Proper Tender-Handling Accessories Complete the Project
Hoisting the tender on board is just part of the total tender-handling process. Once aboard it must be cradled and secured to the deck properly. Nautical Structures manufactures everything you will need to complete the project. Properly designed deck cradles (chocks) to cradle the hull of the tender. Cable-Down assemblies that are used to secure the hull of the tender directly to the deck of the vessel, essential for ensuring that your tender will arrive into port still secured to the deck of your yacht!
The deck cradle manufactured properly will provide a glove-fit at two specific locations on the tender's hull-bottom. Typically the chock will have chine-relief’s to ensure the weight of the tender is not point-loaded on the chine. A 2" / 52mm-wide rubber surface ensures the tender's hull is protected. The cradles must be of the proper height to ensure any water in the tender can drain aft and from the tender while stowed. Cradles are fabricated from aluminum, and painted to match the color of the yacht's deck. Polished stainless steel mounting plates may be special-ordered, allowing the cradles to be easily removed while not needed. Nautical Structures can manufacture a deck cradle for
any tender of
any size. Typically templates need to be made of the tender's hull in the two specific locations that the chocks will need to fit. Nautical Structures also manufactures custom cradles made-to-order allowing a custom fit for unique applications.
Lifting harnesses and slings are also available from Nautical Structures. Over twenty years experience in hoisting tenders and shore boats make Nautical Structures uniquely qualified to design and build your lifting arrangement. From a simple spreader-bar to a complex integrated lifting fixture, we can design and engineer a lifting device for any application. You may be certain that nautical Structures' lifting harnesses will be built with an appropriate factor of safety, and designed to work with your davit or crane system. Nylon and/or wire rope lifting slings are a common component to a properly designed lifting arrangement. Adjustment for a changing center-of-balance in the tender will ensure that you are always able to hoist the tender with an appropriate slightly bow-up attitude.
Cable-Down assemblies ensure that the tender will be properly secured to the vessel's deck. The key to a safe and secure transit across a turbulent ocean is to tension the tender into the cradles, but never secure the tender to the cradles. The cradles are intended to only support the tender in a secure fashion. The hard-points provided by the tender manufacturer are utilized to attach the tender onto the deck. Over-Center cam-buckles or conventional turnbuckles are used to add the appropriate amount of tension to the cables ensuring that the tender will stay "at-rest" in the cradles, even in heavy seas.
