I have recently come into possession (last summer) of a 21' 1980
Dimarco Day Cruiser (although my reading suggests that it's not a true
day cruiser) inboard jet. This was my father-in-law's boat and my
daughter has very fond memories of lying in the 8+ feet of space
beneath the bow. My two-year-old also has fun doing the same and has
drifted off to sleep on my lap at the helm on a couple of lake trips
and given us some nice quiet time after I tossed her "below deck."

I have a couple of questions for the helpful people he

Is it safe to have a toddler under there while under way? (Reckless
driving, not withstanding)

If so, I would like to do something to manage the storage area under
there, so that she is not lying on oars and water-skis. I was thinking
of something as basic as straps looped from top to bottom of the
support structures (those vertical, flat pieces of fiberglass
perpendicular to the wall that curve inward between the floor and the
underside of the bow (ceiling?)) into which I could feed the long
unwieldy gear. Is this a good idea? Maybe someone here could suggest
something.

This boat uses what I believe is called the international lighting
scheme, with a masthead light in the "dashboard"/console. The masthead
light, which is now missing, was a pole mounted light that plugged into
a two-prong base and used a locking collar. I haven't had much luck
finding a light suited to this specific application. Can someone direct
me or should I start shopping for a whole new masthead setup or even
redo the lighting scheme? I really like the fact that the light could
be removed for day running, since that area is frequently climbed over
for sunning on the bow. (On the deck? fore-deck?)


Lastly, I'm sure that any mechanic automotive or marine could tell me
this, but I forgot to ask when I took it in to be winterized: Does
anyone have a guess as to what engine (stock) this boat has?

I have gotten a lot of great info here and wish to thank the
contributors for sharing their knowledge.

Kirk Suffka.