A liveaboard tender in West Papua is a lifeline, not an accessory: it moves every guest, every dive, every provision run between ship and shore. We build tenders and expedition support craft matched to your davits, your guest flow and West Papua sea conditions, and deliver them ready to work in Raja Ampat.
What a liveaboard tender must do in West Papua
On a Raja Ampat itinerary the tender works harder than the mothership. It runs three or four dive shuttles a day, lands guests on beaches with no jetty, collects provisions in Waisai, and does it all in current, chop and squalls. When it breaks, the trip breaks. So the design brief starts from reliability and recoverability: engines with parts support reachable from Sorong, fittings a crew can repair at anchor, and a hull that tolerates hard daily use including the occasional unplanned meeting with a reef flat.
The second half of the brief is the mothership itself. A tender that cannot be lifted, stowed and launched quickly by your actual crew on your actual davits is the wrong tender, whatever its other virtues.
Matching the mothership: davits, lifting points, stowed dimensions
We design backwards from the lifting system. Davit or crane safe working load, hook height, reach and sling geometry set the tender’s maximum weight and beam before any styling discussion. Lifting points are engineered into the structure — not welded on afterwards — and positioned so the boat hangs level with engines fitted. Stowed dimensions are checked against chocks, side clearances and crew walkways. Where documentation on an older vessel is unreliable, we measure on board first. Test lifts with the finished tender are part of handover, and our size and spec guide shows how weight scales across the 7–12 m range.
Open, semi-cabin and cabin configurations
Open tenders maximise deck and minimise weight — the default for pure dive shuttling. Semi-cabin layouts add a helm shelter and dry stowage for cameras, radios and first-aid kit, a meaningful upgrade in squall season. Full cabin configurations suit longer transfers and crew runs, and can carry a compact air-conditioned space where the operational case justifies the weight and power draw.
Dual-role tender and supply variants
Many owners get more value from a tender that converts to a supply boat: removable seating, a reinforced cargo sole, tie-down rails and a freight-friendly gate turn the same hull into the vessel that moves drums, provisions and staff. For remote itineraries this dual role often pays for the boat — the heavier end of that spectrum lives on our workboats page.
Expedition chase boats and landing-craft-style tenders
Expedition operations add two more shapes. Chase boats — fast, seaworthy, long-legged — escort the mothership on passages, run ahead for logistics, and extend the dive range beyond the anchorage; our RIB tender page covers the shock-mitigation end of that brief. Landing-craft-style tenders with bow ramps put guests, equipment and even small vehicles directly onto unprepared beaches, which for film crews, science programs and remote resort construction is the difference between possible and not — the reef-country design details are on our draft and weather protection page.
Power options: solar, batteries and quiet running at anchor
Expedition support craft increasingly carry their own power budget: solar on the hardtop, a proper lithium or AGM bank, and DC systems sized so instruments, radios, fridges and lighting run silently at anchor without a generator. We size these systems from your actual loads rather than brochure optimism, and design engine charging, solar and shore feeds to work together. Quiet running matters in Raja Ampat — for guests, for wildlife, and for the simple sanity of a crew living aboard.
Build supervision and test lifts before handover
Construction runs at the Indonesian partner yard best matched to the material and craft class, under a contract issued by PT Komodo Galangan Nusantara, with milestone reports and supervised inspections through the build — the full path is in our commissioning guide. Sea trials verify loaded performance, and for davit-carried tenders we complete test lifts against your lifting gear before the boat is accepted. Delivery is to Sorong, Waisai or directly to your vessel’s operating area, with crew familiarisation included.
To scope a tender or support craft, message the desk with your mothership details, davit rating, guest numbers and itinerary pattern: WhatsApp +62 811-3823-875 or sales@komodoluxury.com. Indicative USD ranges are in the cost guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
What boat designs work best as liveaboard tenders in West Papua?
Liveaboard tenders in West Papua generally benefit from robust hulls that handle chop, protected bow entries for guests, flexible seating, and good fuel efficiency over repeated short shuttles. We help you choose or adapt a design (open, semi-cabin, or cabin) to your mother vessel’s davits or crane limits and then coordinate the build at a partner yard with delivery to Raja Ampat.
Can you help coordinate a tender build that matches the davits on my expedition yacht?
Yes, matching weight, lifting points, and hull geometry to your yacht’s davits is a key part of the design brief. We gather your davit specs, liaise with designers and the yard to ensure structural reinforcement and correct lifting hardware, then oversee construction and test lifts before the tender is delivered for Papua operations.
Can you coordinate building a tender that doubles as a supply and logistics boat?
Yes, many operators combine guest tender duties with supply runs, so the design may need removable seating, cargo-friendly deck space, and robust fendering. We help you define these dual roles clearly and ensure the yard’s structural and layout decisions support both passenger comfort and heavy-use logistics in your Raja Ampat operations.
Can I specify solar panels and extra batteries on a Papua expedition support boat?
Yes, solar and expanded battery banks can reduce generator hours and provide quiet power for fridges, lighting, and electronics in remote anchorages. We work with the yard and electrical specialists to size and integrate panels, charge controllers, and storage properly so they stand up to the tropical environment and your load profile.
Can I get a custom-built emergency/medevac-capable boat for Raja Ampat?
You can design a boat with a clear stretcher area, easy access, good shade, and reliable speed for emergency runs toward Sorong, while still using it day to day for normal operations. We help integrate those emergency-use features into the layout and systems without compromising its role as a regular tender or support craft.
Raja Ampat Boat Builder Desk — a specialist maritime brand under Juara Holding Group. Construction contracts issued by PT Komodo Galangan Nusantara. WhatsApp +62 811-3823-875 · sales@komodoluxury.com