Tender Buying Process

Buying a superyacht tender is closer to a build project than a boat purchase. A custom build runs 18 to 30 months from brief to a tender on the mothership, staged across eight steps.

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How a tender purchase actually runs

To buy a superyacht tender is closer to running a build project than making a boat purchase. Even on a stock unit, you are specifying garage geometry, lifting points, electronics integration with the mothership, and a delivery window that has to align with the yacht's seasonal programme. The process below reflects how most credible captains and project managers handle it. Skip steps and you usually find out about the gap on hand-over day.

Step 1: Define the brief

Before any builder conversation, write down:

  • Mothership LOA, beam, and tender garage dimensions (length, width, headroom, door aperture)
  • Crane SWL or davit capacity in kg
  • Guest count to be carried, including crew jump seats
  • Operating area (Mediterranean coastal, Caribbean, Bahamas shallow water, transatlantic)
  • Required certification regime (CE, MCA, SOLAS rescue duty if applicable; see tender classification rules)
  • Use mix: limo transfers, sport, water-sports, beach landings, provisioning
  • Fuel type the mothership bunkers (almost always diesel for yachts above 40m)

This brief is the document every quote gets measured against. Without it you will compare incomparable boats. The structured version of this exercise is the tender specification guide.

Step 2: Long-list the right category

Match the brief to a tender type. The pillar how to choose a superyacht tender walks the decision tree, but in summary:

Keep the long list to four or five candidate models, not fifteen. Time spent comparing the wrong category is time wasted.

Step 3: New, semi-custom, or used

Three procurement routes, each with different timelines:

  • New custom build: 14-24 months from order to delivery for a tier-one yard. Full design freedom, full price exposure
  • Semi-custom: 8-14 months. Yard's standard hull and deck moulds, customer-specified layout, finishes, electronics
  • Used or pre-owned: immediate to 3 months. Survey-led, opportunistic. Quality range is wide

Yacht delivery dates often force the route. If the mothership launches in May and you only signed in February, used or off-the-shelf semi-custom is the only path.

Step 4: Builder shortlist and yard visits

For new builds, narrow to two or three yards and visit each. What to look at:

  • Layup hall: vacuum-infusion is now standard on tier-one builds; hand-layup is a flag at this price point
  • Builds in progress that match your spec
  • Recent reference owners willing to take a phone call
  • Service network coverage for the regions you cruise
  • Financial health: deposits sit in builder accounts for 12 months-plus

The independent builder directory lists every yard we routinely brief and source from. We sit on the buyer's side of the table, not the builder's.

Step 5: Quote, contract, and deposit structure

A serious tender contract includes:

  • Detailed technical specification (40-100 pages)
  • Build schedule with milestone payments (typical: 20% on order, 20% at hull moulding, 20% at deck join, 20% at sea trial, 20% on delivery)
  • Performance guarantees (top speed, cruise speed, fuel burn at cruise) with tolerance bands
  • Weight guarantee (typically plus or minus 3-5%)
  • Penalty clauses for late delivery
  • Warranty: 24 months hull and structural is industry standard, 12 months on machinery, OEM passthrough on driveline
  • Buyer-appointed surveyor access through the build

The buyer-side broker's job here is to push back on builder-favourable boilerplate and secure realistic remedies. Run the contract past a maritime lawyer if the build is over EUR 1m.

Step 6: Build supervision

Once the contract is signed, someone has to attend the yard at each milestone:

  • Hull moulding inspection
  • Engine and driveline installation
  • Electrical and systems pre-launch
  • Sea trial (this is where weight and speed guarantees get verified)
  • Pre-delivery inspection

For programmes without a build manager on staff, an independent project manager attends on the owner's behalf. Travel costs and fees typically run EUR 30,000-80,000 over the build for a medium-scope tender.

Step 7: Survey, sea trial, and acceptance

The sea trial is the gate. Verify:

  • Top speed at full load with stated fuel and water
  • Cruise speed and fuel burn against the contractual figure
  • Noise levels at cruise (typical 75-82 dB(A) at the helm)
  • Steering, trim, and tab response
  • Crane and lift-point engineering with the actual mothership rigging
  • All electronics integrated and commissioned

If the boat misses a guarantee, do not accept. Document the deficiency, set a remedy timeline, and hold delivery payment until corrected. This is where weak buyer-side process loses owners money.

