La dolce vita
Wooden Boats’ LimoTender BLU 8.3-metre is ready for the 2024 season after turning heads at Monaco with its classic styling, inspired by Venetian water taxis.
17 January 2024
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The new LimoTender BLU 8.3-metre from the Wooden Boats shipyard in Viareggio, Italy, is ready for the 2024 season after debuting at the Monaco Yacht Show 2023.
The first unit of the LimoTender BLU 8.3-metre was launched in mid-2023 to allow its owner to use it in the late summer following his 60-metre yacht, and was then transferred to Monaco to be exhibited at the annual show in late September.
The yacht’s overall length is 8.4-metres, for a maximum beam of 2.7-metres and a displacement of 2.9 tons. The wheelhouse is positioned far forward, as in Venetian taxis, upon request of the owner.
Combining composite materials and contemporary tech with classic lines is the USP of projects by Wooden Boats. The shipyard was established in 2012 by Marco Arnaboldi of Studio Arnaboldi, previously the founder of AB Yachts.
Arnaboldi says his aim has always been to apply his studio’s research results to pleasure boating, creating yachts over 50 metres capable of exceeding speeds of 50 knots thanks to their composite construction and use of water jet propulsion.
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“When I established Wooden Boats, the idea was to combine wood, the noblest of materials for building boats, with incredible mechanical properties, and carbon fibre,” says Arnaboldi.
“LimoTender BLU 8.3m is the natural evolution of that idea: a construction employing the cutting-edge composite technology with which I have built dozens of boats of all sizes, from tenders like this to superyachts over 50 metres, but with a touch of class, in pure ‘dolce vita’ style, featuring timeless lines inspired by the motorboats of the fifties and sixties”.
The layout on board includes a wheelhouse moved well forward to make room for a saloon with two sofas along its sides and an aft cockpit, also set up with two facing sofas to accommodate a maximum of 12 guests in addition to the two crew members.
At the stern is a good-sized folding swimming platform for those who wish to take a dip in the sea, while equipment has also been provided to allow the tender to be towed by the ‘mothership’.
The guest areas feature extensive use of mahogany, teak and leather, all crafted by Viareggio artisans. The on-board equipment includes air conditioning, a hi-fi system with six speakers, four USB sockets for charging devices, indirect LED lighting and a 70-litre freshwater tank, as well as wifi for communicating with the ‘mothership’ and staying connected.
An exclusive feature of Wooden Boats’ new LimoTender BLU 8.3m is a solution already successfully proposed by some of the shipyard’s other models: the deckhouse can be lowered to the height of the gunwale with an electromechanical command, reducing its overall height to only 1.5m when it is put away in the garage. When raised in the sailing position, the headroom inside the deckhouse is 1.80m.
A 270 hp Mercury turbo diesel inboard engine with stern drive allows the LimoTender BLU 8.3m to reach a top speed of 35 knots and a cruising speed of 30 knots when fully loaded, according to the shipyard, with a range of 100 nautical miles thanks to its 150-litre fuel tank.
This is combined with a deep V-shaped hull that can reach high speeds but is also suitable for all conditions at sea.
“This vintage design nonetheless maintains the shipyard’s cornerstones of composite carbon construction and maximum customisation,” says Arnaboldi.
“When I designed this LimoTender BLU 8.3m, I thought it would be a one-off project, but it has aroused a lot of interest, and I already have a number of appointments in Montecarlo with owners who are very curious to see the first model so they can finalise an order based on their own tastes.
“This is why it is important to remember that the possibilities for the layout are endless; for example, the bridge might be at the stern and the sofa in the bow. The wheelhouse positioned so far forward, as in Venetian taxis, is in fact a specific request on the part of the owner.”
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