Ordering guide
How to Order a Bespoke Yacht Tender
Every decision in a custom tender order, in the sequence a shipyard actually needs them — and the ones that are genuinely irreversible.
27 July 2026 · 5 min read
Introduction
A bespoke tender order is not a configurator exercise. It is a sequence of decisions, some of which constrain the others, and taking them in the wrong order is how owners end up compromising on the thing they cared most about.
This is the sequence as a shipyard actually needs it, with a note at each stage about what is still reversible and what is not.
01 — 01 — Survey the mother yacht
01 — Survey the mother yacht
Before any preference is expressed, the constraints are established: garage aperture, davit or crane safe working load at full extension, swim-platform dimensions and behaviour, chock and cradle arrangement, and how the launch and recovery sequence works in practice with your crew.
This is the stage that most orders skimp on and the one that causes the most expensive corrections. Everything downstream is filtered by it.
02 — 02 — Agree the brief
02 — Agree the brief
What is the boat for? Guest transfer in a swell is a different boat from tow sports off a beach, and a boat that must do both is a deliberate compromise rather than an accident.
Be specific about the worst case rather than the typical one. Tenders are judged on the day it is choppy and there are eight people to bring ashore, not on the calm afternoon.
- Primary use
- Ship to shore, watersports, or a light davit-limited utility boat. This selects the range.
- Crew and guest numbers
- The realistic maximum, including crew. Seating capacity and freeboard follow from it.
- Propulsion preference
- Petrol jet, diesel jet, or outboard. Range, noise, fuelling logistics and the yacht's own bunkering all feed into this.
- Who drives
- Owner-driven and crew-driven boats get specified differently — helm layout, docking aids and the tolerance for complexity all shift.
03 — 03 — Select the model
03 — Select the model
With constraints and brief established, the field is usually down to two or three boats. This is the point at which the boat you like is allowed to matter, and by now it will be a choice between genuinely viable options rather than a wish.
Confirm the fitment against your survey rather than against the published band. Manufacturer fitment ratings describe a typical yacht of that length; yours may not be typical.
04 — 04 — Specify the livery
04 — Specify the livery
This is the part owners enjoy, and the part that is hardest to change later. Tube colour, hull and deck finish, upholstery scheme and stitching, non-slip surfaces, and any name or logo work are all decided here.
Matching the mother yacht is the usual objective and it is not always as simple as picking the nearest colour. Get physical swatches alongside a sample of the yacht's own finish in daylight before committing — screen renders and printed charts both mislead, and this decision lives with the boat for its whole life.
Surmarine's tube and upholstery options and Williams' hull, tube and deck finishes are both extensive enough that indecision is the real risk. Decide with the yacht in front of you.
05 — 05 — Equipment and fit-out
05 — Equipment and fit-out
Tow points and ski poles, bimini and shade, navigation and sound, lighting, bathing ladder configuration, covers, and the chock or cradle interface with the yacht. Some of these can be retrofitted; structural items such as tow points and lifting eyes generally cannot, or not well.
The chock interface deserves particular attention. It is the least glamorous item on the list and the one most likely to cause trouble at delivery if it was assumed rather than specified.
06 — 06 — Build slot and contract
06 — Build slot and contract
The order is placed against a shipyard build slot, with a payment schedule and a delivery window. Slots are seasonal and genuinely finite; the honest position at the time of your enquiry is the one we will give you.
From here, changes become expensive in a way they were not before. Livery changes after the build has started are typically the point where the shipyard says no.
07 — 07 — Inspection, delivery and commissioning
07 — Inspection, delivery and commissioning
Progress updates through the build, then inspection before shipping, then delivery to the yacht. Commissioning covers engine and systems checks, fitting to your chocks or cradle, and a handover on the water where the launch and recovery sequence is run with your crew until it is routine.
The boat is finished when your crew can launch and recover it in ordinary conditions without thinking about it — not when it arrives.
Referenced
Vessels mentioned above
Common questions
Asked and answered
- 01
How do I order a custom yacht tender?
Survey the mother yacht first — garage aperture, davit capacity, platform geometry and chocks. Then agree the brief, select the model against those constraints, specify livery and equipment, place the order against a build slot, and take delivery with on-water commissioning. Taking those steps in that order is what prevents expensive corrections.
- 02
What can be customised on a yacht tender?
Tube colour, hull and deck finish, upholstery scheme and stitching, non-slip surfaces, name and logo work, tow points and ski poles, shade, navigation and sound, lighting, bathing ladder configuration, covers, and the chock or cradle interface with your yacht.
- 03
What cannot be changed after the order is placed?
Structural items — tow points, lifting eyes, chock interface — are effectively permanent. Livery becomes fixed once the build starts. Equipment that is genuinely bolt-on can often be added later, but usually at a worse price and finish than specifying it at order.
- 04
How far ahead should I order?
Against the following season rather than the current one, as a rule. Build slots are seasonal and finite, and a bespoke order compresses badly. We give the shipyard's actual position at the time you enquire.