Care and Maintenance
There are four key areas of care:
1 Keep your dinghy well drained and ventilated
2 Wash with fresh water (internally and externally) on a regular basis
3 Have damage repaired promptly.
4 Tie your dinghy correctly to the trailer for towing
1. Keep your dinghy well drained and ventilated
All composite structures, no matter what they are made from absorb moisture which increases
weight and under additional circumstances causes cosmetic blistering and raised fibre pattern.
Obviously in dealing with a marine environment, equipment gets wet which in itself is not a
problem. The problem starts when moisture is trapped for any length of time - e.g. a dinghy is
left with a PVC cover on for several weeks, the cover fills with water and pulls the cover tight
over the foredeck and sidedecks, the moisture trapped between the cover and the deck alters in
salinity and creates the start of an osmotic cell. To help avoid this situation a) Ensure the boat is
kept at an angle that allows water to run off the cover and internal water to drain out of tanks
and self bailer. b) If using a PVC cover, make sure it is removed and the boat well ventilated at
least once a week. Better still, get a breathable cover - polycotton, acrylic or cotton duck. c)
When using an undercover, make sure the cover has an opening by the self bailer to prevent
water draining from the cockpit and filling the undercover. Do not leave the undercover on for
long periods. d) Trailer cradles should be covered with a free draining material, in order to
prevent an osmotic cell. All recent RS trailers are supplied with a ribbed rubber cradle liner. If
your trailer cradles do not have this, a rubber kit is available through your RS dealer.
2. Wash with fresh water
Fresh water evaporates far quicker than salt water, so if your dinghy has been sailed in salt
water, don't stop at the sails, fittings and external surfaces, wash the tanks out as well. This is
not as daft as it sounds - all RS tanks are vented and sooner or later water will enter,
particularly after prolonged capsizes. When this happens, drain the tanks and lightly spray a
fresh water hose pipe into the tank to lift off the salt water and then the tank will have a much
better chance of drying out.
3. Damage
Hull damage falls into three categories:
a) SERIOUS e.g. large hole, split, crack or worse. Don't be too distressed! Get the remains back
to your RS dealer, most problems can be repaired by the builder.
b) MEDIUM e.g. small hole or split, gel crazing. If this occurs during an event, sailing can often
be continued, as long as leaking can be prevented by drying off the area and applying a strong
adhesive tape. Sail repair tape, duck tape or "denso" tape works well with the ends of the tape
cut to a radius to prevent the corners peeling back. CAUTION - if the damage has occurred on
or close to a heavily loaded point, then a close inspection should be made to ensure joints or
laminate are fit for the prevailing conditions. If in doubt, ask an RS dealer. With this type of
damage, get it fixed as soon as possible at your local RS dealer.
