What Are a Tender and Davit?
The yacht’s small service boat and the gear that carries it — the bay-life runabout and one of the most stolen, most neglected bits of kit.
A tender (service boat) is the small boat that gets you between the yacht and the shore; a davit is the lifting arrangement that hoists and stows the tender on the stern or deck. For a boat at anchor in a bay, the tender is not a luxury but transport: it’s the way to the restaurant, the beach and the neighbour’s boat.
There are two weak points: the outboard engine (small, valuable and the number-one target for thieves) and the inflatable tubes exposed to UV.
Three good habits
Engine always locked: steel cable and padlock; it is the easiest valuable item to carry off from an outboard-powered tender.
Do not leave it in the water overnight: either lift the tender out at night or lock it down.
Tube care: a yearly soap-and-water check for slow leaks starting at glued seams helps catch small patches before they become bigger jobs.
On the davit side, the load is always dynamic: in a seaway the tender’s movement works the lifting eyes and lines, so safety ties are essential if you plan to keep it hanging underway. Insurance note is important too: make sure the tender and engine are listed separately on the policy, as many policies exclude them from the definition of 'vessel'.