Your davit decides your tender, not the other way round. Light hand-cranked transom davits stop near 450 lb (204 kg); electric transom systems reach 600–800 lb (273–363 kg); and a 3.9 m Williams Sportjet 395 already weighs 390 kg dry. Below are the lifting capacities, 2026 prices for RIBs, jet tenders and toys, and package budgets by yacht length.
Start with the lift, not the boat
The most expensive tender mistake is buying a boat the lifting gear cannot take. Manufacturers rate their davits with a safe working load (SWL) — the maximum it should ever lift — and the tender must fit under that with margin, because the real weight includes fuel, gear and anyone riding the boat up. A common planning heuristic allows roughly a 4:1 margin between SWL and structural ultimate, but the binding factors are set by the class society, and any system that launches manned is held to stricter rules.
| Rig | Typical all-up weight | What it needs |
|---|---|---|
| 11 ft RIB + 25 hp outboard | about 450 lb / 205 kg | the ceiling of light manual davits |
| 14 ft RIB + 50 hp outboard | about 750 lb / 340 kg | electric davits or a platform |
| Williams Sportjet 395 jet tender | 390 kg (860 lb) dry | hydraulic davit, crane or garage |
| Sea-Doo Spark jet ski | about 420 lb / 190 kg | platform chocks, garage rack or dock |
Aim to sit at 70% or less of rated capacity so water weight and gear never put you over the plate. If a tender's rigged weight is close to the SWL, the launch is already a two-person operation before you leave the dock.
What tenders actually cost in 2026
Three categories cover almost every yacht. RIBs are the default for yachts in the 40–80 ft range: a rigid hull with inflatable tubes, light enough for davits, stable alongside, and forgiving when it touches the mothership. Centre-console tenders in the 18–25 ft range are for owners who want a genuine fishing or diving platform and have a garage or a big hydraulic platform to keep it. Limousine tenders — enclosed, climate-controlled, custom-built to match the mothership — serve yachts over 100 ft and start near $300,000.
| Tender | 2026 price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 11–12 ft RIB, 25–40 hp outboard | about $18,000–28,000 | planes with four adults; fits light davits |
| 14–16 ft RIB, 60–90 hp | about $45,000–80,000 | six to eight people; needs a real lift |
| Williams Sportjet 395 (3.9 m jet) | €54,000–61,000 ex-VAT (dealer listings) | 90 hp Rotax, 390 kg dry, built for 20 m+ yachts |
| 18–25 ft centre console | $80,000–250,000 | offshore capability; garage or platform only |
| Limousine tender, 20–30 ft | $300,000–1,000,000+ | custom-built; superyacht tier |
Jet drives are worth a hard look for shallow anchorages: no propeller to foul or strike, at the cost of higher fuel burn and more noise at cruise. For the mothership's total budget context, see our cost of ownership breakdown.
Inside those price bands sit three hull-and-drive choices, and the third is new enough that many owners have not seen its limits:
| Type | What it gives you | Where it stops working |
|---|---|---|
| RIB — rigid hull with inflatable collar | the collar is a full-length fender, so it comes alongside the mothership, a quay or a beach without scuffed topsides; light for its length; stable at rest | tubes eat deck space and want annual UV care and eventual replacement |
| Solid GRP tender — no tubes | more enclosed volume and a cleaner sheerline; the right shape for a formal limousine shuttle | heavier for its beam and unforgiving alongside — every contact is fendered by hand |
| Electric outboard on a small RIB | silent harbour runs, no exhaust, no fuel smell over the swim platform | range collapses with throttle; planing is out of reach |
The electric option is honest about its numbers. A Torqeedo Cruise 6.0 (6 kW, 48 V) pushing a 3.8 m inflatable manages about 21 miles at 4.3 mph on one 5 kWh battery, roughly 17 miles at 5.9 mph and about 7 miles flat out; the 2–4 kW Cruise motors list at about €3,200–4,300 including VAT. A 5 kWh pack needs roughly three to three-and-a-half hours on a 1.5 kW charger, so electric fits overnight charging from the mothership rather than a dash to the next bay. As a rule: electric for silent short hops off a bigger boat, petrol for anything that planes.
Davit, crane, platform or garage?
Four storage systems cover the market, and each one sets a hard ceiling on what you can own.
| System | Typical yacht | Cost signal (2026) |
|---|---|---|
| Transom davits, manual or electric | 40–65 ft | rated to about 204 kg manual / 273–363 kg electric |
| Hydraulic swim platform | 55–80 ft motor | usually factory-fitted; retrofit priced per job |
| Hydraulic side davit, 1,500–3,000 kg SWL | superyacht | €80,000–250,000 installed |
| Aft slewing crane, 4,000–8,000 kg | superyacht | €250,000–800,000 |
| Garage launch system, new build | 80 ft+ | €500,000–2,000,000+ |
Two practical notes from owners who have retrofitted. First, davit capacity is expensive to grow later — if the tender you actually want is near the SWL limit, size the system at purchase, not after. Second, a wide transom davit installation needs deck space and structure that not every stern has; measure the mounting envelope before choosing the tender, and check what the boatyard at your home port can lift, since that constraint follows you into every refit — our refit guide has the yard-side detail.
