Tasmanian company Van Diemen Luxury Craft launch Sports Limousine

The Sports Limousine from Van Diemen Luxury Craft is a superyacht tender designed to give maximum volume, versatility and comfort within size limitations of a tender bay.  The design brief was to construct the most comfortable and practical tender to fit into the bridge deck tender bay of a 60m Feadship superyacht .

Through extensive time working onboard superyachts,  the designers gained exposure to the key requirements of a functional and multi-purpose tender.  The existing tender, a 7.2m RIB was used predominately for transporting guests as well as fishing and diving.  It had restricted internal volume and minimal protection from the elements.

The design process led to the development of our patent pending roof and window system, featuring a sliding glass windscreen and separate lifting roof.  This combination  gives three main forms all at the press of a button.

The first form is the stowed position where all components are lowered to the height of the gunwale, to obtain the minimal stowable volume.  This position can also be used for transiting at speed whilst keeping the interior dry and allowing for clear visibility.

This mode also provides an advantage for towing in cases where the tender is too large to stow on board.  The folded roof protects the interior, the stability of the vessel is improved and the windage is reduced.

The second form is one in which the glass is raised and the roof is lowered onto it to form a sealed comfortable cabin forward.  This layout creates a limousine style of vessel with comfortable seating forward for eight guests or cosy seating for ten in a semi enclosed cabin.

The final form is the sports mode in which the roof can be lifted fully overhead where it provides sun protection aft for pursuits such as fishing and diving. This configuration is inspired by a centre console sports fisher. In this mode the glass can be lifted fully or partially for wind protection.

A further feature of the Sports Limousine tender are the sliding stern doors. These doors slide inside the gunwale giving uninterrupted access to the stern and allow the vessel to be backed onto pontoons or swim platforms for rear boarding. The stern drive is set forward of the aft of the vessel giving clearance to avoid obstructions.

A 22 degree deadrise at the transom was implemented into the design to give a comfortable ride.  A wide reverse chine minimises spray, keeping the vessel dry and acting as a planning strake allowing the vessel to plane efficiently.  The wide chine also provides a stable platform at rest with maximum beam being at the waterline.

Rhino 3D modelling software was used through the design process to model the vessel and ensure that all the design elements worked together.  This allowed for precision development of the engineering aspects and ensured that they were in keeping with the styling.

The vessel’s styling features a well balanced blend of contemporary and traditional elements. This allows the technology of the automated roof system to fit with traditional features such as the tumblehome used at the stern to soften the look of the maximum beam at waterline.

The construction of the vessel can be from aluminium plate or foam core composite allowing for light weight construction and custom design of each individual tender.

The power plant consists of a 260hp diesel stern drive allowing for a top speed of 35kts. Manoeuvrability is enhanced by an electric bow thruster and interceptor trim tabs are used to give manual and automatic adjustment of ride attitude.