Definition
A beachlander is a tender built with a fold-down bow ramp so guests can step from the boat directly onto sand or shoreline without wading. The hull form runs to a shallow forefoot and protected running gear, allowing the boat to nose up to the beach, drop the ramp, and disembark in dry shoes.
Background and use
The beachlander concept comes out of the LCM (landing craft, mechanised) tradition, scaled down and refined for guest use. Wajer, Pascoe, Sea Force IX, and a handful of custom yards now offer the configuration in 8-12 metre lengths. The ramp is hydraulic, sealed against the hull when raised, and weight-rated to take a wheeled cooler or a guest with a wheelchair. Some include a winch for recovering a beached jet ski or paddleboard kit.
In tender programmes the beachlander earns its place on yachts that cruise the Bahamas, the Mediterranean lagoons, the West Mediterranean coves, and the South Pacific. Anywhere the chart shows beach approaches without a dock, the boat that can drop a ramp eliminates the wet-step problem that limousine and open tenders impose. Owners who entertain elderly guests or who run beach picnics as a regular charter feature often spec a beachlander as the primary day boat rather than a secondary novelty.
The trade-off is range and offshore comfort. The flatter forefoot that allows beaching also pounds in any chop above one metre, and most beachlanders top out at 25-30 knots. They are not a substitute for a fast guest tender; they sit alongside one.
Related considerations
- Confirm beach surveys before deploying; even sand beaches have submerged rocks and shelving that punishes a flat hull.
- Ramp seals are a maintenance item; saltwater ingress around the hinge is the most common failure mode.
- Garage stowage is awkward because of the bow geometry; some yachts carry beachlanders on deck under a chock-and-cover arrangement.
- Check classification: most beachlanders run as private craft, but commercial certification under the MCA Workboat Code is possible if charter use demands it.
- Outboard or sterndrive propulsion is common; jets are less suited because the inlet sits in the impact zone.