The two terms get used loosely. They describe different roles, different sizes, and different operating patterns. This page draws the line, with a side-by-side comparison to make the call easy when you are framing a brief.
The short version
A tender lives on the mothership, launches from the garage or davits, and carries guests, crew, supplies, or rescue duty over short distances. Typical size: 4m to 16m. Operates within minutes of the mothership.
A chase boat is a separate-hulled small craft that follows the mothership on its own keel. It carries toys, extends range, dispatches guests at higher speeds than the mothership can, or supports operations that the tender cannot. Typical size: 8m to 20m. Operates independently for hours or days at a time.
A boat can be both: a 12m hull can serve as the daily limousine tender and double as a chase platform on dispatch runs. The role definition shapes the spec, not the boat itself.
Side-by-side
| Dimension | Tender | Chase boat |
|---|---|---|
| Typical size | 4m to 16m | 8m to 20m |
| Stowage | On mothership (garage / davit) | On its own keel |
| Range | 30 to 100 nm | 150 to 400 nm |
| Top speed | 30 to 50 knots | 40 to 70 knots |
| Crew | Captain on call | One to two dedicated crew |
| Primary role | Guest transfer, rescue, water-toys | Toy capacity, dispatch, range extension |
| Typical opex | Negligible vs mothership | Meaningful but contained |
| Capital range | EUR 100k to EUR 4m | EUR 0.5m to EUR 3m+ |
When the brief is "tender"
If the boat will spend most of its life launched and recovered from the mothership, used for guest transfers and short-hop runs, and operated by the mothership's crew, you are in tender territory. Pick from limousine, open, RIB, SOLAS, jet, or beachlander categories.
When the brief is "chase"
If the boat will follow the mothership on its own bottom, run for hours independently, carry toys or guests at higher speeds than the mothership, or sleep its own crew, you are in chase territory. The chase-boat pillar covers the category in depth.
When it is "both"
The dual-role hull is most common in the 11m to 14m band. A Wajer 38 or Vanquish VQ40 can sit on davits as the daily tender and run independently as a chase platform on dispatch days. The trade-off: pure-tender platforms have better mothership integration; pure-chase platforms have better range and offshore behaviour. A dual-role boat is a compromise on both axes.
How the conversation usually goes
For yachts up to 50m, most owners need one good tender, sized to the garage. Chase comes later, often on the next yacht.
For yachts 50m to 80m, most owners run two tenders (limousine plus working RIB) and then a separate chase boat once the cruising programme stretches the mothership's speed envelope.
For yachts above 80m, the question is rarely either-or. Owners run a tender fleet (limousine, RIB, beachlander, SOLAS) and a chase boat alongside.