Full aluminum. Fully anodised. Laser-welded. Zero maintenance.
No inflatable tubes — ever again.
Freedom from maintenance. Freedom from worry. Freedom from replacing UV-destroyed inflatable tubes every few years.
Tuff Tenders was born from a simple observation: inflatable tubes are a maintenance liability, not a feature. Cruisers spend thousands on retubing. Charter companies burn through budgets replacing degraded tenders. There had to be a better way.
The answer is marine-grade 5083 aluminum — laser welded, fully anodised to 25 microns, and wrapped in a protective foam rub rail. A tender that's stronger than any inflatable, lighter than you'd expect, and built to outlast the yacht it serves.
5083 marine aluminum can't be punctured by a dock cleat, holed by a crab pot, or shredded by coral. It takes impacts that would destroy an inflatable.
No inflation. No patches. No UV degradation. No $3,000-$4,000 retubing every 3-5 years. Wash it with seawater and walk away.
Anodised aluminum doesn't fade, crack, or delaminate. While inflatables go to landfill, your Tuff Tender keeps going. 100% recyclable at end of life.
Laser-welded seams. Full anodised finish. Flush-mount hardware. This isn't a utility dinghy — it's a superyacht-quality auxiliary vessel.
CE Category C rated for wind force 6 and 2m waves. Rigid hull means predictable handling — no soft tubes going limp in a seaway.
Higher upfront, dramatically lower over 10 years. An inflatable costs $15,000+ over a decade. The Tuff 280 costs its purchase price — period.
2.9 metres of precision-engineered marine aluminum. Every detail considered. Every weld laser-perfect. Every surface anodised to architectural grade.
50mm closed-cell EVA foam wrapped in heavy-duty Sunbrella marine canvas. Protects against docks, hulls, and pilings — while adding supplementary buoyancy.
4mm reinforced transom with 6mm backing plate. Rated for engines up to 15hp / 60kg. Short shaft mounting. Built to handle serious power.
Self-draining floor. Enclosed bow compartment. Under-seat storage. EVA anti-slip throughout. Flush-mount grab handles. Everything you need, nothing you don't.
The real price of a tender isn't what you pay at the dock. It's what you pay over a decade.
| Inflatable RIB | Tuff 280 | |
|---|---|---|
| Purchase Price | €5,000 | €4,500 |
| Annual Maintenance (Yr 1-3) | €500/yr | €0 |
| Retube (Year 4) | €3,500 | €0 |
| Annual Maintenance (Yr 5-7) | €500/yr | €0 |
| Retube (Year 8) | €3,500 | €0 |
| Resale Value (Year 10) | ~€500 | ~€2,000 |
| 10-Year Net Cost | €14,500 | €2,500 |
We can cut that by 60-80%. Aluminum tenders eliminate retubing entirely. No UV degradation. No punctures. No downtime. At fleet pricing, the ROI is measured in months, not years.
Request Fleet PricingThe Tuff 280 is currently in prototype development. Register your interest for priority access, fleet pricing enquiries, or distribution partnerships.