It’s not just the superyachts that draw attention at Monaco Boat Show: the added extras can be as exciting as the main event. We’ve selected our top tenders. By Frances & Michael Howorth

Maxi Dolphin has brought its sailboat design and hull optimisation expertise to the building of superyacht tenders for this 15.4-metre. She’s extremely sturdy yet lightweight, and designer Roberto Starkel has created an ‘I want it’ look that screams Italian style. A temperature-controlled wine cellar ensures the drinks served under way are at the perfect temperature, and the electronic systems are managed using an iPad.

Art of Kinetik produces bespoke luxury boats using wood, stainless steel and leather in a totally unique way. The company will have three models at Monaco and our favourite is this tiny 3.5-metre spearhead- shaped tender for up to four guests. Finished with 18 layers of high-gloss varnish, this all-mahogany tender can reach a top speed of 50 knots. She has bespoke deck equipment including touchscreen navigation, custom steering wheel, cleats and fairlead, and transponder starter key. Look out for Art of Kinetik’s ten-metre, also on display at the show.



This 10.5-metre is the first of a line of exciting custom composite tenders from Hodgdon Yachts, a Maine yard that has been building boats for over 200 years. The tender is built to the same high standards as the yard’s superyachts, with custom hardware and varnished mahogany cap rails. The hardtop with full-height headroom – inspired by private aircraft and limos – offers privacy for 12 guests in luxurious leather seats. The tender handles beautifully at speeds over 30 knots, and the hardtop lowers to allow stowage on board.

The J Craft Torpedo blends old and new, mixing classic style and glamour with the latest in technology, power, comfort and convenience. The company takes its inspiration from the 1950s Riviera: relaxed, cool and confident. The 12.6-metre Torpedo has tremendous visual appeal, but it also has a big emotional draw, designed to be tactile with beautiful leather, fine wood veneers and polished metals used in the cockpit and cabin.

The biggest tender in Castoldi‘s range, the Castoldi Jet tender 31 is fitted as standard with many electronic accessories in a new folding console that also makes stowage inside superyacht garages easier. It has a hydraulically stepped bow ramp for easy beach landings and a removable tube system for easy repairs. An electric anchor windlass and foldable limo kit provide protection for guests in the stern seats. Owners wanting a fast, stylish tender without compromising safety would suit this tender, as with no exposed rotating propeller blades, incredible manoeuvrability and easy emergency crash-stop, she is safe for passengers on board and for anyone playing or swimming in the water nearby.



The Spire Boat is a speed machine with luxury sports car comfort, and is capable, depending upon the engines, of 110 knots, making it one of the fastest superyacht tenders on the planet. An electrically operated glass roof closes in the cockpit and catamaran hulls add stability. Many of the 9.5-metre boat’s features can be customised.

TT Pegaso is a custom-built 9-metre tender – built for the 73-metre Pegaso, also on display at the Monaco show – is based on a proven McMullen & Wing patent hull form. It has been designed as a key element of Pegaso’s impressive oceanographic research capability, constructed with a rugged aluminium hull that has a deep-vee form. This is a serious blue-water working boat with a superyacht finish, sized and configured as a dive-boat and submarine support vessel. It is equipped with specialist sonar equipment for monitoring and communicating with the yacht’s own research submarine. She can carry nine guests and two crew when diving, or up to 13 guests and two crew in a more conventional ship-to-shore role.

Yachtwerft Meyer have produced a popular semi-custom model combining classic, timeless styling and solid reliability with an interior tailored to the owner’s needs. The 8-metre boat has a spacious sunbathing platform aft and comfortable seating and dining area forward, which can convert into a second sunbed.

This feature is taken from the September/October 2011 edition of SuperYacht World. Click here to buy the issue for your iPad.