For 2 years we labored unnecessarily, assembling our dinghy on deck, lifting it in and out of the water with the boom as a crane, and clearing deck space to take apart. One day, while towing Junior in the Caribbean, we had to hastily put him on deck ahead of a squall. We dropped sail, laid a hull, and I hopped into the dinghy to take it apart for the first time in the water. Less than 5 minutes later, Junior was on deck. I was amazed and thrilled by how easy it was, while at the same time I felt foolish over years of wasted efforts.
Now we don’t hesitate to stow our dinghy on deck, even for easy day sails.
For pictures of building and maintaining Junior check out Nesting Dinghy – Junior.
sailing dawn treader 