“One born to sail will never fly”…
This phrase definitely does not refer to tenders, as some of them can sail, fly, dive, get energy from the sun and just bring pleasure with their look and performance. Below is a selection of tenders that we find most interesting in terms of design and capabilities.
1. Foiler Vatoz: tender on the wing
Hydrofoils are far from being a new invention, as experiments with them started at the end of the 19th century. But it is now that one can speak of their renaissance, particularly in the yachting world, and not commercial or passenger shipbuilding. The “fashion” started in 2013 at the America’s Cup, with foiling catamarans, and later monohulls, which opened the ear of high speed in the history of the world’s oldest sailing race.
As one of the foiling boats’ key advantages is that waves are a lot less of a factor for them, the new trend was quickly picked up by motor boat manufacturers. One of the best-known among them is Enata Group, manufacturing foiling boats under the Foiler brand in the UAE.
The Vatoz is their newest model on the basis of a 10-metre carbon hull developed in collaboration with designer Timur Bozca. The Vatoz is meant for eight passengers and is capable of rising 1.5 metres above the water and “flying” at a speed of 40 knots with twin diesel engines of 370 hp each. The boat takes off at a speed of 18 knots, and its “flying” range is 190 nautical miles at a speed of 20 knots, and about 150 nautical miles at a speed of 30 knots. But if you don’t feel like flying, you just sail at a speed of up to 28 knots. In “Archimedes” mode, the draft is just 0.7 m (while it is 1.9 m in a foiling mode), which is convenient for navigating sailing waters.
2. Silent Speed 28: solar-electric tender
Silent-Yachts shipyard with a production facility in Fano (Italy), an expert in manufacturing electric cruising catamarans, has launched a range of tenders to match: electric, recharged with the DC wallbox or solar batteries. Although the first models were not so fast, reaching a maximum speed of 20 knots and a range of 40 nautical miles at 6 knots, the Silent Speed 28 is the first in the new line of high-performance boats.
The Silent Speed 28’s top speed is up to 60 knots, but the optimal mode is 25-30 knots with a range of 70 nautical miles (battery capacity of about 100 kWh. Like all Silent boats, there are solar panels on the hard top with embedded 704 Wp solar cells. The boat can also exchange energy with other boats and electric cars.
With a length of 8.6 m, the Silent Speed 28 can operate both as a superyacht tender and as an autonomous boat. The model is positioned as foiling, but her foils are not meant for flying, but for optimising performance and comfort under way: they increase the lifting power, reduce drag, regulate pitching and rolling – with the help of an AI box.
3. Bluegame BGH-HSV: hydrogen-powered motor boat
This is more of a support vessel than a tender, but with a length of 10.8 m it can easily be carried on board a superyacht. Moreover, there is not a smaller hydrogen-powered boat yet anyway. The Bluegame BGH-HSV was designed as a chase boat for the NYYC American Magic for the 37th America’s Cup.
The all-carbon catamaran-type hull with a beam of 4.2 m weighs only 5500 kg and features hydrofoils, which allow the Bluegame BGH-HSV to rise over the water at a speed of about 24 knots, while the top speed is 50 knots. The foils also function as keels and a place for fixing propellers. The energy for the electric motors is generated by EODEV fuel cells, while excessive electricity can be accumulated in the battery pack. It is obvious that this kind of boat is unlikely to become a production model soon, but the approach is really impressive.
4. Iguana Commuter: amphibious tender
Expedition superyachts normally carry lots of various equipment, as the main goal and entertainment is exploring new and hard-to-reach places both on land and water. For this reason, a tender capable of sailing and moving on land is a win-win, “two-in-one” option.
The Commuter is the most advanced model in the range of French amphibious Iguana Yachts. They are positioned as tenders for superyachts thanks to the elegant design and a high level of customisation, allowing one to tailor this boat to any requests. The standard length is 30 ft (9 m).
On the water these boats can reach a speed of over 50 knots, while the switch to the land drive takes just 8 seconds. The tracks that come out of the hull can climb up to 40% inclines on any terrain.
5. Linx 30: landing catamaran tender
This tender is the result of collaboration between Spanish BYD and BMComposites company. Initially, the two-hull tender was developed for the owner of a 63-metre superyacht, but the designers saw its potential and launched the Linx brand.
