Tender is My Transom Yachts

Why bother hauling your tender up on deck when it can be parked in the transom and double as a propulsion system? Photo courtesy Christopher Birch

Winter 2024

By Christopher Birch

Last month in this column, I broke out my crystal ball and gazed into the future of yachting. My time travel took me to the (fictional) “2026 Eagle Seven Sailing Yacht Design Awards Gala,” where I marveled over the bronze medal winner: Boom Boom Solar. This month, let’s take a closer look at the silver medal winner – Tender Is My Transom Yachts – and the long-term issue that initially gave rise to the product.

The dinghy dilemma has festered for as long as boats have sailed. You may need to read between the lines to find it, but I bet that Odysseus spent more time fretting about his dinghy than he did about all the Cyclops, Sirens, and Lotus-Eaters combined. The truth is, all sailors want a better dinghy. A boat that rows well, sails well, and motors well, a boat that looks classy on the dinghy dock, and a boat that is spacious enough to hold the entire crew in dry comfort. Such dinghies do exist, but they are big, bulky, and heavy, and there’s no good place to store them aboard the mothership when she’s underway.

Sailors have been forced to compromise. They tow their dinghies and suffer the drag, surf-collision risk, and capsize risk. Or they haul and stow their dinghy on the foredeck where there really isn’t room for one. Or they resort to an itty bitty inflatable raft that, with great effort, can be rolled up and miserably stowed in a wet, salty heap somewhere onboard. Or they tack ridiculous davits on to the back of the poor mothership, wrecking her trim, making her unseaworthy, and destroying every pleasing line she may have ever had. Any way you look at it, it’s a loss for the dinghy, a loss for the crew, and a loss for the mothership. Some days the dinghy dilemma is so vexing, I seriously consider taking up the practice of swimming ashore instead of suffering the downside of compromise.

So imagine my delight when I eventually wander the halls of the 2026 ESSYDA gala and stumble upon a new boat builder: Tender Is My Transom Yachts. This builder started their design process with dinghy storage as a central element. Their 44-foot, aft-cockpit sloop will be built with a 17-foot tender nested inside her transom. To make room for the dinghy, the mothership carries no engine and no fuel tank. Instead, the only engine on this pair of boats will be the 80-hp diesel jet drive in the tender, which, thanks to its visionary design, can power either boat. (Electric drive is also available as an option.)

Wireless controls allow the skipper to control the engine from the helm of the mothership, where it delivers the nested pair a snappy seven-knot cruising speed. When separated, the light, engineless mothership sails like a dreamy daysailer and the sporty tender zips along at 25 knots like a mini picnic boat. Welcome to a whole new way to think about the motorsailer.

Twin rudders and twin helms on the big girl make room for a massive centerline cockpit sole hatch that extends all the way aft. When open, the little one can be driven into its storage bay with ease and locked in place securely. Once nested, the tender’s transom remains exposed and her handsome teak aft deck protrudes slightly, functioning as a swim-platform – thus the brand name. The fuel tank and engine start battery live in the tender. The lithium house bank aboard the big boat is charged exclusively by solar, hydro-generator, and shore power. This configuration eliminates the need for an electrical or fuel connection between the boats, which significantly simplifies nesting and separating the pair. When not in use, the tender doubles as a bin for dock line and fender storage. (Or a time-out for misbehaving children.)

Considerable economy is achieved by installing and maintaining only one engine in this pair of boats. As Jill, my imaginary friend at Tender Is My Transom, points out, “Engine service will be a breeze on this boat. The tender can be delivered to the mechanic’s shop on a trailer instead of scheduling the mechanic to make a field visit to the mothership. And mechanics sure do prefer to work in their own climate-controlled shops with their tools at their elbow instead of climbing ladders outside in the boatyard.”

I can see how the same logic would be even more relevant when it comes time to polish fuel or re-power the boat. And if you hate the stress and expense of visiting the fuel dock, you’ll love towing the tender to the gas station on her trailer and filling her up on the less expensive fuel there. You’ll also enjoy saving a bit on bottom paint too; because the tender essentially lives in dry storage, only her jet drive will require antifouling.

Tender Is My Transom Yachts will be designed and built in Maine. (Doesn’t it seem like all good boat ideas come out of Maine? I’m feeling the presence of the braintrust at Lyman-Morse behind this new boat brand.) Like most good Downeast boats, she will have bold and pleasing lines. With a powerful rig and deep keel, she’s sure to perform well under sail. Forward of the companionway, the boat will have a traditional layout with all the features for sailing and living aboard in comfort. She’ll be the yacht of tomorrow equipped with all the mod-cons including the futuristic Boom Boom Solar stack pack sail cover. I worry a bit about her twin rudder configuration down there in the land of the lobster trap, but at least her jet drive should slide through those hazards cleanly.

The sight of the tender dropping out of stern storage and dashing off on a mission reminds me of something you’d see in a James Bond movie. Sure enough, the little carbon-fiber craft will be a slick ride worthy of 007. She’ll be all business up front with a plumb bow and hard chines. Those lines will soften as they work aft. A hint of tumblehome rounds things out at the quarters with a nod to yesteryear. For traditionalists, the boat will come standard with a pair of rowing stations and a stay-less carbon-fiber sailing rig in addition to her engine. Sailing a dink with a big engine might be slow going, but the joy of silently tacking around the anchorage in the golden hour can still be appreciated even if the pace is sedate.

Could it be that the dinghy dilemma will finally be solved once and for all? I think so! What should I name mine? Kangaroo? Or Russian Doll? How about Russian on the port quarter of the mom and Doll centerline on her tot?

Stay tuned. Next month we’ll unveil the anticipated gold medal winner of the 2026 Eagle Seven Sailing Yacht Design Contest: Chuck Paine.

The future is bright!

Christopher “Shark Tank” Birch is the founder of Birch Marine Inc. on Long Wharf, Boston. He is now out cruising full-time with his wife, Alex, aboard their 36-foot Morris Justine. Follow their voyage at EagleSevenSailing.com.