The specification process for a chase boat is closer to ordering a sport boat than commissioning a tender. The hull is bought to do a specific job, and that job dictates every other choice. This page walks the spec sheet block by block, with the trade-offs that matter for owners, captains, and project managers.
For broader context start at the chase boats pillar and what is a chase boat. For the parallel guide on tenders see the tender specification guide.
Step one: define the operating profile
Before any number on the spec sheet, write down the operating profile. Three questions sort it.
- What are the daily missions? Day cruising, sport-fishing, dive support, charter overflow, expedition support. Be specific. "Day boat" is too vague to specify against.
- Where will it operate? Mediterranean summer cruise, Caribbean season, US East Coast year-round, Pacific Northwest, polar. Climate dictates hull and outfit.
- Will it be towed, carried, or run independently? This sets the constraint on size, draft, and the towing arrangement. See chase boat towing.
Every later choice flows from these three. Skip them and you end up specifying an averaged hull that does nothing well.
Hull and length
Pick the size band before anything else. Compact (9 to 11 m), mid (12 to 14 m), large (15 to 17 m), or flagship (18 to 21 m). The bands and what they each give you are covered at chase boat sizes.
Two hull form decisions follow.
- Deep-V versus stepped hull. Deep-V (22 to 24 degrees of deadrise) gives ride comfort in chop at the cost of top speed and fuel economy. Stepped hulls give 3 to 5 knots more for the same power but punish you in confused seas. For European charter work the deep-V usually wins. For Florida or Caribbean flat-water work the stepped hull is fine.
- Mono versus catamaran. Roughly 90 per cent of chase boats are monos. Catamaran chase boats exist (a few at Wally and Magnum) but the type is niche.
Construction is almost always GRP for the production and semi-custom tier and carbon composite or carbon-cored sandwich for the bespoke tier. Aluminium is rare and usually only specified for expedition hulls.
Driveline
Four options, three commonly chosen.
| Driveline | Speed | Range | Maintenance | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Twin/triple sterndrive | Excellent top end, good cruise | Good | Moderate | General-purpose chase work |
| Shaft drive (V12) | Best cruise efficiency, lower top end | Best | Low | Long-range, large hulls |
| Surface drive (Arneson, France Helices) | Highest top end | Moderate | High | Performance hulls 15 m plus |
| Outboard quad/quint (Mercury V12, Yamaha XTO) | Good top end | Moderate | Easy | Production hulls under 14 m |
The current trend in the bespoke tier is toward triple-V12 sterndrive packages (MAN, MTU, or Volvo Penta D13) for hulls 12 to 16 metres. Top speeds of 50 to 55 knots, cruise of 32 to 35 knots, range above 400 nm. The outboard quad path is gaining ground in the production tier as the Mercury V12 600 has matured.
Range and tankage
Brochure range is the optimistic number. Working range is what you actually get with passengers, gear, and a 30 per cent landfall reserve. Specify against working range, not brochure. The full breakdown is at chase boat range.
Push the builder for litres of usable fuel after baffles and pickup geometry, not stated tank volume. The two numbers can differ by 8 to 12 per cent.
Deck plan
Three zones to specify, each with use-case-driven detail.
Bow
Sun pad, anchor locker, sometimes a small forward seating well. On sport-fishing hulls the bow is kept clean. On family day boats it carries a generous sun pad with shade option.
Cockpit
The work zone. Sport-fishing wants a large clear cockpit with transom door, fighting chair, live wells, and rod holders. See sport-fishing chase boats. Day-boat use wants U-shaped seating, a cockpit table, and a wet bar. Charter overflow wants both.
Stern
Swim platform, dive door if applicable, tender hoist if it carries a small jet RIB. Hydraulic swim platforms add 80,000 to 150,000 euros but are standard above 14 metres.
Interior
Below 12 metres, the interior is essentially a day-head and a small galley. Above 14 metres, you can fit one cabin. Above 18 metres, two cabins. Above 20 metres you start to get a small flybridge or upper helm.
Interior specifications that move the price meaningfully:
- Air conditioning: 30 to 60 thousand euros depending on size
- Generator: 25 to 50 thousand euros, mandatory if AC is fitted
- Inverter and lithium battery bank for silent overnight: 40 to 80 thousand euros
- Galley with two-burner induction, fridge, and freezer: 15 to 25 thousand euros
- Marine head with macerator and holding tank: 8 to 15 thousand euros
Helm and electronics
Single helm or twin (lower and upper). Electronics packages from Garmin, Furuno, or Raymarine. Specify minimum:
- Two MFDs (one at each helm)
- Open-array radar (closed-array if budget tight)
- AIS Class B (Class A on hulls above 12 m)
- VHF with DSC at each helm
- Joystick docking on hulls above 12 m
- Stabilisation: gyro (Seakeeper 3 or 5) on hulls above 14 m for charter use
Autopilot is standard. Bow and stern thrusters are standard above 12 metres.
Classification
Independent classification is normal for chase boats. Three common paths.
- MCA Workboat Code (or equivalent flag-state code) for hulls 12 to 24 m carrying up to 12 passengers. See /glossary/mca/.
- RCD Category B or C for private use under 24 metres. See /glossary/rcd/.
- Commercial coding for charter use above 12 passengers, which usually pushes you into LY3 or equivalent. See /glossary/ly3/ and tender classification rules.
Get the classification path settled before deck plan and capacity are signed off. Switching mid-build is expensive.
Towing arrangement
If the boat will be towed behind the mothership, specify the bridle attachment points, towing eyes, and break-link arrangement at hull design. Retrofitting is awkward. Coverage at chase boat towing.
Cost benchmarks
Spec choices map to cost bands roughly as follows.
- Production 12 m chase boat: 600,000 to 1.2 million euros
- Semi-custom 12 to 14 m: 1.2 to 2.5 million
- Bespoke 14 to 16 m: 2.5 to 4.5 million
- Flagship 18 to 21 m: 5 to 7 million
Full cost analysis at chase boat cost.
Sequencing the spec process
We recommend this order.
- Operating profile (mission, geography, towing question)
- Size band and hull form
- Driveline and range
- Classification path
- Deck plan
- Interior fit and electronics
- Towing and stowage arrangement
- Crew structure (chase boat crew)
- Build slot and yard (chase boat builders)
- Contract and milestones
Each step constrains the next. Done in this order, the spec converges. Done out of order, it loops.
For an active sourcing search across current new and used inventory, see tenders for sale and the chase-boat filter.