Vanquish Yachts designed its Vanqraft 16 (V16) as a Mini-Me tender with serious family resemblance. Tom Steentjes, founder of the Dutch yard, created the V16 after a client remarked that the only tenders for larger yachts were RIBs and the main toys seemed to be limited to personal watercraft. That’s why the V16 fits into the garage of the Vanquish VQ75.
“I decided to combine a tender and a water toy with the same lines as the bigger yachts,” Steentjes says.
LOA 16’6″ & MAX HP 260
The jet drive on the V16’s 200 hp Yamaha is flush with the hull bottom, making the tender easy to load into the garage. At the same time, that Yamaha engine delivers a top-end speed of 40 knots, with a Veloce 260 hp supercharged version pushing the speed closer to 50 knots.
The fiberglass planing hull, with carbon-fiber reinforcements, performs like a go-kart, Steentjes says. The rail down the center is for more than just aesthetics: It lets the six guests hold on tight during fast doughnuts.
SUPER TENDER
At nearly $100,000, the V16 is not the least expensive 16-footer on the water. But the hull, upholstery and Flexiteek decking can be dressed in the same colors as the mothership.