The Linx 30 is a planing catamaran with a length of 9.5 m and a beam of 3.1 m, capable of reaching a speed of up to 40 knots and covering up to 180 miles at a speed of 24-25 knots. It offers lots of customisation options, allowing one to tailor the model to any needs, as well as engine options, including inboard jet propulsion and outboards. But its key feature is the beach landing system, facilitating easy access to shorelines and coastal destinations even for the guest that are not in good shape. At anchor, it can only also be used as a swim platform.
Moreover, the Linx 30’s windshield and hard top can “shrink” in height and allow the tender to enter the yacht’s garage.
6. Wooden Boats Limo Blue: like a movie
For those keen on the romantic style of 1950-60s, Italian Wooden Boats’ founder Marco Arnaboldi offered a limo tender inspired by Federico Fellini's “Dolce Vita”. The 8.3-metre Limo Blue model stands out for a vintage style design with rounded lines, reminiscent of the minicars of that time. All the rest of it is quite modern: there is a premium audio system, USB sockets and LED lighting. The Limo Blue is meant for 12 guests and a crew of two. It can reach a speed of 35 knots and can get lower to enter the garage on board a superyacht.
7. Yachtwerft Meyer Signature: mature luxury
The Signature is a concept by German Yachtwerft Meyer for premium custom superyacht tenders. The client is involved in every stage of their design and construction, so that in the end they receive a tender perfect for the style and specifications of a particular superyacht.
The basis for creativity is the pre-engineered hulls that range from 8.2 to 11.6 metres in length. There is a futuristic superstructure with a glass top that opens up completely at the touch of a button. Inside, there is everything you can think of in terms of design and equipment and the finishing materials used for top-class automobiles. The custom tenders Yachtwerft Meyer can be found on board such famous superyachts as A, Alfa Nero, Eclipse, Romea, Vibrant Curiosity and many others.
The shipyard also offers a semi-custom range named Impetus of 9 to 12 m in length, which allows one to get an individualised luxury tender with a shorter delivery time.
8. Platipus Craft Swordfish: on and under the water
This is not a production tender yet, and there is currently just one existing as a prototype, but we just couldn’t help mentioning it. The concept of a semi-submersible Swordfish tender was unveiled back in 2020 by French Platipus Craft company, and the prototype that was built a little later is already used as part of the Blue Odyssey Initiative for eco-tourism and mapping the bottom of the sea in the south of France, Corsica and Noumea.
The futuristic 7-metre trimaran has a cockpit looking like a basket that can go down under the water, allowing the passengers to admire the marine life, leaving two out of three hulls above the water out of three. The submersible basket features underwater communication modules and a breathing system powered from the surface, so the passengers don’t have to be certified divers.
The trimaran can be equipped with electric propulsion (with a total power of 40 to 240 hp) and batteries (from 40 to 126 kW), which allows it to reach a top speed up to 20 knots, or 3-5 knots with the basket under the water. Depending on the options, the range may vary from 20 to 80 nautical miles.
9. Falcon Tenders: superyacht limo
British Falcon Tenders does not offer any readymade models, but makes custom tenders for the world’s most impressive yachts. There are enclosed limo tenders for the owner and the guests, as well as open speedboats necessary for the crew and for trips to some exciting spots. But once they did offer a readymade concept created in collaboration with Italian designer Anna Borla for megayachts of 100+ m.
This amazing boat with a glazed saloon features a low profile, small round windows and vertical bow lights. At the top of the superstructure, there is a strip of glass that ensures natural lighting for the saloon, featuring luxurious leather and teak finishes.
10. Compass Tenders Latitude: all the cardinal directions
The Latitude is a range of semi-custom tenders by British Compass Tenders. It embodies the best features of numerous custom tenders created by the company and offering a reduced build time. The level of customisation is really high: there are four coachroof styles to choose from for this “platform” named North, South, East and West.
The phrase “a car is not a luxury but a means of transportation” was coined almost 100 years ago. As we can see, it’s quite the opposite with tenders: they are not just means of transportation between a yacht and the shore, but a luxury, too. As well as an opportunity to do absolutely different things, because a tender can be used not only as an extra to a yacht, but as an independent boat, too.
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