Water toys that earn their locker space
The toy market has split into two tiers: motorised kit that rivals a small tender in price, and inflatables that cost almost nothing per hour of use.
- Seabobs remain the toy guests mention first. Current retail: F5 about €7,800–9,500, F5 S about €10,800–11,500, F5 SR about €14,600–16,600. They need fresh-water rinsing, periodic O-ring service and a charging spot.
- eFoils have matured into a mainstream category: a Lift 4 lists about €10,900, a Lift 5 about €13,400, and Fliteboard's inflatable Air about €7,750. Most riders need two to four sessions; the boards are 5–6 ft with delicate wings, so a dedicated rack protects the investment.
- Jet skis are still the most versatile: an entry Sea-Doo Spark starts around $6,000 at about 190 kg, light enough for platform chocks or a floating drive-on dock that removes the lifting problem entirely.
- Inflatables — floating docks, towables, climbing walls — deliver the highest fun-per-dollar on board. A few hundred dollars of towables outlasts seasons of guest use.
The five-minute rule applies to all of it: any toy that takes longer than five minutes to retrieve, unpack and deploy will almost never be used spontaneously, and spontaneous use is the point.
Launch and recovery: where tender packages live or die
A beautifully specified tender that takes 30 minutes of crew time to launch gets used on schedule, not on impulse. Electric transom davits with a simple switch have made single-handed launches routine on mid-size yachts; a 25:1 worm-gear manual system still works for lighter boats and needs no power. Hydraulic swim platforms are better still — the platform submerges, the tender floats on and off — but the hull sits in saltwater permanently, which accelerates fouling and means more frequent bottom cleaning. Tender garages protect the boat from UV and spray and are expected on yachts over 80 ft, with the limitation that a 100-footer's garage typically holds a 16–18 ft RIB plus a jet ski or two on racks.
Maintenance is part of the same decision. RIB tubes want annual UV protectant; outboards want flushing after every saltwater run and impeller service about every two years or 200 hours; jet skis add pump flushing and wear-ring inspection. Budget $2,000–5,000 a year for a well-equipped 60–80 ft yacht and fold it into the annual maintenance plan rather than treating it as a surprise.
What a complete package costs by yacht size
| Yacht | Package | All-in, 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| 45–55 ft | 11–12 ft RIB + 25–40 hp, one Seabob, towables, inflatable dock | about $35,000–45,000 |
| 60–80 ft | 14–16 ft RIB or jet tender, two Seabobs, jet ski + dock, eFoil | about $110,000–145,000 |
| 100 ft+ | limousine or 18–20 ft RIB, secondary RIB, two jet skis, four Seabobs, two eFoils | about $430,000–780,000 |
The middle row is where the toy locker starts to change how the yacht is used — and how it competes on the charter market.
How the tender package moves charter and resale value
Charter brokers consistently report that families shop the toy inventory first, and a well-equipped 70–80 ft charter yacht can command a premium in the $5,000–15,000-a-week range over an otherwise comparable boat. A $50,000 toy refresh can pay for itself within two to three charter seasons through rate and occupancy; our charter guide covers how the programme works. On resale, a current-generation tender and toy package signals a maintained, turnkey yacht, while rusted davit cables and cracked tubes read as deferred maintenance across the whole vessel — presentation moves the depreciation curve as much as engine hours do.
Frequently asked questions
Can transom davits lift a 3.5 m RIB with a 25 hp outboard? Usually not. Such a rig runs roughly 200–230 kg rigged, at or above the limit of light hand-cranked davits; electric transom systems typically rate 273–363 kg. Check the SWL plate and weigh the rigged boat with fuel.
What is the difference between a davit and a crane? A davit is a dedicated arm for one boat; a crane slews and often telescopes for heavier loads and more reach. Either way the deciding numbers are SWL, the geometric envelope and the class treatment, not the label.
Do you need a licence for a jet ski? In much of the Mediterranean, yes — Croatia, Greece and Italy all require a national boating qualification for personal watercraft, which is why charter operators cannot hand one over without it.
What is the most common tender mistake? Buying for the imagined lifestyle rather than the real one — usually a tender too heavy for the lift and too large for the stowage. Start from the davit or garage, and buy the biggest boat that launches in five minutes.
Measure the lift, weigh the rigged boat, and only then open the brochure. Everything else on this page — price, toys, charter appeal — follows from getting that first number right.