Megayacht owners looking for a tender with real personality should consider the Noosa Launch. Built by Tasmanian wooden-boat builder Denman Marine, the Noosa Launch is as smart as it is sweet.
The project came about when an Australian buyer approached Denman Marine. He wanted a dayboat ideal for canal and river cruising. Specifically, he wanted a style similar to what’s known as the Noosa putt putt. A classic 20th-century boat, Noosa putt putts were so-named for how they chugged up the waterways of the Noosa region of Queensland.
Denman Marine approached David Payne Yacht Design for the initial hand-drawn concept. (On a related side note, David Payne is the curator of historic vessels for the Australian National Maritime Museum.) Denman Marine stretched the design to 22’10” (7 meters). It then tapped Imaginocean Yacht Design to apply modern computer design, and to allow the Noosa Launch to be built via CNC cutting.
The Noosa Launch combines time-honored wooden boatbuilding with modern epoxy composites. It also is an electric-powered boat, quieter and cleaner than the craft inspiring it. A battery bank charges the 3.5-kW electric motor. Denman Marine outfitted the Noosa Launch with solar panels on the hardtop, too. Those panels, and alternately shore power, can juice up the batteries. The electric motor should allow about nine hours of cruising.
Of course, a tender needs creature comforts, too. To that end, the Noosa Launch has plentiful shaded seating. Drop-down side curtains provide extra protection from the elements. An aft table and benchseat can accommodate six people. The table also lowers to form a daybed. Additional seating is forward to each side. A head (in the bow) and refrigerator are wisely included for convenience.
Imaginocean Yacht Design believes megayacht owners will naturally gravitate toward the Noosa Launch for her distinctive styling and engineering. It’s promoting the project as a fully custom build. It’s also working on a more contemporary-looking Noosa Launch.
Nicolae Bacila
wonderful design…it can be considered a ”dream boat”
I like it, one day I”ll build one. Nicolae