Securing Items in Dinghy

There are a few Items I like to carry on the dinghy, nothing real valuable but I would like to keep out of eyesight while the dinghy is tied to a dock or beached for a few hours. stuff like handheld vhf, some basic tools, and so on it would all fit in a box probably 12"x8"x6", but how to secure the box? . What are you folks doing about this? I have a Livingston 9' cat style dinghy.I know a determined thief will take what he wants regardless, I'm looking for a deterrent.
Thanks for any ideas.
Steve W

Maybe a drybox that you lock itself, then lock it to the dingy with a security cable, like one might lock a bike to a rack or a laptop to a table. Then they'd have to walk off with the whole dingy. Keeps things dry, out of sight and secure.

A security cable. You're probably already using one for the motor and to secure the dingy to the dock.

It's a shame when we have to expect the worst from people. People who would rather take somebody else's stuff than get a job and earn it.

Steve said:

There are a few Items I like to carry on the dinghy, nothing real valuable but I would like to keep out of eyesight while the dinghy is tied to a dock or beached for a few hours. stuff like handheld vhf, some basic tools, and so on it would all fit in a box probably 12"x8"x6", but how to secure the box? . What are you folks doing about this? I have a Livingston 9' cat style dinghy.I know a determined thief will take what he wants regardless, I'm looking for a deterrent.
Thanks for any ideas.
Steve W

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In the bow, we have boarded off and have a canvas over the front seat where we keep the gas tank, vests, first aid, and tools. As the the VHF and Cell phone I take with me. I alway wear a multi tool on my belt which comes in handy for normal daily stuff and of course the cell phone. I feel naked with out both of them.

Phil Fill said:

I alway wear a multi tool on my belt which comes in handy for normal daily stuff and of course the cell phone. I feel naked with out both of them.

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I didn't need that visual today.

+1000

Steve, we're wrestling with the same issue. The problem with most dry boxes are the fact that they are made of plastic and easily broken apart. If you lock it down with a cable you will also need to be able to lock the box closed. That means it needs to be metal or heavy fiberglass. I have yet to find something suitable. But I haven't looked real hard yet. Chuck

We always use the plastic boxes. They come super cheap or somewhat better. We use them on all open boats and for really small Tupper Ware types should be fine and unlike the large boxes most of them are water tight. Rain hasn't entered the cheap boxes for us nor have we had a lid blow off. In Alaska we're not so concerned about thievery but we don't put our best stuff in the boxes. We use old binoculars and keep our camera in our pockets. It's the best way to keep things dry in an open boat. They don't damage the boat when it's rough and are quite tough themselves and one can remove and replace things fast. If one needs to positively keep things dry you can get "dry bags" where they sell canoes or kayaks.

Rambler said:

I didn't need that visual today.

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Gee guys!

I forgot to mention I also bolted a small wood box in the bow that can be locked. I find with the weight up front the Livingston rides level so I do not have to move/lean forward.

What about something heavier, like pelican cases that are used for photo equipment, etc. They come briefcase sized to trunk sized, just in case you need to move the body.

"all fit in a box probably 12"x8"x6", but how to secure the box?"

I'm not familiar with the 9 ft Livingston, does it have a bench seat with open space below? If so, can you bolt-though a weatherproof box to the bottom of the bench seat? A pic of the dinghy might help.

FlyWright said:

"all fit in a box probably 12"x8"x6", but how to secure the box?"

I'm not familiar with the 9 ft Livingston, does it have a bench seat with open space below? If so, can you bolt-though a weatherproof box to the bottom of the bench seat? A pic of the dinghy might help.

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Here is the site. LV9 | Livingston Power Catamaran Skiff Boats | Livingston Boats

The front seat area I screwed a piece of plywood the width, the slates across the front, and a canvas over the top. I just screw bolted straight into the hull with SS fasteners. The Livingston is very stable as I can stand on the gunnels with out tipping to wash/wax the Eagle rather than turn it around.

