What You Need to Know About Tenders
By Jason Y. Wood
5 Tender Considerations
❶ Size and Weight ➤
❷ Lifting and Towing ➤
❸ Built for Fun ➤
❹ Fuel for Thought ➤
❺ The Right Look
Of course, choosing a tender is not only about performance and carrying loads. It helps if you like the boat. There’s also the wow factor, and a certain cachet comes with matching the tender to the yacht, as larger yachts often do. Rendova offers custom color and interior options that let the small boat reflect the yacht’s design palette. And Williams has a web-based service called “Build My Tender” that lets you play around with the boat’s color scheme and see a rendering of what various combinations will look like.
Of course, those once-utilitarian RIBs have been great beneficiaries in the area of hull design and now their appointments are catching up with the performance. The Hunt-designed HBI 30 from HBI Boats is a handsome RIB equipped with twin 225-hp Yamaha outboards. A diesel-powered jet-drive model is in the works.
A tender’s appearance may be key. “Our boats are designed for total function,” says Pure Yachting’s Russell. “It’s futuristic, but it’s also a minimalist look—clean and simple. The boat isn’t loaded up with a lot of stuff you don’t need. If form follows function, you have a hit. It’s being accepted quite well.”
Boat owners who look carefully at their tender needs and prioritize a list can get all they want in terms of carrying capacity, efficiency, performance, and looks. A small boat that fulfills your checklist will keep the crew happy, whether they’re coming or going.
