WB14 limousine tender: a blend of style, high performance and on board safety
The new WB14 limousine tender by Wooden Boats, set up by Marco Arnaboldi, in Viareggio, combines classic styling with advanced composites for good looks and high performance.
Custom designed and built for a megayacht by a premium Italian shipyard, the 14-metre tender has now completed her sea trails and is due to join the mothership. The sleek, low-slung exterior styling of the WB14, designed by Giorgio Cassetta, with its forward helm station and aft guest cockpit is typical of traditional Venetian taxi boats, with two generous sofas to fully enjoy the navigation. The interior design is also by Giorgio Cassetta.
The sunken deckhouse is accessed via four steps and provides comfortable seating for up to 14 guests in the teak-lined, leather-upholstered and fully air-conditioned interior. The sightlines when seated are at the same height as the side windows and sliding glass skylights ensure plenty of natural light and ventilation flood the interior, allowing guests to feel in direct contact with the surrounding environment. LED lights mean that various lighting scenarios can be selected and smart details include the fold-down seat backs with glass holders.
Last but not least, a very topical issue today, the automatic sanitization by means of an ozone system produced by Proteasrl, another family company. This special system ensures automatic sanitization on board after each use.
One technical aspect that Arnaboldi is particularly proud of is the patented launch and retrieval system that has been built into the tender. Furthermore, the entire superstructure can be lowered to adapt to the height of the garage of two metres, and then be raised to ensure the average internal height during use. “Tender operations can be tricky for the crew when conditions are less than ideal”, says Arnaboldi. “So we engineered three self-winding winches, two aft and one forward, into the design. All the crew have to do is hook on the crane cables and then use the synched remote controls to safely winch the tender up to the right height and the gantry crane retracts into the side-loading garage on the mothership.”
Technical specifications
LOA: 14 m
Max beam: 3.53 m
Draft: 0.6 m
Displacement (dry): 7,200 kg
Engines: 2 x Yanmar 370 hp with stern drives
Max speed: 40 knots
Cruising speed: 34 knots
Range: 200 nm
Capacity: 14 passengers
