[JohnRPollard]

I'm going to back Plumper on this one. Although it's a clever idea and your stitching is impressive, I would REALLY worry about losing the arrangement to a boarding sea -- and I'd worry even more about taking a stanchion or two along with it, as well as the lifelines.

The 40 is a good sized boat. How many crew do you usually have aboard? Maybe you could go through your equipment and try to pair it down a bit, to eliminate gear that you don't really need. This might free up more space in the lazarettes. It would be nice to keep the deck and lifelines as clear as possible of obstructions.

You can tie down bulky items like oars to the hand rails, or even mount them on the stanchions (much like a whisker/spin pole) without worry. A rolled up soft inflatable would probably go best on the foredeck, in it's bag, secured tightly against the leading edge of the coachroof, via a series of folding pad-eyes (it would appear almost like an extension of the coachroof).

Unless you're primarily sailing in protected waters -- in which case you'll be fine. But most folks with a PSC 40 have more ambitious plans.