Setting up a TI for camping trips

The majority of my Hobie's don't leak a drop inside the hull, but I would never take the chance on important items somehow getting wet. Always put your stuff in a water-tight bag.

To keep items from getting lost inside the hull, attach tethers to them and fasten the tethers to either the mast base or perhaps one of the easily reached scupper tubes.

You can cut flotation blocks into various sized pieces and use GOOP to fasten them inside the hull. If you locate them strategically, you can sort of block those areas where other gear might otherwise tangle or interfere with your rudder lines.

My 2 cents, you may get better answers:

1) I have followed the posts by others on improving the water tightness of the hull. It is much better now but maybe not completely tight yet. When camping do you manage to keep the hull pretty much dry inside or do you always have to pack in immersion-proof dry bags?

Yes, definitely, dry bags are a must for anything that can't get wet.

2) It's easy to loose things in that large space inside the hull. How do you cope with this?

I use paracords which I attach to the bags. If they get lost inside the hull, I just pull them out by the attached cord.

3) If I jam lots of gear in tight, it tends to interfer with the rudder lines. Any strategies?

Store any items which may interfere with the rudder lines in the front.

4) The polyethylene foam float blocks seem to be mostly loose in the hull. Should they be glued down? If so where?

You really can't glue anything well to polyethylene, it's too slippery for most glues. The foam blocks may move around a bit but that won't hurt them or their purpose.

Given lightweight drybags can be purchased these days for almost pennies, I see no reason at all to place anything inside an Island's hull that is not protected in a drybag. Every time my local outlet releases a 3-pack for $9.99 (5, 15 and 25 litre sizes), I buy another set (or two). I now have enough that I can fill the volume of my TI with items inside drybags, plus I also have a couple of giant 40+ litre heavy duty ones which can be stowed outside if needed for big trips.

In my opinion, it is no longer hardly worth the energy to carry out a "fight to the death" to prevent the last drop of water entering the hull, when such clever solutions as drybags are so cheap and convenient.

PS I keep, on deck secured on deck behind the seat, two other drybags. One is my "ditchbag" which contains flares, compass, torch,sea-marker dye, first aid kit, PLB, space blanket, knife and other tools etc, while the other one contains small Cooper anchor, shackles 3 metres of chain, 25 metres anchor line, sea anchor etc (I have a further 10 metres permanently attached to the TI bow and led back to the cockpit)

snip

Thanks Tony! I am used to paddle kayaking and I have a ditch bag there too, but I like your list of contents. There is more room on the TI.
Are you using the small red Cooper Anchor or the larger blue one?
Can you recommend a sea anchor? (FYI: I carried a folding radar reflector for my paddle kayak for use if caught in fog.)
My dry bags are mostly heavy vinyl and they don't fit easily in the hull, except the front hatch. I'll invest in some lighter ones.
(I pressurized the hull with a vacuum cleaner on 'blow' and found several sizable leaks with soap spray.)
ik

Yes, I'm surprised at the comment about most of these boats staying dry inside.

I bailed out about 50 litres of seawater when I returned from a trip the other weekend. Admittedly the seas were very heavy, and the bow spent a good amount of time with waves coming completely over the top.

I might have to check the seals on my hatches and rudder lines...

50 litres in 3 hours is an awful lot of water. I have done quite a bit of work on waterproofing and I'll boast about it, and tell how I did it, AFTER I go out in heavy water and see how it does..