I forgot to post here, but I updated my blog a couple of days ago, for those following.

What you should be aiming for here is to keep as much weight as possible out of the stern of the vessel, so heavier items should be stowed forward closer to the companionway, and fewer lighter items aft. Don't go looking for things to put in the lazarette, put as little as possible here, but I know that as a live-aboard yacht there are essentials that you need to cart around.

I have always been slightly shocked at what I have had to take off each of my yachts when I have sold them, despite the fact that I thought I was travelling light. So these days Purge, purge, purge, is my motto.

A large lazarette such as you will have seems a good place to carry spare lines and other items which are too bulky to fit in the accommodation interior and any deck lockers.

OK, fellow junkies.  Please help my memory.

I'm fitting out under the cockpit and am thinking that a good way to do this will be with shelves and plastic boxes.  This should produce a (relatively) speedy solution and be lightweight.  The boxes, by definition, don't conform very well to a boat's shape, so should also be instrumental in ensuring that the stern doesn't get overloaded.

The boxes that seem most suitable are 220 x 430 x 310H (internal dimensions).  I shall probably buy one taller one for a 4l container of WEST epoxy with its pump in place.  Now, apart from various pieces of wood and spare oars, can anyone think of something I am likely to require, that essentially comes under the heading of 'ships's equipment' and probably won't fit in one of these boxes?  I was going to go through Hiscock's Commissioning List for inspiration (hardback copy of Cruising Under Sail), but the lady I lent the book to, has gone walkabout.

I have two tool chests, larger than the abovementioned boxes, which will probably hold my hand tools, both power and manual, with the possible exception of my long handsaw.

I'm sure you all have favourite things you can't do without, but what I'm asking for is a more general inventory, which contains something pretty hefty that I've completely forgotten about.  Or never even thought of!

Anyway, it will be interesting to hear what everyone else stuffs into their lazarette!

Peter wrote:

JRA dinghy????  I must have missed that.  Can someone point me in the right direction, a search brings up lots of dinghy stuff... but nothing about a JRA dinghy :-(

Annie

Progress looks fantastic, hopefully I'll get to see it in person before much longer :-)

Pete

If you go to this page you will see something about the dinghy.  John reckons it will be very stiff - you should just about be able to stand on the gunwale, although when he said this, I'm not sure if he was referring to my 55kg or his 95kg!  The design has the capacity to be made unsinkable, for those who like that idea and it is first and foremost a decent, good capacity tender, but being able to pop in a junk rig and go sailing is very high up on the list of things it must do and do well.

Anyone who is interested in the design should email John and tell him to get it finished!!!

Scott wrote:

Hi Annie,

I have been wondering about the JRA Dinghy design. The couple of sketches in the other forum look very interesting. I am not sure if it is reasonable to expect weeks, months or years before seeing details. Is it possible that this could be the dinghy on the deck of your new offshore cruising boat?

Scott.

I was recently in contact with John.  He has had some health issues over the winter, which have slowed him down.  However, he tells me he has started building the JRA dinghy: he always likes to make a prototype before selling the plans.  The design is actually rather large than I would choose to handle- being just over 5ft tall, makes manhandling (should that be personhandling? womanhandling?) a dinghy something of an issue.  My current one is as long as I am (also a John Welsford design) and I adore it, but have to admit that she's really too small for ferrying other people to and from the shore.  I have enough on my plate at the moment, without building another dinghy.  There are several people after the new JRA dinghy, as I keep reminding John.  I want to ccarry my dinghy in davits, but she is much shorter than the width between them so I shall have to Make a Plan around it.

I have posted on my blog again, for anyone interested.