First impressions are vital, and for those about to meet an awaiting superyacht, a tender is the all-important first experience of what is yet to come.
A company that understands this only too well is Compass Tenders who, to date, has completed over 55 custom tender projects with an average length of 11 metres. Looking at more recent years, one trend is clear – tenders are getting bigger. The average size of open tenders built by Compass has increased by just over 20% from 8.6m in the period 2016 – 2018 to an average of 10.5m in the period from 2019 to 2021.
This increase is largely attributed to the general increase in size of the motherships, but it’s also due to the more versatile role a superyacht tender is required to play. A perfect example of this comes in the four tenders Compass are currently discussing for a 150-metre new-build. All four tenders for this brand new superyacht measure in excess of 10.5 metres and comprise two 12.5-metre tenders in sport and limousine configurations, a second 11-metre limousine and a 10.5-metre open tender with beach landing capability.
“At the moment, there is a surge in demand for sports/utility tenders as clients look for their tender to deliver a greater scope of ability and fulfil a longer list of requirements. Owners want to be able to enjoy a wider array of activities, whilst remaining in close proximity to the mothership. Tenders are becoming a satellite platform for water sports, as well as supporting on-shore excursions,” said Company Founder and CEO, Richard Faulkner.
By sharing an example of an 11.6-metre tender, Faulkner suggests what else will soon be hitting the water and setting the next trend. These unseen sketches and bespoke designs are of similar tenders under development at Compass and feature a foredeck area that can be electronically retracted to offer an additional seating area for a larger group or closed to provide space to sunbathe or maintain the flush profile. “We always strive to incorporate each client’s unique requests and we can; that’s the benefit of being a custom tender builder,” added Faulkner.
The custom creations that come from the firm’s UK-based design studio and shipyard are all built to finitely fit the onboard stowage space, achieve the desired speed and range for use, meet the needs of the owner and, often, complement the aesthetics of the mothership.
“Working with the mothership’s exterior stylist on the design of the tender ensures that the design characteristics of the parent superyacht are echoed and the result is a completely unique vessel that, quite literally, operates in perfect partnership with a united aesthetic as well as optimum performance and usability,” said Faulkner.
Compass’ in-house design team have also been working on this 11.6-metre limousine tender, which features functions and design aspects that were originally drawn in pencil. “I don’t think hand sketching will ever be completely replaced,” commented Faulkner. “To draw the tender’s lines, sometimes in front of an owner, is wonderfully creative and I think gives a feeling that design changes can be made very easily. When you put a rendering in front of a client without this exploratory creative process, it often seems more rigid,” Faulkner explained.
Having worked with almost every design studio from Sinot to Disdale, Compass are well experienced in incorporating intricate interior details to their tenders such as pattern stitching on the seating, custom material selections and stylistic lighting recessed into the hull topsides, deck and seating. “Replicating the look and feel of the mothership in the tender is something we’ve been doing for 10 years now,” said Faulkner. “One of the first projects to do this in a significant way was Madame Gu, and she undeniably set a precedent for other tenders that followed. It’s a design trend that has become integral to every project we’re asked to present for,” explained Faulkner.
Compass Tenders has many notable projects to its name, including two 10-metre custom tenders for Feadship’s 110-metre Anna, an 11.6-metre limousine tender for Lürssen’s 91-metre Lady Lara, four tenders for Lürssen’s 123-metre Project Jupiter, as well as a pair of tenders for Oceanco’s 90-metre DreAMBoat.
To get the best results, Compass encourages owners, captains and project managers to start thinking about their tender requirements at the earlier stages of the design process. For more details on how to start a tender build and Compass’ support services, contact the company directly by clicking here.
Sponsored content created for Compass.