Boat cards – like business cards – are a great way to quickly share info with people you’ve just met. (Read more about boat cards here)
My problem was that I’d always forget to take them with me when we went ashore!
I didn’t want to just stick some in the pocket of my shorts, as they’d usually get damp from a stray splash while in the dinghy. I generally don’t carry my purse unless I’m going shopping, so putting them there didn’t help either.
Then I happened across an Otter Box 1000 that I had bought several years ago. It’s waterproof and just the right size for standard business/boat cards.

It even came with a line to tie it into the dinghy.
Now I just leave the case – filled with boat cards – in the dinghy. Since it’s a watertight box, I can leave it there all the time. It sat in the dinghy as we got 7” of rain over 4 days earlier this month, and the cards were just fine.
And since it’s sitting out and visible, I’m much more likely to remember to grab it as I’m exiting the dinghy and going ashore – and even if I don’t, the dinghy is usually close enough that I can quickly run back and grab it if I want to give someone a card. And if I get talking to someone as I’m dinghying by their boat, I have the cards easily available.
The case is also a good place to put a copy of the dinghy registration (I leave the original on Barefoot Gal). In most states, you need to have it aboard in case you’re ever stopped for a routine safety check.
I’ve had my box of boat cards at a couple of recent gatherings here – SSCA, Women Who Sail, Sunday morning potluck brunch – and several people asked me to post about the box and give a link to where they could get one. No problem, I thought . . .
So I started looking around to find who had the best prices on the OtterBox 1000. And I learned that OtterBox is now only making phone and tablet covers! YIKES! I hate it when a product that I love is no longer available. (NOTE: there are some knockoffs available but they get very mixed reviews and I don’t recommend them.)
Luckily, though, Pelican makes a very similar case. They call it water-resistant but it’s rated as submersible to a depth of 1 meter for 30 minutes with no water intrusion. I read several reviews of people using them rafting and kayaking with no water leaking when they sat in water all day. Others spoke of leaving them out in the rain with no water getting in. Larger Pelican cases have a fantastic reputation for being waterproof and I think their 1010 case would work great for cards in the dinghy. It even comes with a stainless carabiner to make it easy to clip in (the hinge is also stainless)!

Get the Pelican 1010 on Amazon:
If you need a slightly larger and seriously waterproof case, take a look at this one designed for scuba divers to take down to 100 feet:
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Carolyn Shearlock has lived aboard full-time for 17 years, splitting her time between a Tayana 37 monohull and a Gemini 105 catamaran. She’s cruised over 14,000 miles, from Pacific Mexico and Central America to Florida and the Bahamas, gaining firsthand experience with the joys and challenges of life on the water.
Through The Boat Galley, Carolyn has helped thousands of people explore, prepare for, and enjoy life afloat. She shares her expertise as an instructor at Cruisers University, in leading boating publications, and through her bestselling book, The Boat Galley Cookbook. She is passionate about helping others embark on their liveaboard journey—making life on the water simpler, safer, and more enjoyable.
Jane Gammons says
It is handy to have some in your toilet kit also. Lots of friendships start in the shower room.
Carolyn Shearlock says
Great idea — and a waterproof case (or at least a Ziploc bag) would help there too!
Capt'Rich Kervan says
I use the waterproof case I got on a cruise ship for doing just that.
Jim Allen says
I have one I use to keep my keys in when snorkeling
The Boat Galley says
That’s what we’d bought this one for, when we went to Hawaii.
Peter Adams says
…or you could just get waterproof plastic boat cards and skip the case all together.
Dave & Lisa says
Great idea. I like the idea of being able to leave it in the dingy along with the registration all the time.