Is big always better? Josh Richardson looks at how to fill your tender and toys garage when you may be restricted by the design and amount of available storage
The media understandably tends to focus on the largest yachts in the world – those such as the spectacular REV expedition yacht in build. However, reviewing the global order book and planned deliveries for 2020 we can see that, whilst the media focus is on large yachts, the fastest growing segment of the market is in the smaller 24m – 45m yachts, with expedition
style yachts also enjoying an increased market share. It is this size yacht that represents the largest market share of existing vessels and often introduces new owners to the industry and brands such as Sunseeker, Princess, Azimut-Benetti, the Feretti Group and San Lorenzo, who focus on this size bracket. This market share is now showing the busiest orderbooks with the largest number of current builds. It is this size yacht I would like to concentrate on in this article, as it is a key but often overlooked section of the industry when talking about tenders and toys, and one which invariably challenges us at Superyacht Tenders and Toys more than any other.
Yacht garage space
Large yachts usually have adequate garages, cranes and stowage for a variety of craft and toys. Generally when dealing with large yachts over 80m there are a number of tender options that can be proposed which are fit for purpose and fit within the space available and the work SYTT do is merely a matter of finding a match for the client in terms of budget, build time and preferred style.
It is in the smaller yachts that our work becomes slightly more difficult as space is constrained and the decision is more critical as it has a very direct impact on owners’ living spaces and the way in which they use their yacht. Garage spaces are also designed by the shipyard from the outset of these more production orientated builds with a single preferred tender in mind.
More often than not there is very little, if any, flexibility in this space and the shipyard often provides their standard tender as part of the build contract. Typically, we see garages that are designed to fit this shipyard-specified tender, often leaving only about 100mm clearance around it so finding an alternative tender can be a challenge but is not impossible! Inboard diesel brands such as Williams and Castoldi have built a strong reputation and following in this market. Williams is popular with the UK yacht builders such as Princess and Sunseeker and Castoldi is favoured by their Italian counterparts but owners do not have to stick with the tender their yacht builder specifies.
Focus on toys
In the last 10-20 years the tender and toy package has become something that is a key decision for owners when choosing yachts, with many believing that the best moments in life are on or in the water playing with the toys. This has inevitably led to the increase in expedition style yachts and support vessels to whom we are providing consultation and supplying tenders and toys. With space being the priority and the challenge there are a number of innovations in the toy market to make life easier with limited storage space. Options such as inflatable toys, SUPS and docks which have a reduced stowed size create a better owner experience. Multi-functional toys are improving in quality so as to offer different sports within one item – for example, different fins, foils, rigs and sails can be purchased to utilise one board in a number of ways which all helps reduce the amount of storage space needed onboard.
The new owners
Yacht charterers always seem to want to be able to have anything, anytime, anywhere. However, this simply cannot be achieved by smaller yachts as they do not have the space to carry everything all the time. Tender and particularly toy rental has helped fill this area and at SYTT we have a significant selection of rental toys and tenders available that can often be delivered the same day to many of the main yachting destinations. This has also given owners the opportunity to try before you buy, something that has been lacking in the superyacht toy supply traditionally. With many toys being of high value, this is a great opportunity for owners and crew to decide what they like before purchasing rather than buying new and then it sitting idle in the garage for years because the owner doesn’t like it or the crew find it too difficult/time consuming to deploy. It also means they can have the latest and greatest toy at any time ensuring that owners have the newest, fastest, lightest and most reliable equipment on board.
Reliability, of course, is key to both owners and crew alike. A lot of the new electric toys such as Seabob, Lift eFoil, Radinn and others offer a zero-maintenance toy which offers a quick thrill but requires very low skill. The perfect addition for charters and family trips!
the must have toys package for smaller yachts:
Inflatable SUPS These are now regarded by many as a better option than their rigid predecessors. With companies such as RED Paddle Co offering their new compact SUPs these pack down into less than half the space of competitors. RED also offer a 10’7 Wind Windsurf Paddleboard Package, which means you can also use one board to paddle on or windsurf. For beginners this provides a great multi-use toy. As a personal recommendation if a yacht is after a SUP then I would recommend a larger size, up to an 11’0 or larger so that the board has some length to it which means you can paddle further plus also put a child on the front. This also means the board is more seaworthy and are better able to maintain some speed through waves.
Nautibuoy docks These transform watersports and interaction with the sea plus also look very sleek with their EVA foam teak top that has a much more premium feel than the cheaper alternatives. The docks offer a multitude of uses – they can be used for lounging with the leisure pack, cleaning the hull with the maintenance pack, and can be configured in a variety of ways to create jetski docks, tender berthing or even eFoil and Seabob berthing with the C-Dock. A great way to increase your waterfront real estate.
Small PWCs PWCs have grown over the years and the largest Seadoo GTX 300 is now 3.45m long and weighs 385kg plus fuel. That is larger than some tenders in the smaller yachts! With this in mind the Seadoo SPARK and Seadoo TRIXX are popular. The Spark weighs 186kg plus fuel and is a much easier to store size of 2.79m. These skis are a lot of fun and are a lot more responsive and nimbler than the larger more powerful skis.
Inflatable Sailing Dinghies Sailing dinghies offer a great way for guests to enjoy yachting and often are large enough that multiple people can sail together. MiniCat is a class leader and one of the most popular inflatable catamarans in the market being known as the world’s favourite portable sailboat. There are 4 sizes and 9 models available for 1-4 people to sail. All models fit in 1-3 bags and take less than 30 minutes to assemble. The 420 Evoque is the most popular at SYTT and has various components in carbon and comes with fully battened mainsail, Jib and optional Gennaker. This is great for 2 adults and a child or can be sailed solo. Often crew will take kids out sailing and can be in the same boat training.
Other popular dinghies that are easy to stow include the Tiwal, a single or two handed monohull dinghy and the Reverso, a single-handed dinghy that has a rigid hull that separates into 4 sections for transport and storage. This only takes 5 minutes to rig and gives the best sailing experience of all options above. The Reverso can be customised to match the yacht.
Folding bikes They provide a great option when ashore to explore. Montague bikes provide a range of mountain and pavement bikes. The company markets itself as ‘real bikes that fold’ and the Paratrooper Elite is a very popular yacht choice being the highest performance folding mountain bike in the world, with an aggressive hard tail build for technical single track.
For folding ebikes few do it better than GoCycle. These have been the industry leader for a number of years and are lightweight and easy to handle weighing only 16.5kg. The bikes are very adjustable so can fit all size riders. The new fast folding GX model is ideal for yachts whether it is crew going to the shops or owners and guests cruising the local area.
SYTT offer clients a full CAD modelling service to help arrange stowage and maximise the equipment to be carried. Utilising space efficiently and planning for places to charge electric toys is key. One area that is often overlooked is that tenders often have a lot of storage and a number of watersports toys can be stored in them, or under them in the chocks. In the past we have got involved in custom storage bags for inflatables and other toys which means they can be stored in open outside guest areas. Lack of storage space should not be an excuse not to have all the toys!
For more details Tel: +44 (0)2380 016363
or visit www.superyachttendersandtoys.com
