BACK TO BASICS YACHT TOYS By Josh Richardson CEO Superyacht Tenders & Toys At Superyacht Tenders and Toys we are always at the forefront of new toys and services coming into the industry, whether this is new inflatables, foiling surfboards, jetskis or submersibles. We are often approached by new inventors and established manufacturers and asked to comment and assist in the design and sales of these. This has led to mixed results, with some products proving highly popular and a runaway success, and some which simply never come up to standard. In this industry there is a focus on high end, expensive new toys. There is an increasing trend among yachts that they demand toys which provide as large a thrill as possible, with the minimal amount of skill for instant gratification. As watersports enthusiasts and former instructors ourselves we hope that the industry does not become overrun with new battery powered toys but that
the simple life of wind sports and just getting out on the water and learning a new skill, enjoying the peace it has to offer does not get lost. There is a lot of noise in the industry where everyone tells you that you must have the next best thing, as owners are often seeking the latest and greatest toys to play on. Almost on a weekly basis we are asked to provide info to the leading yachting titles on the ‘hottest new toys’. This can be difficult as toys rise and wane in popularity and often the hype is great but the reality fails to live up to expectations. One such new toy which springs to mind is the electric surfboards which are on many yacht shopping lists. They have sold well over the last 4 years, with a short dip in orders due to Lampuga going into administration in 2017. There are undoubtedly many happy clients out there, however there are also a number of dissatisfied ones who have had maintenance issues with the boards. Recently we received two boards from a well-known new electric surfboard manufacturer, costing €15k each, and when we test rode these they simply did not perform, giving only 10 knots speed at best with other issues on top. This meant that we had no choice but to send these back to the manufacturer and refund the client as we could not recommend them as able to perform as advertised. There is a real danger here of believing all the hype around a new toy and offering clients the latest and greatest new thing but that toy not being able to perform as expected. Often