Something for the weekend

[Achillesheel]

I've just loaded up the car with stuff for a weekend on the boat, and am appalled at how much there is.

Sleeping bags, pillows, a large amount of food (although we will eat out each evening, there is stuff for breakfast, bottle of wine, bottled water, and snacks), wellies as we launch the dinghy from a beach, clothing to suit various temperatures, oilies (in case)....

We don't keep much on the boat because it would get damp.

Its difficult to see what we could not take, but does everbody fill the boot of the car with stuff for the weekend?

 

[peterb26]

Yes!

 

[Judders]

I normally keep as much as posible on the boat but it's difficukt,, especially when we're sailing other boats in between times. This week, for one night away, it'll be sleeping bags, boots, food and one spare set of clothes. Her foulies but I have a set still on board so I'll not take my own.

 

[Robin]

[ QUOTE ]
We don't keep much on the boat because it would get damp.

[/ QUOTE ]

Why does it get damp?

We leave everything on board year round and have no problem with damp, although in winter we run a dehumidifier as we are on a marina berth. Certainly on all the boats we have owned over the years from 20ft upwards we have always left regular use gear, bedding and clothing on board during the season, even when the boats were on swinging moorings. Perhaps 'damp' is more imagined than real? Otherwise I would look to curing leaks and improving ventilation.

However, our boot is always full too! We nearly always cook on board so take food for Friday night, Saturday and Sunday in a cold box plus another big bag, SWMBOs makeup bag (huge!), extra tonics, maybe the laptop, maybe towels and or sheets/duvet covers if taken home for washing, SWMBOs collection of the days newspapers.... At least with a walk on berth we don't need the oilies and wellies to get out in the dinghy.

 

[Achillesheel]

Yes, the damp may be a perception, although there are a couple of leaks, in the main hatch and the forehatch. I suppose we could keep bedding on board in waterproof bags, which would reduce the load a little...

But it seems I'm not alone in taking a lot of stuff!

 

[Robin]

When we were on swinging moorings there was far more risk of getting stuff wet going out in the dinghy. Our moorings in Poole were open to the SW and it is a big harbour, we had to use really heavy duty plastic bags to wrap everything in or we started the weekend wet.

How about those special 'vacuum' bags that you can stow gear in and squeeze out the air so the whole thing takes up little space? We bought some for home for storing winter clothes in summer or vice versa and have a couple on board we've yet to get around to using, they come in a variety of sizes. I think Lakeland sell them, as do Piplers on Poole Quay.

 

[Brierley]

We tend to leave bedding, oilies, dry food (in large tupperware-type containers) on board but still usually end up with quite a lot of stuff to take and the boot is usually full - I think it's just a hazard of boating! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[Allegro]

Isn't it some sort of immutable law of going away that you always need slightly more than the amount of space available when packing?! I've certainly always found it applies on any sort of trip, be the container anything from a small rucsack to a large car.

Seriously, though, we do leave a fair bit of stuff on the boat, including sleeping bags and non-perishable food, even through the winter, without too much trouble with damp. We're on a mooring, but reasonable ventilation and fairly frequent visits (about once a month in the winter, more often in the summer) accompanied in winter by a good airing tied to the pontoon with the oil filled radiator plugged in seem to keep things reasonbly mould free.

Cheers
Patrick

 

[Whitelighter]

Nope, keep iut all on the boat with a couple of dehumidifiers and a couple of small oil filled radiator. Timed to come on a couple of hours before we get down, everything is toasty warm!