A properly prepared rig should provide many trouble free seasons if you take care of it. The mast, boom, and spinnaker pole should need only occasional lubrication (e.g., with Lubriplate or some other silicon—based lubricant) and checking to be sure everything that should be tight still is. 

You can expect normal wear and tear in the form of fraying and kinking. These problems are easy to spot where wires subject to changing loads bear on sheaves (e.g., where the main halyard, jib halyard, and topping lift enter and exit the mast). Hidden fatigue points (e.g., where the forestay control turns aft inside the bow compartment) are harder to find. Lines will chafe where they turn through small radii or are repeatedly recleated (e.g., halyard tails tend to fray at the loop where they attach to their halyards, and jib sheets will eventually wear at the cleats). 

Replacement is the usual solution to these problems, but initially you can cut lines a little longer than needed and just resplice or shorten them when the time comes, changing the areas where they chafe. 

Some potential problems won’t be apparent to the naked eye: lines can lose strength through ultraviolet degradation and wires are subject to stress buildup at nicopress points, for example. Replacement is the only way to prevent these types of failure. How often depends on frequency and severity of use, of course, and on whether you’re sailing in a hostile (e.g., salty or sunny) environment, but eight years may be a good maximum in any case. 

Unintended loads can cause accidental damage. There are two main types of failure: first, wires can snag (e.g., on trailer fenders) when you step or unstep the mast, or kink when you don’t tie them properly before trailering; second, you can pull too enthusiastically on components under load (e.g., the topping lift when the spinnaker pole is far off to one side) causing the wire to kink permanently. 

Wires also lose strength when you "ding" them, so be very careful not to drag them along the ground. 

There are really only two reasons to remove your keel. First, for maintenance that can’t be done with it in place, and second, for storage. Don’t do it if you don’t have to. 

But if you do, you’ll need a hoist and a place (e.g., the water) to put the boat down while you’re lifting the keel (e.g., into the trunk of your car). A wrench and a stepladder may come in handy. 

The top of the keel consists of two "ears" that bolt between the aluminum channel sections in the cockpit floor. The object of this exercise is to insert these ears far enough into the hull to push the keelbolts in place. Hence, the keel must sit high on the trailer, probably higher than normal. 

You should have three people on hand: (1) a "hoist operator" who won’t push the down button when you want to go up (don’t laugh!), (2) a "boat rocker" who’ll guide the hull, and (3) a "keel inserter," probably you. 

The first step is to take down the mast (lest you suddenly find out where the boat’s center of gravity is without the keel in place!). Then, with the keel fin up: 

the hoist operator lowers the hull to a position above, but not touching, the keel;  

the boat rocker rocks the bow down while the inserter guides the forward keel ear into the slot;  

the hoist operator again lowers the hull until it is just above the aft keel ear;  

the boat rocker eases the hull back to horizontal as directed by the keel inserter until the aft keel ear is also inserted into the slot;  

the hoist operator lowers the boat as directed by the keel inserter until, standing on the stepladder, he or she sees that the forward bolt is approximately aligned with its holes, when someone climbs inside the boat and inserts it;  

the hoist operator jogs the boat as directed by the person inside, or the keel inserter physically lifts the back of the keel bulb (caution: don’t strain yourself), until the rear bolt can be inserted;  

Tighten the nuts on the keel bolts and you’re done ... 

Now you’re ready to butter the keel in place with auto body putty to minimize drag and keep the popsicle sticks from falling out (see below) . 

What the rules require — As mentioned on 3, the class rules require the buoyancy compartments to be maintained in watertight condition. They do this by prohibiting piercing the hull "... except by ..." and list a few pages of exceptions "... which shall be sealed in a watertight manner when racing." 

Prevent leaks at screwholes with silicon sealant. Many people squeeze the silicon into the hole, but it just gets pushed through when they insert the screw. Mader, on the other hand, applies the sealant in a ring around each hole so it will be squeezed into place when the fitting is pressed down. When the silicon sets, they just carve any excess away with an exacto knife. 

Leaks can occur in places other than where fittings are fastened, however. Under the gunwale moldings (where the hull and deck join), around the mast bucket or foredeck cover (where the seal can separate when the deck flexes), and around the floor access ports, unless your gasket is new and the cover is fastened tightly. Once found, these leaks, too, can be fixed with silicon sealant. The problem is in finding them. 

Finding leaks requires a sponge, a vacuum cleaner that "exhales," and soapy water. Wedge the sponge against the vacuum cleaner hose where it passes thorough an access port. This will provide enough compression to induce airflow through the leak points. Then, spray the soapy water wherever a leak can occur, being careful not to get the electric cord wet, turn the vacuum cleaner on "exhale," and look for bubbles. It may take a little time and more soapy water, but you’ll eventually discover them. 

The fin will corrode if oxygen gets to it, and due to electrolysis between it and the lead bulb. Smooth sanding any rough areas will solve any short term problems. 

