With a small instant type boat there is always a compromise
between the amount of cabin and cockpit space, and the size of the
emergency boyancy tanks. The bigger the living space, the smaller the
tanks.
I found a compromise to get more sleeping space. Make water tight
hatches on the vertical surface of the bulkhead, and when beached ready
to sleep, remove the hatch and stick your feet in there.
Cheap hatch idea: At a local pool cleaning company, they gave me (for
free) some 6 and 12 gallon buckets that have locking screw top lids.
The 6 gallon buckets have a 12" diameter, and the 12 gallon buckets have
a 15" diameter. Cut the top 3-4" off the top of the bucket and
mount it
to the bulkhead, screw the top on and presto, a cheap water tight hatch.
With these hatches and a small tent that had the bottom cut out, you
could turn even the really tiny boats like my Flats Rat, or Summer
Breeze, or a One Sheet Skiff into weekend beach cruisers.
Shorty
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