An Albin Ballad Tender
This tender is especially designed for the foredeck of the Albin Ballad.
Special care was taken to assure passage on both sides.
And it rows really well. In this picture the tender seems to have to little volume in front, but with the wife on the aft seat, and myself a little further forward, it loks just perfect. Sorry mot to have a picture of that but one of us had to hold the camera. Yes! it's a dog looking up.
Computer Assisted Design and Computer Assisted Manufacturing (CAD/CAM):
This program is a wonderfully simple, yet comprehensive piece of freeware. It assists you in the design, prints the panels out on your priner for the buildingof small paper models, and prints tables with coordinates for the full size panels to be cut from plywood sheets.
Here is a photo resume of my own building proces:
Plotting the panels on the plywood sheets.
All panels ready to be stitched.
Stitching the bottom panels together.
The hull panels all stitched up with copper wire (copper - because it is soft)
Bulkheads inserted.
Seats beeing held down untill polyester has hardened.
Oarlock holders beeing glued to the inside of gunwale.
Finishing touches.
Please note handle on stern. It was my wifes idea, and it was a brilliant idea. When the tender is upside down on the foredeck. I lift the front in the air and fix it with the towing line around the furled up genoa. I then lift the stern in the handle, and rotate the tender in my wrist, with very little effort, since the line of rotation goes right through the center of gravity og the tender.
When sailing you hardly notice the tender.
There is a lot more details to be told about designing and building a tender like this, and questions are more than welcome.
Kind regards Jesper Milling