Tenders with Superyacht Style: Compass Tenders on Pairing the Look
\n \tIf you\u2019re interested in the custom-made toys of the super-rich, you\u2019re probably familiar with Compass Tenders\u2019 work. Having lent its name to a series of bespoke tenders for such iconic yachts as Tango, Madame Gu, Al Lusail, Moonrise and Soaring (to name just a few), Compass Tenders has risen off the back of a speaks-for-itself portfolio to superyacht tender-building fame. We spoke to Richard Faulkner, CEO of the Hamble-based builders, to learn more about the art of custom tender construction.
\n As a company, Compass Tenders is efficient, creative, and remarkably self-sufficient. With a sizable, specialist team and state-of-the-art resources, Compass is able to take on pretty much any project – whether in collaboration with an external designer or designed in-house. But it was not always this way.
\n\u2018We started out building, repairing and modifying racing yachts based here in the same building – now buildings,\u2019 Richard tells us. \u2018Then we got involved with building a tender for the 73m Lurssen yacht Coral Island. Patrick Banfield was the designer and a good friend of mine\u2026 he asked me to be involved as the original builders couldn\u2019t deliver the project.\u2019
\nRichard enjoyed the change of lane, and was keen to secure another contract – which he soon did. But it wasn\u2019t until the delivery of a custom tender for 77m Feadship Tango, which won a series of design awards and gained international publicity for Compass Tenders, that the team was awarded its \u2018big break\u2019.
\nFrom Tango in 2011 and Madame Gu in 2013, Compass Tenders\u2019 notable custom builds have gone on to include tenders for 110m Feadship Anna, an 87m Lurssen and 90m Oceanco DreAMBoat. And as the projects snowballed, Richard tells us, so did the company.
\n\u2018As we expanded, we started to look to bring more and more in-house. That gives us much more flexibility when it comes to building custom,\u2019 Richard says. \u2018We now have a well-equipped fabrication shop, run by a great team, making our custom metalwork. \u00a0We also have someone here who just specialises in roofs, doors and moving parts.\u2019
\nApart from upholstery, Compass Tenders is able to carry out every aspect of the tender build process in-house. Not that they always do, Richard hastens to add, but the flexibility this gives them is a huge benefit.
\nThis is because there are various ways Compass Tenders may be involved in a project.
\n\u2018It\u2019s a sliding scale,\u2019 Richard says. \u2018At one end, we\u2019re working on a project with RWD who are heavily involved with the styling and all aspects of the design. At the other end of the scale are projects where we do all the design in-house, as with the tenders recently built for a new 158m Lurssen and the 90m DreAMboat \u2013 the only external input on these\u00a0were material choices supplied by the motherships\u2019 interior designers.\u2019
\nWhen Compass is tasked with designing the custom tender itself, however, Richard and the team have their workflow down to a tee.
\nThe first thing Richard and the team look\u00a0at is the available stowage on the mothership, including drawings of the tender garage if they are available. This is followed by any renderings or styling information they\u00a0can gather from the mothership.
\nNext, the technical details. After developing a suitable hull design, Richard will look at length, beam, lifting weights – all of the necessary considerations for tender building must be established first.
\nTechnicalities confirmed, the team can then get creative.
\n\u2018In the case of a limousine tender, we will then look at a coachroof superstructure that takes styling accents from the mothership. We\u2019ll also introduce that style in the hull details, topside windows and to the engine air intake grills.\u2019
\nFor Richard, there is such a thing as being too creative when it comes to custom tender-building, though.
\n\u2018We try to avoid the whacky, and steer the process into something that\u2019s ultimately useful. We want to build safe, seaworthy boats that fulfil requirements and operational needs.\u2019
\nSo what has been the \u2018whackiest\u2019 request the team has come across? From bulletproofing to digital camouflage, Richard has just about seen it all.
\n\u2018We\u2019re always open to new ideas; we have just built a catamaran tender that has massive pop-up stereo speakers – the owner likes to have beach parties, and wanted a mobile DJ deck he could put just off the beach and play music from.\u2019
\nSimilar requests to these, heralding the use of tenders as more than just A to B passenger boats, are signaled by increasingly higher degrees of customisation. The ways in which owners are looking to customise and use their tenders are evolving – and Richard and the team have a front row seat.
\n\u2018They\u2019re becoming little adventure boats,\u2019 he says. \u2018We\u2019ve definitely seen the effect of COVID on this, with owners looking to stay on the water for much longer and using their tenders as sort of satellite beaches.\u2019
\nLooking into the crystal ball, Richard shares his predictions for the future of custom tenders.
\n\u2018I think limousine tenders will go electric. Their usage is a little more predictable than with open boats, so you should be able to charge them in between trips. We have lots of enquiries about that, and one client at the moment who is very keen so we\u2019re hoping to get that to order this year.
\nAnd with the open boats\u2026 catamaran tenders are becoming very popular, and we always propose those even if they\u2019re not on the owner\u2019s radar, as they\u2019re just so versatile. They have big platforms for watersports and other activities, and are ideal for owners looking to push the boundaries of custom.\u2019
\nHis final prediction is a more – well, predictable one. With more and more superyachts being ordered, this shipbuilding boom is likely to filter down to Compass with the tenders, who can surely look forward to a busy order book ahead.
\nWhat this means for the feats of truly bespoke and intelligent design to emerge from the Compass Tenders shed in the years to come, we look forward to finding out.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\t Tenders with Superyacht Style: Compass Tenders on Pairing the Look <\/p>\n
\t Tenders with Superyacht Style: Compass Tenders on Pairing the Look <\/p>\n
\t Tenders with Superyacht Style: Compass Tenders on Pairing the Look <\/p>\n
\t Tenders with Superyacht Style: Compass Tenders on Pairing the Look <\/p>\n
\t Tenders with Superyacht Style: Compass Tenders on Pairing the Look <\/p>\n
\t Tenders with Superyacht Style: Compass Tenders on Pairing the Look <\/p>\n
\t Tenders with Superyacht Style: Compass Tenders on Pairing the Look <\/p>\n
\t Tenders with Superyacht Style: Compass Tenders on Pairing the Look <\/p>\n
\t Tenders with Superyacht Style: Compass Tenders on Pairing the Look <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Tenders with Superyacht Style: Compass Tenders on Pairing the Look If you\u2019re interested in the custom-made toys of the super-rich, you\u2019re probably familiar with Compass Tenders\u2019 work. Having lent its name to a series of bespoke tenders for such iconic … <\/p>\n