As the Mediterranean season starts to draw towards its close, attention naturally turns to what happens next.
For some yachts, that means an Atlantic crossing and the start of the Caribbean season. For others, it means a quieter winter in the Mediterranean, with time finally available for the maintenance, repairs and upgrades that are difficult to accommodate during the height of summer.
For the tender, this change of pace presents an opportunity.
Rather than simply putting it away for the winter, the coming months can be used to properly assess its condition, carry out essential servicing and repairs, make improvements and ensure everything is ready for the season ahead.
At EYOS Tenders & Toys, we provide a complete winterisation and secure storage service from our purpose-built facility in Mallorca, managing the process from collection and transport through to storage, maintenance and return.
More than just winter storage
A tender is an important part of any yacht’s operation. It carries guests ashore, supports watersports, moves crew and equipment and, on many yachts, is used almost every day throughout the season.
It also spends much of its life exposed to salt water, sun, heat and the general wear and tear that comes with being used hard.
Winter provides a valuable window to give it some attention.
At EYOS, every tender can be assessed according to its individual make, model, condition and use. From routine servicing and mechanical repairs to cosmetic work, refurbishment and customisation, the aim is to deal with what is needed while the tender is out of service, rather than discovering problems once the next season is already underway.
With more than 15 years of experience repairing tenders in Mallorca, the EYOS team works across structural, mechanical and cosmetic repairs, as well as more extensive restoration and refit projects.
Winterisation, without the logistics headache
Getting a tender ashore and finding somewhere suitable to store it is not always straightforward, particularly when the yacht is working to a busy schedule.
EYOS can take care of the logistics as part of the winterisation service, including pickup and return anywhere on the island and beyond.
Once at the EYOS facility, the tender can be winterised and securely stored away from the exposure and disruption of a busy shipyard environment. Scheduled maintenance and pre-season checks can then be carried out while it is there.
For captains and crew, the benefit is simple: one team looking after the tender from the moment it leaves the yacht through to its return.
The winter is the time to fix the small things
Some jobs are obvious. Others are the things that have been noted during the season but never quite made it to the top of the list.
A tender that has developed an intermittent electrical fault. Upholstery that has seen better days. A propeller that needs replacing. Equipment that no longer works as it should. A layout that could be improved. An engine that is beginning to show its age.
These are precisely the sorts of jobs that are easier to tackle when the tender is already out of the water.
Regular servicing is not simply about keeping a tender looking good. It helps identify developing mechanical, electrical and structural issues before they become more serious, while helping to maintain reliability, performance and value.
At EYOS, servicing can be tailored to the tender and its usage, from a high-performance chase boat to a luxury limousine tender.
Need more than a service?
Winter is also an ideal time for a more substantial refit.
EYOS has in-house customisation capabilities covering everything from upholstery and custom paintwork to interior reconfiguration, technology and equipment integration, layout changes and performance upgrades.
Perhaps the tender needs additional storage or a different seating arrangement. Perhaps the electronics need updating, the interior needs refreshing or the whole boat needs to be brought back to the standard expected of the mothership.
With the tender already out of service, these larger projects can be planned and completed without taking valuable time away from the summer programme.
For tenders with Yamaha outboards, EYOS can also provide servicing and diagnostics, with larger engine projects and re-power options considered where appropriate.
A better way to approach the winter
The best winter programmes are rarely about doing everything for the sake of it.
They are about looking at the tender as a whole, understanding how it has performed through the season and deciding what will make it safer, more reliable, more enjoyable and better prepared for the year ahead.
Sometimes that means a straightforward service and secure storage.
Sometimes it means a list of repairs and a few well-chosen upgrades.
And sometimes the winter presents the opportunity for a complete transformation.
The important thing is to start the conversation early enough for there to be time to do the work properly.
Book your tender storage early.
As the Mediterranean season draws to a close, demand for secure indoor tender storage and winter maintenance in Mallorca naturally increases.
EYOS’s purpose-built facility has limited capacity, and early planning allows the team to understand what each tender requires, schedule the work, source any necessary parts or equipment and coordinate collection and return around the yacht’s programme.
You don’t need to have the entire winter programme worked out before getting in touch.
A conversation about where the yacht is heading, how the tender has performed through the season and what you have noticed onboard is often enough to start identifying what needs attention.
Ready for the season ahead
The real value of winter storage is not simply that the tender has somewhere safe to spend the colder months.
It is the opportunity that comes with it.
Time to service. Time to repair. Time to improve. Time to rethink what isn’t working. And, ultimately, time to make sure that when the yacht is ready to go again, the tender is too.
EYOS Tenders & Toys provides yacht tender winterisation, secure indoor storage, servicing, repairs, refurbishment and refit from Mallorca, with the team able to manage the process from collection through to return.
