A yacht tender is the small boat that does the actual work of a yacht programme. The mothership anchors off or takes a berth too big for the quay, and the tender moves the owner, guests, crew, provisions and toys between the yacht and the shore. On a superyacht or mega yacht the word covers a whole small fleet, from the 4 metre crew RIB that runs the laundry to a 12 metre limousine tender that lands guests in a dry cabin.
Why it is called a tender
The name comes from the verb to tend. A tender attends to a larger vessel and carries to it what it cannot fetch for itself. The usage predates yachting: steam locomotives pulled a coal tender, and ocean liners calling at ports too shallow for the ship sent passengers ashore in a tender. Yachts inherited the word for the boat that serves the mothership, and "tender to" a named yacht is still how the relationship is written on the boat's transom and its paperwork.
The other names people use
The same boat gets called different things depending on its size and job:
- Dinghy or inflatable for the smallest boats, usually under 4 metres and stowed deflated or on a davit.
- RIB (rigid inflatable boat) for the workhorse of the fleet, a rigid hull with inflatable tubes. See RIB tenders.
- Guest tender, open tender or limousine tender for the boat that carries the owner and guests. Open tenders have no cabin; limousines are enclosed.
- Launch in older or naval usage, still common for classic motor yachts.
- Crew tender or working tender for provisioning, fuel and crew rotation. See crew tenders.
- Rescue boat or SOLAS tender on commercially coded yachts above 500 GT, where flag and class require a coded rescue craft. See SOLAS tenders.
- Chase boat for the fast, independent day boat that follows the yacht on its own keel rather than stowing aboard. It is a separate category with its own crew and classification: tender vs chase boat sets out the difference.
What a superyacht tender does
On a typical charter week the guest tender runs beach drops, restaurant transfers, marina pickups and sightseeing along the coast. The crew tender runs provisions, laundry, fuel and airport pickups, often 400 to 800 hours a season. The rescue boat sits ready and is drilled monthly. On yachts above 60 metres a chase boat adds a 35 knot platform for sport fishing, diving and island hopping that the mothership itself cannot provide.
How big a tender is
Garage geometry, not preference, sets the ceiling. A 50 metre yacht rarely stows more than an 8 metre boat; a 70 metre yacht carries around 10 metres; only yachts above 90 metres carry 12 metre tenders inside the hull. The tender garage sizing guide works the numbers backwards from the garage door and the superyacht tender sizes page maps mothership length to tender length.
How tenders are chosen
Most programmes settle on two or three boats: a guest tender sized to the garage, a crew RIB, and where the yacht is commercially coded, a SOLAS rescue tender that may double as the crew boat. The decision comes down to garage fit, the guest experience the owner wants, the propulsion the crew can maintain, and budget. How much a superyacht tender costs sets out the price bands; the best superyacht tenders guide gives the shortlist by category; and the superyacht tenders overview covers every type with the builders and models currently for sale.