Definition
Launch and recovery is the process, and the equipment supporting it, by which a tender or chase boat is put into the water from its parent yacht and then lifted safely back aboard. It is the single operation that most often determines which tenders a yacht can actually carry and use, because a boat that cannot be handled safely in a seaway is of little practical value.
Background and use
The method depends on where and how the craft is stowed. A davit lifts a tender over the side or off the foredeck on a crane arm and lowers it to the water on falls or a single hook. A passerelle garage or side-opening garage uses a slipway, a cradle, or an air system to slide the tender out onto the swim platform or directly into the sea, then draws it back in. Larger tenders may launch from a flooding dock at the stern, where the platform submerges and the boat floats off. Each approach trades speed, sea-state tolerance, and crew workload against the space it consumes in the hull.
Sea state is the governing factor. A method that works flawlessly at anchor in flat water can become hazardous in a one to two metre swell, when a swinging tender on davit falls can damage the yacht or injure crew. This is why recovery is usually the harder half of the operation: the craft must be brought alongside, hooked on or guided into its cradle, and lifted clear before the next wave, all under control. SOLAS and the LSA Code set recovery-time expectations for rescue boats precisely because a slow recovery in a seaway is a safety problem, not a convenience one.
For buyers, launch and recovery should be specified alongside the tender itself rather than as an afterthought. The weight of the loaded craft sets the davit or lift capacity; the stowed dimensions set the garage opening; and the intended operating sea state sets how robust the system must be. Getting these right at design stage avoids the common outcome of a capable tender that the crew dread deploying.
Related considerations
- Specify the lift system against the fully loaded weight of the tender, not its dry weight.
- Recovery in a seaway is harder than launch; design the system for the worst sea state you intend to operate in.
- Garage openings, slipways, and cradles must match the tender's stowed dimensions with working clearance.
- Single-point and four-point lift arrangements suit different hull types; confirm the lift points with the builder.
- Crew workload and safety during the operation are real selection criteria, not just deck-space efficiency.