I often remind our clients, once you get to where you’re going, you’ll spend all your time on your tender.

Expected to perform at a minute’s notice to do just about anything from carrying gear and supplies to ferrying passengers and towing children it’s surprising how little thought the tender purchase is sometimes given.

Here’s my simple tips to keeping you on the right track:

Power : The recent trend of more means more doesn’t work for all. A jet engine will undoubtedly get you there faster but can be difficult to control at low speeds and there is no neutral which means the captain has to oversteer to compensate. An outboard is arguably more efficient and can be increased if needed with twins or more but remains an easier beast to tame – Additionally, most service technicians believe an outboard is simpler to maintain than jet engines.

Crew Efficiency: If your tender will be used to set up the beach for picnics etc this can take upto 4 crew – 2 to hold the boat steady while the others unload this can be a time consuming and sometimes dangerous task. An Iguana can be used to effortlessly land on the beach for both crew and passengers to disembark. Drastically reducing the time and team needed for set up while integrated storage and fridge also allow more kit to be transported securely and neatly.

Garage placement or towing: If your tender will be stored in a garage you need to consider size, lifting points and weight. Remember a 9 meter tender can be closer to 9.5m with an outboard. We work with our clients and their mothership builders to create a solution that works for them adjusting lifting points to creating one off features to reduce the height. If your towing be sure to invest in a boat that has been tested in all conditions and has reinforced towing points. It’s good to speak to your tender builder’s existing clients too. That way you can learn from their experience and make an informed judgement call.

Service and Aftersales: As the tender will play such a vital role in your daily life at your destination be sure your builder has a team that operates across the globe. Knowing someone can respond to your needs quickly is a huge reassurance for both you and the crew. Iguana’s software allows us to remotely access the boat via so we can troubleshoot 99% of problems over the phone instantly.

Get value for you: Only you know what’s value for you. For most of our clients, it’s a boat that can do everything be it exploring off the beaten track, arriving at the hottest beach club in style, speeding up crew set up times, picking up grand parents safely, embarking anywhere. Most boats can do one, perhaps two of these. The Iguana can genuinely do it all, making it the perfect yacht tender, giving you more room in your garage and more time on the water.