Boat tenders are small vessels that typically accompany a superyacht and are meant to usher guests to shore and back and can also be used for activities on the water. Search below for tenders for sale by length, price, year, and more.
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Boat tenders are small boats that accompany a superyacht or mega yacht and are meant to usher guests to shore and back. They are also used as recreational boats for water sports, fishing, diving, and other activities on the water. Tender boats can be runabouts, rigid inflatable boats, sportfishing boats, center consoles, and more. This type of boat may be powered by oars, inboard outboard motors or one or the other.
Most yacht tenders will be stored in a tender garage on board, up on the top deck, or very occasionally, cruise alongside the main yacht.
The size of a boat’s tender will depend on the size of the luxury yacht they are being used alongside. On average, most yacht tenders will be around 9ft to around 50ft. The number of people who can be on a tender for larger boats depends on the size of the vessel. Depending on the size, a tender for a larger boats can usually accommodate two to 12 passengers, however, it’s important to check the yachting rules for the region you are in as there are many safety caps on passengers on board.
Luxury yachts will almost always require a high quality yacht tender so they can navigate shallow water, or quickly and easily head into shore without having to move their larger luxury yacht. When cruising on larger boats and day cruising is something you’d like to do, a jet tender with a high quality inboard outboard motor will be able to zip across the water and take you where you need to go so reviewing the propulsion system that comes with you tender is very important.
When looking at small boat tenders for your yacht, they will usually come in a few different boat styles. These include rigid construction and inflatables. Of course, if you are looking at tenders for large superyachts, you will be looking at small boats versus an inflatable tender. In fact, some tenders on superyachts 150ft and up can be 40ft (that’s the size of a large boat!). When looking at small boats for tenders, they’ll come in similar construction to other boats and yachts – composite, fiberglass and aluminum.
When shopping for small boat tenders for sale, you’ll want to consider a few things:
Yacht tenders come in a variety of types; we’ll explore some below:
More and more tenders for larger boats are emerging, with some of the top brands below:
When looking for a high quality boat tender, you’ll want to ask yourself a few key questions:
While even smaller sailboats will usually carry small inflatable dinghies (due to their long keels), super yachts will usually require a tender once they hit 70ft and above. You will usually have crew members who can help transport guests back and forth or use the tender to head into different ports for provisioning.
Again, the size of tender you need will depend on the size of your main yacht, the number of people you want to take on board, and a few other factors. If you want to do a lot of water sports with the tender, you’ll need a larger propulsion system, so you need to look at inboard outboard motors. Is the tender mostly for cruising in shallow waters and exploring islands off the beaten track?
With so many popular tender brands on the market to choose from, you’ll have plenty of options from Boston Whaler and Chris-Craft to Wally Yachts and Williams Jet Tenders. Working with a reputable broker, even for your tender, is a smart decision since as your luxury yacht increases in size, a lot of tenders will end up being the size of a large boat themselves.