02 February 2022
Wooden Boats, founded by engineer Marco Arnaboldi, has released designs for its Slim Limousine Tender, an innovative solution to stowage on board vessels of all sizes.
When closed, the tender’s height is only 125 centimetres, so it fits in the garages of most superyachts and can replace inflatable tenders.
The problem often occurring on yachts (including superyachts) is the height of the garages, which are designed to accommodate simple inflatable boats and are, therefore, too low to house a Limousine Tender.
The engineer Marco Arnaboldi, however, rose to the challenge and designed the first Slim WB Limousine Tender, starting from the precise input of an owner (who has already commissioned the tender). With its mere 125-centimetre height when closed, it can easily enter the garages of most superyachts at sea today.
This solution solves an age-old problem, because the classic, commonly used inflatable dinghies have shown several limitations.
Sailing well-protected by a deckhouse is essential, especially in rough sea conditions. It also means passengers are protected from sudden weather changes.
“There were numerous problems we had to solve in order to obtain RINA approval,” explains Marco Arnaboldi.
“The main one is that the pocket where the vertical structure of the deckhouse is housed is close to the waterline, but we managed to keep it at a safe height. The lifting and closing system is similar to the one on the WB Limousine Tender, therefore remarkably tested and reliable.
“With this new design we were able to increase the recessed shutter, so, when closed, the tender’s maximum height is 125 centimetres. According to what we have verified by analysing various projects and sailing yachts, this allows us to accommodate the Slim WB Limousine Tender in almost all garages.”
With a length of 7.5 metres, the Slim Wooden Boats Limousine Tender can comfortably accommodate 10 people seated in the cabin, with two crew members in the bow. The internal useful height is 1.50 metres, therefore only 10 centimetres lower than that of the well-known Limousine Tender, which with the deckhouse lowered, is instead 20 centimetres higher than the Slim version.
The full carbon construction made it possible to keep the weight at just 2,200 kilograms, powered by a Volvo Penta 220 horsepower inboard engine with stern drive.
The launch of the new Slim WB Limousine Tender is scheduled for March 2022.