Perhaps a simple arrangement for water ballast tanks, although I haven't
heard of them in a dingy, would be to have two ball valves at the back of
the tank handy to teh skipper, one to let the water in through a hose or
pipe, and the other to let the water drain out into the bilge where it can
be sucked out with an automatic bailer, eliminating the need for pumps. in
a dingy an automatic bailer is a small hole in the bottom of the boat with
a door that can be opened when the boat is moving. the motion of the boat
through the water sucks any water in the bottom of the boat out through
the hole in the bottom of the boat. an automatic bailer is handy for
emptying out a dingy after a capsize but they do cost money. Sometimes
dingy's have holes in the transom so any water getting into the boat runs
right out the back.

For cruising I imagine there would be watertight compartments under
the fore deck and perhaps under a rear deck for keeping one's
bedding and spare clothing dry, so draining water balast inot the boat and
out an automatic bialer or the transom would not be a problem.

On the subject of ball valves, I installed them under the sinks in my house
last spring for $3.50 each from the plumbing department at the local home
improvment store. These are only 1/2" diameter pipe which many coul d take
a couple of minutes to fill or drain a balast tank on a dingy. Don't
install ball valve handles anywhere they are likely to get turned by
scrambling feet or a tangled mainsheet.

I imagine a dingy with two centreboards, a jib sail, a reefing main
sail, and water ballast tanks, would be a challenge to operate and
would keep a sailor pretty busy.

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