Top 10 Tenders

WHETHER YOU DO YOUR BOATING ON A BIG-TIME SPORTFISHERMAN OR A POCKET CRUISER, BOATERS TYPICALLY HAVE TWO THINGS IN COMMON, A LOVE OF THE WATER AND USE FOR A SOLID, RELIABLE TENDER. WE SCOURED THE BOAT SHOWS ACROSS THE COUNTRY IN SEARCH OF THE BEST NEW TEN

Tenders come in all shapes and sizes. Finding the right one to fit your needs—as well as your boat’s—is no small task. Thanks to this guide, it needn’t be. By Chris Caswell

The challenge when assessing yacht tenders isn’t always just what the tenders have to offer, it’s the yachts themselves. Yachts come in all sizes and shapes, and that is what usually determines your tender of choice.

Sportfishermen can carry large tenders on their long foredecks, many Euro-style yachts have garages to tuck away mini-tenders, some yachts put them on hydraulic swim platforms while others hoist the tender to the upper deck, and more than a few yachts choose to tow larger tenders.

Even the planned use of the tender can dictate a size and style, with some serving simply as waterborne taxis to carry guests to and from shore, while others are pressed into service for waterskiing, towing tubes, fishing, or diving.

What we’ve assembled here is a new and interesting mélange of tenders: big ones, small ones, and lots of in-betweens. All of these designs have features you should take into consideration when choosing your next tender. We have one that can cruise on land, jet-powered tenders with the safety benefit of not having propellers, compact tenders to fit into yacht garages, and we even have a towable center console.

When choosing your tender, you’ll need to balance your needs against the size tender you can comfortably manage aboard your yacht. You won’t regret buying the largest tender that fits your budget and your yacht. Then it comes down to the details of choosing the engine size, the various options, and don’t forget that many tenders can match the color of your yacht. It’s a new world of tenders.