#1 hard/fiberglass dink in the PNW.

Thanks!

Secure it so it doesn't move or secure it so it doesn't get stolen?

I recommend a REALLY nasty looking old life jacket (you know... oil stains, duct tape, black/blue paint spots, a few rips etc) with slit cut into bottom and stuffing taken out of one side so your water proof plastic "safety box" slips inside. Place a couple snaps or a zipper or velcro at preserver bottom to fasten when box is inside. Then put preserver under seat - or such, maybe even you could tow it behind boat! No one will lift a useless, dirty, worthless$$ life preserver - even a brook-dick-dog druggie will leave it alone. That's called hiding equipment in plane sight!

Just kidding... sort of!!

If something like a SS cable run through the motor, storage box, PFDs and dingy and secured to the dock with a padlock isn't secure enough, you probably should just stay away from that area. You may not be safe either.

Our worry is losing the dinghy itself, kept chained up on the shoreline. To discourage thieves I cut a 4 inch hole in the side of the hull and fitted a plastic inspection plate. When we leave the dinghy I unscrew and take with me the plug. BruceK

Bruce, that's some great outside the box thinking! Do you have any pictures?

Steve said:

There are a few Items I like to carry on the dinghy, nothing real valuable but I would like to keep out of eyesight while the dinghy is tied to a dock or beached for a few hours. stuff like handheld vhf, some basic tools, and so on it would all fit in a box probably 12"x8"x6", but how to secure the box? . What are you folks doing about this? I have a Livingston 9' cat style dinghy.I know a determined thief will take what he wants regardless, I'm looking for a deterrent.
Thanks for any ideas.
Steve W

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Steve, how do you like your Livingston 9'? Did you consider going larger?

I do like the style of the Livingston and it performs well with my 6 HP Mercury. Mine did have several manufacturing flaws, in the seams of the seat hull joints which has allowed water to accumulate under the seats which should have been water tight. The hull/transom drains are of a poor design which do not work well at all.
Livingstone was purchased by a Company in the Carolinas about 3-4 years ago, the manufacturing moved from the west coast to the new plant, my boat was built at that time so I'll blame the problems on that. I don't know if the flaws have been corrected I hope so because they perform well, maybe a recent purchaser can chime in.
Steve W

Thanks for the reply. I don't think my next purchase will be a RIB and I checked their site and really liked what I saw.

Forkliftt said:

Thanks for the reply. I don't think my next purchase will be a RIB and I checked their site and really liked what I saw.

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The new ones built here in NC are very good as far as fit and finish. I bought one last year and could not get it to work on my swim platform so I sold it to Gonzo. He had a Weaver davit system already on his platform and I believe he is happy with the boat.

We really like our Livingston and have non of the flaws mentioned. It fits well on our Weaver davits mounted on the swim platform. The Trawler Beach House: A New Dinghy And A Big Change . Chuck

Steve said:

Livingstone was purchased by a Company in the Carolinas about 3-4 years ago, the manufacturing moved from the west coast to the new plant, my boat was built at that time so I'll blame the problems on that. I don't know if the flaws have been corrected I hope so because they perform well, maybe a recent purchaser can chime in.
Steve W

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We bought our 9' Livingston in early 1999 so it was made here by the original company. The 9' boat has no seats per se, just molded in "platforms" in the bow and stern with a centerline "platform" connecting them. The interior of the boat is one big molded piece so there are no joints or seams to split or open up.

One thing we learned when we decided to buy one is that if a Livingston is going to be carried on its side on a swimstep in Weaver-type davits it must be the reinforced-side model. The reinforced side version has more layers of fiberglass in the sides. This prevents the side that's down from excessive bowing under the weight of the dinghy. Without this reinforcement the side will distort too much which can eventually cause structural problems. So said the dealer and Livingston, anyway.

At the time the company also made a "resort" version of most of their models. These had plywood reinforcement inside the sides. This was to make the boats very strong for the sort of service they might get at a fishing resort or whatever. However this also added weight to the boat and the dealer did not recommend this option for a swimstep-carried dinghy.

