Tenders | Superyacht Tenders

A tender is any small craft carried by, or operated from, the mothership, the boat that moves people, kit and provisions between yacht and shore. On a private yacht the term covers everything launched from the garage or stowed on deck; on a commercially registered yacht, flag and class rules apply specific carriage and rescue obligations to the boats on the safety equipment certificate.

Headline budget bands before options, transport and refit allowance: 5 to 7m basic RIB or jet tender 60,000 to 250,000 EUR; 7 to 9m semi-custom open or RIB 250,000 to 700,000 EUR; 9 to 11m semi-custom limo or sport 700,000 to 1,800,000 EUR; 11 to 14m custom limo or chase-tender 1,800,000 to 4,500,000 EUR; over 14m full custom 4,500,000 EUR and up.

Most yachts carry two or three, not one. A common pattern is a covered limo or limo-tender for guest transfer, a sport tender or RIB for watersports, and a crew or working tender on davits or aft deck. The mix depends on programme, garage geometry, and what the captain will actually use.

A tender is launched from the mothership and lives in the garage. A chase boat is its own platform, runs under its own crew, and follows the yacht under power. The crossover sits around 11 to 14 metres, where some boats can do both jobs.

A semi-custom 9m limousine on a new yacht is typically a 30 to 36 month build cycle. Full custom programmes run 18 to 36 months for the boat itself, often longer when garage integration drives the timeline.