Vintage Sea-Toy

Black Pepper Yachts has redesigned the Tender 17, a small flat-bottom boat. With a nod to take on the clean lines of the fishing boats of the 70s, while incorporating some luxurious features.

The design

The profile of the Tender 17 is one of sober elegance, with a reduced freeboard, an almost straight deck edge and no annoying superstructure. The lines are pure and the shipyard’s design team was not content with a classic V-shaped hull: the step and side rib, combined with a sea-gull-wing shape with a large radius of curvature, characterize this boat.

The options

The Tender 17, with her teak deck and wooden steering wheel, has a classic feel; her stainless steel handrails also act as footrests. These are just some of a long list of options: the shipbuilder has provided many ways to personalize the boat, including a steering console and hardtop.

As for comfort, various sets of upholstery are on offer – forward sundeck, cockpit bench seat and aft locker. All mattresses can be stored on board thanks to the impressive volume of the front locker. The number and diversity of her fittings are unprecedented for a boat of this size – it’s certainly one of the strengths of this model along with the choice of color, steering console and various features of comfort and elegance.

At sea

Thanks to her pronounced chines and reduced wind resistance, the Tender 17 drifts very little and follows the trajectory set by the pilot perfectly.

At speeds of up to 7/8 knots, her hull generates very few waves, making it easy to cruise inland waters without damaging the shoreline or disturbing fishermen. Fuel consumption is very modest, with a range of over 6 hours on the standard tank. Given the reduced length of the hull and its light weight, it is not necessary to open the throttle much to get going. Heading into the wind with a small chop, the Tender 17 does not get wet and at full power, the boat approaches 30 knots. At this speed, steering becomes exhilarating: the Tender 17 seems to fly on the water. This boat is the ideal toy for the aesthete sailor in a hurry, requiring virtually no maintenance. Her featherweight makes her easy to launch and retrieve.

Ship building

The Tender 17 is made from dry fiberglass and resin. The process involves placing parts draped in dry glass cloth under vacuum in a mould closed by a tarpaulin, which are then impregnated under vacuum by injection of the required quantity of resin, which is sucked in by the vacuum created in the mould.

The hull and deck are built in separate moulds and then assembled manually by gluing and laminating.

The entire boat structure is first assembled by gluing and laminating in the hull. The whole structure is then coated and painted before adding the engine, electronic and electrical components, deck fittings, teak and other fittings.