Peep into a very private waterworld

Orange leather and gleaming stainless steel are used throughout. Photo / Supplied

The latest creation of Auckland tender specialists makes colourful statement

Many of those who can afford a multimillion-dollar superyacht are fiercely protective of their privacy.

While this may be understandable, it can be frustrating for companies that help create these often stunning boats and the equipment and tenders that accompany them.

Although these businesses are immensely proud of their creations, the owners' insistence on anonymity means they cannot publicise their achievements in the way they would perhaps prefer.

One company that has, until now, kept very quiet about its considerable achievements is the little-known Henderson firm Vaudrey Miller Tenders.

Over the past few years, Vaudrey Miller Tenders has made a dozen innovative and very striking tenders for superyachts.

They range from the more conventional, such as RIBs and catamarans, to fully enclosed and sumptuously appointed "limousines".

Some are so individual that they almost defy description.

Their latest, featuring "high-fashion styling" by well-known and prolific designer Philippe Starck, is bound to turn heads wherever it appears. With a dramatic bright-orange swirl of cockpit set into the sleek, metallic silver lines of a high-speed RIB tender, this 10m creation is powered by twin Yanmar 6LPA diesel engines generating 315hp at 3800rpm and running through Mercruiser Bravo 1 stern drives.

Thanks, at least in part, to the racing boat technology of Ocke Mannerfelt, this striking-looking tender is reportedly capable of top speeds in excess of 45 knots.

Mannerfelt is a Swedish designer who has worked for the highly regarded Victory offshore powerboat racing team and is also responsible for several respectably fast "bat boat" designs.

Mannerfelt's deep-vee hulls have a well-proven speed and handling pedigree.

In this case they are enhanced by the RIB's inflatable tubes.

Comfort on board is assured by a pair of motion-absorbing race-style seats, upholstered in the cockpit's orange leather and complete with Parisian stitching.

Described as an "on-the-water sports car built for two" and designed to enable that duo to indulge in watersports, sightseeing and fast cruising, the tender boasts some noteworthy features.

The exhausts, for example, are set underwater and accompanied by extensive acoustic insulation to minimise any engine sound that reaches the cockpit.

The impressive all-over silver paint covers not just the hull, but the RIB tubes too.

How that is done so well is a secret that Vaudrey Miller Tenders guards closely. Even the anchor has received special treatment. Manufactured by the Vaudrey Miller team, it is finished in gleaming stainless steel and fits perfectly flush in the upper strakes of the bow.

The anchor winch is accessed through the round hatch in the foredeck.

While boarding or disembarking look, at first glance, to require the skills of a Cirque du Soleil dancer, this too has been taken care of by the design team: sections on either side of the cockpit fold out to become teak steps.

The cockpit includes a fridge, comprehensive sound system and discreet lighting for night use.

During the day, a padded sunbed in the rear cockpit is likely to get a fair amount of use, as is the fresh-water shower on the swim platform.

And that long foredeck is not just designed to keep the water out: the tender also features an interior accessed through a pantograph door and complete with twin settees, a double berth and a head.

The tender, which for reasons of privacy is referred to only as VMT014, has been constructed in female moulds using E-glass and carbon-fibre sandwich and the latest resin-infusion technology.

At last report, it was gracing the warm waters of the Caribbean where its owners - on their superyacht - are believed to be enjoying a luxurious and intensely private summer cruise.

Vaudrey Miller Tender

Moulded length: 10m
Waterline length: 88m
Max Beam: 3.05m
Displacement (light ship): 4275kg
Displacement (half load): 4430kg
Power: Twin Yanmar 6LPA-STP diesels
Horsepower: 630hp
Fuel capacity: 450 litres
Water capacity: 100 litres
Maximum speed: 52 knots

Find out more here.