I have no idea if the current manufacturer has continued these options but if they have, anyone contemplating the purchase of a Livingston that's going to be carried on its side should make sure to get the reinforced-side model.

Another excellent option offered by the original company was stainless steel keel strips. On our rocky, gravelly shores, these do a great job of protecting the bottom of the boat.

Livingstons are butt-ugly but for a utility shoreboat they can't be beat. Amazingly stable, very simple, rugged construction (at least the originals), lots of interior room. The one drawback to them vs. an inflatable/RIB is that with a sizeable load there is very little freeboard, at least in the smaller models. So not the kind of boat you want to take into choppy water or out amongst boat wakes with a full load in it. I wish they'd have made the hull a few inches deeper on the 9' model. This is why when the time comes that we start taking more and longer trips north we'll replace the Livingston with a Bullfrog. But for now, as a shoreboat and calm water fishing/crabbing boat, the Livingston is ideal. Until the popularity of inflatables and RIBs took off, Livingstons were the dinghy of choice in this area and you still see a huge number of them about since they last pretty much forever.

Livingston drains

The three pictures show
First looking from the bow aft, an indentation in the floor just before the "seats" or bench it appears to me that at one time there was a drain going under the seat at this point, you can see for some reason it was moved to a much higher point so water accumulates on the deck.
2nd.Aft view if the seat showing the spot where a drain might have been

3rd A view of the transom drain, the bottom of the drain is about an inch above the bottom of the drain channel so water accumulates there also.

There were also many pinholes in the seams of the seats and the deck.
the dinghy performs well, is stable and fast, I was disapointed with the faults I mentioned.
Steve W

Our "original" Livingston has only two drains and they are simply small holes drilled in the bottom of the interior mold in front of the aft "platform," one at the back of each longitudinal "well." The water drains into the space between the interior mold and the hull mold.

The exterior drains are simple fittings in the transom at their lowest points behind each of the catamaran hulls with a screw-out plug. Pull the dinghy up on the beach, unscrew the plugs and that's it.

Yes, I believe those drains were moved to the position you can see in my pixs and the area where a drain should be at the low point of the "well" is closed off. In my case I filled the "wells" with fiberglass.
Maybe Chuck or Gonzo can tell us what their configuration is?
Steve W

My 30ish year old 8 foot Livingston has no drain holes at all. Amazingly stable craft.

CPseudonym said:

My 30ish year old 8 foot Livingston has no drain holes at all. Amazingly stable craft.

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Here is a pic of the anti theft device on my amazingly unstable 2 meter dinghy, light enough to lift on my own, kept chained up on the shoreline near our swing mooring. To discourage theft it has a simple plastic inspection port with screw in cap on the side of the hull. I keep the cap in my usual bag of stuff taken onboard, screw it in and remove later after use.
Fitting is easy, find a flat area, steel yourself to cut a hole with a jigsaw in you new dinghy, bed the base into the hole, drill fixing holes using the base as template, fit csk bolts no longer than necessary with nylon locknuts. The hull is not as flat as you think, tighten the bolts keeping the base flat,and squirt sealant into any gaps left between hull and base. If you flex the base unevenly the cap won`t screw in well. Use any sealant,remember you may have to remove the port to renew it.
Keen thieves may carry a plug ,most won`t and will ignore a dinghy with a 4 inch hole.
I`ve added a pic of storing the inflatable hanging from the garage ceiling using ratcheted tie down straps used to "tie up". Lower the dinghy onto the roof bars on the wagon. Storing it is the reverse,drive the car under the storage point,put the straps under the dinghy,hoist away. BruceK

Here is what I wound up doing for storage on the dinghy, the space is 6" ID. X 10" deep, I scooped out that much foam from under the seat and put in a pipe with cap on inside and deck plate as you can see. It should make enough room for the few things I want to carry.
I'll try it a while, if it works out I might do the port side later on.
Steve W,