We’ve all seen them before: slightly deflated, dull, and dirty tenders alongside otherwise pretty yachts. Taking care of and cleaning your tender isn’t a glamorous job, but it is necessary. In this article, we’ll give you some tips for keeping your tender looking ship-shape.
First, you should know what not to use to clean the surface of the boat. Bleach, ammonia, acetone, and other highly corrosive agents will damage the material the tubes are made of. So will using an abrasive tool, such as steel wool, to scrub the surface. The tubes are what keep your tender afloat, the last thing you want to do is damage their integrity.
We would recommend using either an inflatable boat cleaner, available at any West Marine or on Amazon, or biodegradable dish soap to clean the surface of the boat. Make sure that whatever products you use are non-pollutants if you plan on cleaning the tender while it’s in the water. For the really tough to remove stains or marks, a magic eraser does the trick 99 times out of 100. Rinse the tender thoroughly after you clean it; leaving any soap or cleanser residue on the tubes can damage them. Finally, bask in the glow of the cleanest tender on the docks. You earned it!