Step 8: Delivery and integration

The final mile:

  • Transport the tender to the mothership location, by road, container, or its own bottom for short distances
  • Crane test on the mothership with the actual lifting gear
  • Garage fit verification (this should have been done on paper at brief stage, but real-world fit always reveals tolerances)
  • Crew familiarisation training, ideally with a yard technician aboard
  • Spares package handover and parts inventory upload to the mothership PMS
  • Class certificates and CE plate filed with the yacht's documentation

Costs across the process

Beyond the boat itself (cost of a superyacht tender covers build cost ranges by category):

  • Buyer-side broker fee: typically 4-7% of build value, sometimes capped on larger builds
  • Project management: EUR 30,000-80,000 over a 12-month build
  • Survey: EUR 3,000-8,000 for a single sea-trial survey, more for full pre-purchase on used
  • Transport: EUR 8,000-30,000 by road within Europe, more for transatlantic shipping (see storage and transport)
  • VAT and import duty: jurisdiction-dependent, can add 20%-plus to landed cost
  • Finance or lease structuring fees if not paying cash

Timeline reality check

For a custom build:

  • Brief and long-list: 4-8 weeks
  • Yard selection and quote process: 6-10 weeks
  • Contract negotiation: 3-6 weeks
  • Build: 14-24 months
  • Acceptance and delivery: 2-4 weeks

Total: 18-30 months from kick-off to a tender on the mothership. For semi-custom, halve the build duration. For used, the timeline collapses to weeks but the search and survey effort intensifies.

Where we sit

We act as buyer-side broker and consultant. We brief, we long-list, we negotiate, we attend the build, and we hold the line at sea trial. We do not have a builder allegiance; transaction fees are disclosed upfront, including our 10% closing fee where we handle the purchase.

For a fleet decision underway now, send the brief and we will return a long-list and a route forward within five working days.

How long does it take from first brief to a tender on the mothership?
Eighteen to thirty months for a custom build. That breaks down as four to eight weeks on the brief and long-list, six to ten weeks on yard selection and the quote process, three to six weeks of contract negotiation, 14 to 24 months of build, and two to four weeks for acceptance and delivery. Semi-custom halves the build duration, at eight to fourteen months. Used or pre-owned collapses the timeline to immediate delivery or up to three months, though the search and survey effort intensifies. Yacht delivery dates often dictate the route rather than preference.
What should be in a tender build contract before I pay a deposit?
A detailed technical specification of 40 to 100 pages, a build schedule with milestone payments, performance and weight guarantees, penalty clauses and warranty terms. Typical milestone structure is 20% on order, 20% at hull moulding, 20% at deck join, 20% at sea trial and 20% on delivery. Performance guarantees should cover top speed, cruise speed and fuel burn at cruise with tolerance bands; the weight guarantee is typically plus or minus 3 to 5%. Warranty is normally 24 months hull and structural, 12 months machinery, with OEM passthrough on the driveline. Run it past a maritime lawyer above EUR 1m.
What does the process cost beyond the price of the boat itself?
Budget for broker fee, project management, survey, transport, tax and any finance structuring. Buyer-side broker fees typically run 4 to 7% of build value, sometimes capped on larger builds. Independent project management over a 12-month build runs EUR 30,000 to 80,000 including travel. A single sea-trial survey is EUR 3,000 to 8,000, more for a full pre-purchase inspection on a used boat. Road transport within Europe is EUR 8,000 to 30,000, more for transatlantic shipping. VAT and import duty are jurisdiction-dependent and can add 20%-plus to landed cost.
What happens if the tender misses its contractual speed or weight at sea trial?
Do not accept the boat. The sea trial is the gate at which weight and speed guarantees get verified: top speed at full load with stated fuel and water, cruise speed and fuel burn against the contractual figure, noise at the helm (typically 75 to 82 dB(A)), steering, trim and tab response, crane and lift-point engineering with the actual mothership rigging, and all electronics commissioned. If a guarantee is missed, document the deficiency, set a remedy timeline and hold the delivery payment until it is corrected. Weak buyer-side process at this point costs owners money.
What do I need to pin down before I approach any builder?
Write the brief first. That means mothership LOA, beam and garage dimensions including length, width, headroom and door aperture; crane SWL or davit capacity in kilograms; guest count including crew jump seats; operating area, whether Mediterranean coastal, Caribbean, Bahamas shallow water or transatlantic; the required certification regime; the use mix across limo transfers, sport, water-sports, beach landings and provisioning; and the fuel the mothership bunkers, almost always diesel above 40m. Every quote gets measured against this document. Without it you are comparing incomparable boats.

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