Standing out in the tender market

The tender marker is a hugely competitive market space, to the point where pin-pointing unique attributes can be a confusing and remarkably frustrating pursuit. But, this choice gets a little easier when a tender company presents a new and exciting product, and something that isn’t impractical or too gimmicky. Iguana Yachts managed to do just that when it presented an amphibious tender that doesn’t compromise the tender’s performance.

Based in Caen, Northern France, Iguana Yachts was established in 2008 by president and CEO, Antoine Brugidou, who wished to remove the negative aspects for guests when it came to beach landings in choppy conditions and/or inconvenient tide times. However, the mission was to create a functional amphibious boat that doesn’t compromise on the quality and performance of the vessel. “It is a truly high-quality product,” says sales manager, Steve Huppert. “From the fuel tanks, which are 100 per cent stainless steel, to the spring-loaded seats, the entire vessel has been exceptionally developed.”

Until one tries a tender out, it is difficult to decipher how good the quality of the product truly is and understand the elements that set this vessel apart. As a result, SuperyachtNews travelled to Caen to trial the Iguana Limo Commuter with the full electric package. Starting on the Caen slipway, encircled by wet sandy beaches, the conditions were perfect for the demonstration of the Iguana Limo Commuter’s capabilities. With the push of a couple of levers – one for each of the tracks – on the tender’s simple interface, the Limo Commuter made its way in complete silence down the slipway towards the water on its own tracks. 

Having gently entered the water and fired up the dual 350hp outboard engines, the boat gently made its way out to sea while discreetly lifting the tracks into the boat’s hull in a matter of seconds, before opening her up to 50-knots. The hull has been designed to totally eliminate slamming, which truly transformed the experience on board. It also feels incredibly stable and light on the water.

Deploying the tracks once more, the Iguana Limo Commuter made it over the waves and onto the beach without any difficulty. Once on the beach, Huppert then turned to his phone to reveal an app that can be used to drive when off the boat. 

“There is so much attention to detail,” says Huppert, when back at the shipyard where five boats are currently being constructed. “At the yard, we have every spare part in stock and we can ship it overnight to anywhere in the world.” Convenience is certainly a large part of the Iguana offering with the aim to make owning a tender as hassle-free as possible. As a result, the boat comes with a second diagnostics app, which could be the end of waiting times if something were to go wrong.

“You can connect your phone to the boat and give a password to our engineers,” says Huppert. “The engineers then have the ability to log in and run all the diagnostics and updates remotely. We had a client recently who said that the slow mode was a little too slow, so we just logged in to the app and changed the settings remotely which speeded up the tracks while the boat was in another country. Clients have an instant response – there is no flying anyone out or anything like that, there is no waiting around.”

With the option to fully customise the tenders, the Iguana Yachts solution truly covers all bases. There has been a remarkable uptake on the vessel since it has been unveiled to the market, and it is certainly not difficult to see why.

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