except get in the way.

I dive a lot so keep a mesh bag in the dink for mask, fins and snorkel.

If you intend to run at night in the US, you'll need to get a portable nav flashlight.

Some people keep a lock and chain in the dink to tie up the dink and engine in strange places. I don't do this, but often come across it.

The dink tube pump also remains in the dink in a bag.

My outboard has some basic tools under the cowling, but have had to use them.

There....that will do for starters...

[BenBowSirocco]

Originally Posted by MicHughV

I do a lot of spearfishing so mounted two 2" pvc tubes either side of the engine to hold my pole spears, this keeps the pointy end away from the tubes, but also good to hold fishing rods for a bit of slow trolling or fishing.

You'll need a bailing scoop to get water out of the dink, rain water, etc. You can buy these or....I make mine out of half gallon milk jugs by cutting out the side with a scissors, and lash them to the dink somewhere with some light line so they don't blow away.

I don't see where a ladder will do you much good except get in the way.

I dive a lot so keep a mesh bag in the dink for mask, fins and snorkel.

If you intend to run at night in the US, you'll need to get a portable nav flashlight.

Some people keep a lock and chain in the dink to tie up the dink and engine in strange places. I don't do this, but often come across it.

The dink tube pump also remains in the dink in a bag.

My outboard has some basic tools under the cowling, but have had to use them.

There....that will do for starters...

Our new dink is a 100% aluminum RIB type- so we still have the tubes, but they are aluminum, so no worries about punctures or a pump.



We do a lot of freediving as well and I think a ladder would be so nice!



And you are correct: we do have a sponge aboard.. Forgot that one.
No bucket though, just pull the plug to get 90% out of the boat and sponge the last bit.



I dig the trolling tubes! How did you mount them?
I bet I could bolt up a couple pole holders on the back: great idea!

[MicHughV]

I took two 2" pvc tubes, about 9" long each, and thru'-bolted them to the transom on the inside with a galvanized "C" bracket, top and bottom, one each side of the engine. I have them slightly angled outwards. I love 'em. The bottom of the tube is probably 2" or so above the bottom of the dink. If you want to get fancy, you can also buy plastic fishing rod holders, they are much the same size, but have thinner walls and they have a small indentation for the reel handle.

[MicHughV]

Re: the ladder, I've seen those, and know someone that had them, but found them difficult (if not impossible) to use. First off, you have to remove your fins in the water so you can get your feet on the steps, and the steps are barely wide enough of one foot, and secondly, the ladder tends to get pushed under the dink, meaning your whole body slides under the dink as well.

I find it much simpler and quicker to keep my fins on and just throw myself over the tube.

Finally, I should add this. I have a "look bucket". You can buy these, but I made mine out of a 5 gallon plastic bucket. I cut the bottom out and glued a clear plastic piece on the bottom. You can stick this in the water and it enables you to see the bottom. I use this all the time, as it enables me to check out a reef to see if it's worth going down.

With two of us in the dink, I stick my head into the bucket on the bow of the dink so I can sweep from left to right as the dink is slowly moving forward. You can cover a lot of ground like this, and I use this all the time.

[Kettlewell]

Small battery-powered SOS light in case we get stranded at night. We also always have our cellphones with us in waterproof pouches that float. One or more small LED flashlights so when you go back to the dink you can find it and unlock it. Bailer tied down so it doesn't blow away. Sponge and or absorbent cloth, like a microfiber washcloth. Always have to dry the seats off.

[Sun and Moon]

Fire extinguisher is required if you have a motor.
Visual distress signal is required.
Whistle or horn is required.
An FWC guy once told me lights are required even in the daytime. Not sure if he was right or not, but luckily I had them in my dry bag.

[rslifkin]

Originally Posted by Sun and Moon

Fire extinguisher is required if you have a motor.
Visual distress signal is required.
Whistle or horn is required.
An FWC guy once told me lights are required even in the daytime. Not sure if he was right or not, but luckily I had them in my dry bag.

Good point on the visual distress signal. That's one I've been meaning to fix. Technically we should have flares or similar in the dinghy.

Whistle or horn would be a local requirement, as would lights during daytime. For something dinghy sized, COLREGS only require some way of producing noise, no specs on that. And you wouldn't need lights unless you're operating in conditions that require their use.

Fire extinguisher is not required in a dinghy in many cases. Unless there's a permanently installed fuel tank or a fuel tank in an enclosed space (like a bow locker) then you don't need an extinguisher. If you have a bow locker or a double bottom that could collect fuel fumes then you need a fire extinguisher.

[BenBowSirocco]

Originally Posted by Sun and Moon

Fire extinguisher is required if you have a motor.
Visual distress signal is required.
Whistle or horn is required.
An FWC guy once told me lights are required even in the daytime. Not sure if he was right or not, but luckily I had them in my dry bag.

Fire extinguishers are NOT required in the dinghy:
175.320
Fire extinguishing equipment required.


(a) Recreational vessels 65 feet or less in length. (1) A recreational vessel 65 feet or less in length must carry at least the minimum number of portable fire extinguishers set forth in table 1 to § 175.320(a)(1). A vessel less than 26 feet in length, propelled by an outboard motor, is not required to carry portable fire extinguishers if the construction of the vessel will not permit the entrapment of explosive or flammable gases or vapors.



***Good call on visual daytime distress signal. I figure its internationally recognized when someone is blowing a horn and waving their arms.. But a daytime emergency colored signal would be nice. I will add that to the list. Very simple thing.



Daytime Visual Distress Signals are also NOT required by law in a dinghy:
Visual Distress Signals

The Regulations

This information is directed primarily to recreational boaters, but the requirements discussed also apply to operators of vessels engaged in the carrying of six or fewer passengers. The Visual Distress Signal requirements for most commercial vessels are in Title 46 of the Code of Federal Regulations. The requirement to carry visual distress signals became effective on January 1, 1981. This regulation requires all boats when used on coastal waters, which includes the Great Lakes, the territorial seas and those waters directly connected to the Great Lakes and the territorial seas, up to a point where the waters are less than two miles wide, and boats owned in the United States when operating on the high seas to be equipped with visual distress signals.
The only exceptions are during daytime (sunrise to sunset) for:

• Recreational boats less than 16 feet in length
• Boats participating in organized events such as races, regattas or marine parades
• Open sailboats not equipped with propulsion machinery and less than 26 feet in length
• Manually propelled boats

These boats only need to carry night signals when used on these waters at night.


Navigation Lights are also NOT required for daytime operation.

[Kettlewell]

By the way, in my experience I have never (nearly 50 years of boating) been asked to show any equipment in the dinghy other than the registration and lifejackets, even in Florida. Once you're out of Florida you are unlikely to ever be stopped by law enforcement when in a dinghy. In New England, I bet half the dinks aren't even registered. A lot don't show any numbers.

[MicHughV]

I got tagged once by the marine patrol 'cuz I wasn't showing any lights on my dink at night, and I was rowing the dink out to my boat anchored in the Indian River Lagoon. I didn't get a fine or anything, but he sure was making a big deal out of it.

[BenBowSirocco]

No lights does make you hard to see.. haha


Kettlewell.. Completely agree with you.

Especially once you leave the USA- nobody cares. Its a dinghy.



I was really looking for other cool items to make or add to my dinghy.. Maybe some kind of bimini. Or a cool spear/pole rack.
This was a survey of sweet dinghy stuff as I am so excited about our new little boat!