Preventive maintenance, however, means (1) removing all oxidation from the fin (e.g., by sandblasting) and then (2) immediately covering the surface to prevent future exposure. WEST epoxy (about the consistency of maple syrup) applied with a squeegee is one means of producing a durable surface. With this system, local repairs (e.g., divots out of the leading edge) are easier to make than when the fin is covered with fiberglass. 

A little white paint (e.g., spray enamel) will not only enhance overall appearance, but will also help you see when you’ve picked up any weeds during a race. You can mix white pigment with the epoxy to get color, but the coats are so thin that you may tire of applying them before the blade darkens very much, and end up painting the surface after all. 

The bulb can be fixed with auto body filler. Mix up small batches with catalyst and apply with a spatula. A wax paper cornucopia will help you shape the trailing tip of the keel—drive a screw into the bulb first if you need structural support. Do the rest by sight and touch. A sureform file can remove extra filler before the mix hardens fully—e.g., when the boat is hanging from the hoist and other boat owners are getting impatient—but a belt sander is the best rough finishing tool. 

The fin and the hull. Most old timers also "butter" the keel into its slot with auto body putty (some prefer silicon sealant). A finger may be the best tool, followed by a putty knife. (Note: The class rules state "Filling compound shall not ... form a radius or fillet between the fin and hull".) Protect the hull and fin with masking tape first unless you want a lot of exasperating work later. 

Winter storage requires special care when you leave the boat unattended and exposed to freezing temperatures. The best place, of course, is inside where it’s warm. 

Otherwise, you must take precautions to prevent structural damage due to wind, water, ice, sun, or improper stress and cosmetic damage due to chafing. Also, the boat’s protective covering can come loose, the halyards’ noise may tempt someone to fix them for you, or wind might roll the trailer or even tip it over. Here are some good practices: 

Open the bailers and hose down everything with fresh water: the hull, to prevent oxidation that will dull its appearance; the spars, metal fittings, and all moving parts, to wash away any corrosion-producing salt; and of course the sails, which should then be dried to prevent mildew. 

Chock the trailer so that the boat’s bow is up (the waterline is a good visual guide). This way, any water in the cockpit will flow aft and out through the open bailers. Otherwise, it will form a puddle in the cockpit and leak down inside the hull where it will expand if it freezes, possibly doing structural damage. 

Bail out any water in the forward and middle compartments, and then open all access ports for ventilation. If there’s a chance someone will move the boat and leave it with the bow down, however, replace the gaskets under the floor access ports and then tightly screw them down.

Finally, stretch your cover over the boom or a frame so that puddles won’t form in it and freeze, and then tighten it around the hull to prevent it from slapping in the wind and disfiguring the gelcoat. 

Trailers don’t need—or usually get—much maintenance except for their wheel bearings. These are especially important, of course, if the trailer has been immersed, although any water may boil away if you run the trailer for several miles. 

Two other problems have been known to occur. First, the hand brake or surge brake may not fully release if poorly lubricated, so if your trailer has brakes, check them at the beginning of each new season. 

Second, corrosion. You can restore an older trailer if it hasn’t deteriorated too much. Sandblasting and a new coat of paint may be all you’ll need. But there may also be hidden problems. You won’t see whether water gets inside structural steel tubing (such as the frame of some Harbeck trailers), for example. There are two ideas here: 

Drilling a hole at the lowest point should, at least, let any water drain out. 

Squirting used motor oil inside, ideally when the trailer is new, will coat the tubing and retard any corrosion.

There are many little practices that can enhance the appearance and reliability of a Tempest. Most people realize it is much better to take the time to mask the hull and deck when varnishing the rubrail, for example. But boatbuilders and careful owners do a few things that aren’t so obvious. 

One interesting practice is to turn all screwheads until their slots are aligned with one another. This precaution will give your boat a finished appearance, but more importantly, you can tell at a glance when any screw is beginning to back out, which it particularly reassuring when you’re checking the boat after a long highway trip. 

A similarly useful trick is to get in the habit of installing all shackles, lifting sling bolts, clevis pins, etc., in the same direction (e.g., starboard-to-port). Sooner or later, darkness will catch up with you while you’re rigging or unrigging your boat, and it will be comforting to know that you haven’t twisted anything by accident. 

When you’re purchasing your hardware, try to choose shackles with equal-sized pins, and keep a spare on board. Shackles with captive pins may be better, but be careful: they may not have as much internal clearance as the normal variety, and you can find yourself with a carefully nicopressed halyard or outhaul that doesn’t fit around your clew cringle or headboard. 

Screws with common thread pitches are also worthwhile. Don’t mix 10-24 screws with 10-32s, for example: they may be easy to tell apart but their nuts certainly are not, especially when you’re rushed or it’s getting dark. 

Finally, make yourself a small pouch that you can hang from the aft face of the bridge. If it’s big enough, you can use it not only to store control lines, but also spare fittings, your protest flag, and even your lunch.