Phung

Often, abused, neglected and taken for granted is the poor old faithful tender. It is easily the least maintained of all craft on the waters of the world today and probably always was! However, the poor thing is expected to give sterling service, twenty-four hours a day in all weathers.

It is fair to say that many tenders should be dragged off the beach and attacked with a good strong chain saw and the resulting flotsam used to stoke up the barbyhowever, for the others that remain afloat, there are a few things that may take them into the next millenium, with a stroke of luck!

CATEGORIES
Well, basically all that we have to deal with are four kinds. Wooden, aluminium, rubber and fibreglass. Let's kick off with the first category.

TIMBER
Very many existing tenders are constructed from ply and these are often in exceedingly poor repair. They are given the most cursory nod as a rule and only looked at when a foot goes through the bottom. The greatest protection of all is generally three things, paint, paint and more paint. If the wood is protected from the weather, greater is the chance of survival. Before painting your tender, DRY it out thoroughly, it'll have a lot more chance of letting the paint actually stick to itIf it doesn't have a drain plug, then fit oneIt'll give it twice the life if water is not allowed to accumulate. Oh yes, secure the bungs with lanyards. Holes may be rudely repaired with a good old square patch using epoxy and bronze screws.

Flotation is always highly recommended in ply dinghies and may be in the form of sealed polystyrene glued under seats. Also, inflatable beach balls stuffed in lockers and then inflated are cheap and safe. Always tie your rowlocks on with nylon rope and repair all damage the instant it is done.

Finally, wash it out thoroughly and store upside down when not in use and replace all painters and leads regularly. I'm not supposed to say this either but in the case of a very leaky tender, a quick efficient repair may be undertaken by turning over the boat, thoroughly drying out, then painting rubberised bitumen paint over the bottom several times. It won't last forever but it will work for a while.

INFLATABLES
An old favourite is the inflatable. Giving many years of reliable service they have huge buoyancy, require little maintenance and are extremely light. So much so they are the favourite prey of those vile beings that lurk around boatyards and relieve you of your much loved rubber duckyboiling in hot tar is too good for them, but I digressas mentioned, little maintenance is needed. However, some care must be taken if your inflatable is not to end up looking like a pile of tired old elephant's intestines!

Often forgotten is the bottom of the inflatable. Take care where you land and don't drag it over rough beaches. Always try to carry it if you can. Check regularly for scuffs and if you have any deep scores put a patch over it before it is punctured.

Wooden floor boards are often neglected and left unvarnished and with water accumulating underneath. If this is rainwater the boards will rot quicker than if it is salt. Take them out and varnish 'em on a regular basis. If they are split, smooth them off to prevent chafing and sudden punctures an inflatable with no air in is as much use as a hat rack is to a moose

Put the anchor and chain into a plastic bucket to prevent rust stains and damage. Check all ropes, lanyards and painters regularly.

A common problem with inflatables is too much pressure. An inflatable pumped up in the cool of the morning will expand with the heat of the sun and severely strain or split the joins. Ensure that this does not happen with regular checking.

Clean by hosing all sand, grit and broken shells out on a regular basis and keep it clean at all times. A dropped fish hook in an inflatable has much the same effect as Saddam Hussein on World Peace

Lastly, ensure that if you do get punctured ensure that you always have the manufacturer's recommended repair kit and take great pains to read the instructions thoroughly. Wherever possible, keep your inflatable stored out of the sun and invest in a large padlock and chain.

FIBREGLASS
Normally glass tenders are in a bad state of repair and owner's often see little point in repairing dings and scuffs. If you are one of those people that like to see things looking good, a ding can be repaired using a gel-coat repair kit. Car repair putty is porous and will eventually bulge and drop off like a leech and epoxy is the best of all for repairing fibreglass.

Where timber rubbing strakes are missing or rotted, you'll lose strength in the boat's rigidity and it'll pay to replace them. If they are not replaced the hull will flex, craze and crack. All timber should be kept in good repair by coating with varnish. If you have varnishing, use epoxy. It will eventually dull but you can always paint it over later on.

Cruelly referred to as 'washing-up bowls' glass dinghies however, have a well earned reputation for longevity and reliability and remain a firm favourite.

ALUMINIUM Isn't it incredible just how much damage the good old tinny will sustain. They seem to last forever and it's no surprise that the tinny is such a firm favourite. No maintenance seems to be the order of the day but the long suffering tinny can be made to suffer even longer if a few basic rules are adhered to.

Never leave seawater and steel objects lying in the bottom of the boat. Always drain the tinny and flush with fresh water after use. Never repair the tinny with steel or monel rivets. Localised corrosion will weaken the repair with dire results. As with steel objects, never leave wet rags in the boat at all.

Don't leave tinnys in the water for extended periods, especially near mooring jetties with shore power supplied. Stray electrical currents can eat the bottom faster than you'd believe!

If repairing your much battered aluminium boat, don't just use any old ally sheet that you find down the tip. They must be repaired with correct alloys that are especially formulated for use with sea water. Alloys containing copper are a disaster as is Duralumin. Both will corrode extremely quickly as will incorrect fastenings that might be used for the repair. Seek advice from you local tinny manufacturer and don't use car repair rivets, no way! Another useful repair material for aluminium is epoxy glue. If the surface is properly repaired it can be used together with bi-axial glass cloths and the repair can be extremely strong. Polyester resins and chopped strand mat will eventually delaminate be warned.

FENDERS
All of the above tenders can be preserved for many years longer by the intelligent use of fenders and rubber rubbing strakes. A thick length of rope around a wooden dinghy will make an effective rubbing strake.

It's a sad fact that many folks leave their tenders in a terrible woebegone state and when asked why the answer is usually, "Well, who'd nick that bloody thing?"

One must agree in a way but you also have to remember the fact that you and your families lives are fully dependent on that scruffy little cockshellit may look vile but there's no excuse on planet earth for it to be unseaworthy and dangerous.

Terry Buddell is a freelance journalist and a Marine surveyor, boat designer and shipwright, He lives on board his yacht "The Nicky J Miller' that he built himself in The Gold Coast Australia and has sailed his yacht up the East Coast to the beautiful Whitsunday Islands. He is currently resident in Gladstone Queensland where he is building another boat for his collection! Terry can be contacted on arcus1@bigpond.com or http://www.dolphinboatplans.com