The price of a yacht charter depends on multiple inevitable factors. Boatico explains these factors, based on 20 years of sailing experience and gives you fair advice for the right choice. Find out why the prices of boat rentals vary so much and learn how to calculate the cost for your yacht charter, avoiding false decisions and overpricing.
- Basic types of yacht charters
- Size and brand of the boat rental
- Year of construction and equipment on board
- Destination price tips for your yacht charter
- Boatico´s trick when comparing boats
- Seasonal price differences when chartering a yacht
- Additional cost for the crew on board
- Hidden costs when chartering a boat
- Boat sharing – budget only for a cabin?
- Boatico´s basic yacht charter prices
Basic types of yacht charters
The first most important question is what type of watercraft do you want to rent at all? The price for a small sailing boat, a bigger catamaran, a fancy motor cruiser or a luxury yacht is completely different. To help you understand the differences check first the main Boat Types in our boat catalog.
Sailboat
A sailboat ( or sailing yacht ) is a monohull leisure craft which relies on the power of the wind for its propulsion. The sailing boat is a weight-stabilized vessel with a ballasted keel. Almost all of our sailing boats have one mast and two sails – mainsail and jib. Each sailing boat has also a diesel motor for mooring or moving further in zero wind weather conditions. There are 1-5 cabins on board, a kitchen and a saloon. Find more information about The Sailboat in our blog.
A smaller sailboat is a good idea to start with sailing and also a budget friendly solution. Prices start at 500 Euro per week.
Catamaran
A catamaran is a multi-hulled boat with two parallel hulls of equal size and a connected area in the middle. It is a geometry-stabilized boat – its stability comes from its wide beam and not from a ballasted keel. Sailing catamarans usually have one mast and two sailis. Each cat has 2 diesel engines, 1 on each corpus, used for maneuvering. There are also power catamarans in our portfolio – a boat with two hulls, but no sails – moving only by motor. There are 3 to 5 cabins on board, a comfortable cooking and dining area and a spacious deck.
A catamaran offers much more space and comfort than a sailboat – that’s why it is also more expensive. Prices start at 2.500 Euro per week.
Motorboat
A motorboat ( also powerboat or motor cruiser ) is a watercraft, powered by a diesel motor only. A motorboat can contain an inboard engine or have its engine(s) installed on the outside, containing the internal combustion engine, the gearbox and the propeller in one portable unit. There are small motorboats with no cabins (day boats ) or bigger boats with 1-3 cabins, suitable for a longer cruise. The motorboat is easier in handling, then vessels like the sailboat or the sail catamaran.
The motor boat is a sporty, fast and easy to maneuver watercraft, but also one that depends on a high additional budget for diesel. Prices start at 1.500 Euro per week.
Gulet
The gulet is a traditional turkish motor sailer. It is a bigger, old fashioned, wooden sailing vessel with two or three masts. Its size can vary from 14 to 35 meters, accommodating 6 – 24 passengers and 2 – 4 crew members on board. It is a popular cruising tourist yacht with a large, rounded stern area, perfect for lounging. For considerations of crew economy this watercraft is powered by a diesel engine and it is not properly rigged for sailing. Some of the gulets owners offer additionally a half board or full board on board.
Gulet rentals start at 11.000 euros per week and are perfect for a bigger family and friends group and an All-inclusive vacation.
Canal boat
Canal boats are perfect for a private cruising vacation, exploring canals and rivers on land. This watercraft is perfect for leisure and very easy to navigate. A canal boat is usually 10 – 15m long. Its engine is limited and can not exceed 10 km/h speed, that’s why you don’t need any license when chartering one. The boat has 2-5 cabins and a small kitchen on board. Chartering a canal boat is very popular in France, Holland and England. Read our blog about Canal Du Midi, the most famous river boat route in France.
Canal boats from our portfolio can be rented for 1000 Euro per week.
Motor yacht
A motor yacht is a bigger, more luxurious ship powered by powerful diesel motors. The main qualities of a motor yacht are speed, top technical equipment, stability and easy handling. These water crafts offer the maximum of comfort in the cabins, in the saloon and on deck. The size of a motor yacht starts at 35 feet, with only two cabins and can reach the size of a mega yacht 130+ Ft with 10 cabins, pool and helicopter landing deck. The luxury motor yachts are always crewed ( 2- 15 crew members).
The prices of the motor yacht charters in our catalog start at 10.000 Euro per week.
Size and brand of the boat rental
When you already have chosen the type of the boat, let say it is a sailing yacht, you will notice that the size of the yacht also matters. For example a 35 Foot Bavaria with 3 cabins would be cheaper to rent as a 45 Ft Bavaria with 4 cabins. Here you can make a decision easily, depending on how many passengers you will have on board. There is not much sense booking a vessel with 4 cabins and 8 beds if you are only 4 people on board.
The main rule here is – The bigger the boat, the more expensive it is. But also – On a bigger yacht would fit more passengers, so the calculation per person could be the same at the end.
There are also small price differences between the boat brands. As a main rule – the german boats like Bavaria and Hanse are more sporty, robust and cheaper in rental then french brands like Beneteau, Jeanneau, Dufour and Lagoon – they are more comfy and homey, but also a little more expensive. The Italians Ferretti and Azimut stand for quality, speed and high class expensive motor yachts.
Year of construction and equipment on board
Age of the watercraft
When a brand new vessel goes on water for the first timе, it is much more expensive to rent than a yacht that has been rented for a decade. The top quality of a new yacht, the technical specifications and the untouched interior reflect on the price of the vessel immensely.
There are companies, which are doing a complete refurbishing of their older yachts and prolonging the life of the vessel. In this case the customer feels comfortable even if the boat is already older than a decade. This is noted in the specifications on our webpage.
Equipment on board
The price for a yacht charter depends also on the equipment of the boat. For example, if two boats have the exact same age, size and brand, but the one is rented with a basic equipment and the other one has a water maker, a generator and an air conditioner – the second one will cost you more to rent than the boat with the simple execution. On the page of each boat in our catalog you will find the equipment list under “Full Specifications” right under the photos of the boat.
We recommend:
To find the perfect price balance between age and comfort we recommend looking for rentals not older than 5 years. In our opinion, this is an acceptable age for a yacht charter. If you want to save money or your budget doesn’t allow you a new yacht, you have to be ready to accept the traces of consumption on board.
Destination price tips for your yacht charter
The variety of sailing areas on Boatico.com is huge. We offer water crafts in 50 countries worldwide, based in over 290 marine bases. The prices of yacht charters do not vary so much because of the sailing destination, but because of the additional costs for marina fees and supply you will have to pay in some sailing areas.
Destination choice, based on the type of sailing vacation and its additional costs
There are sailing countries with great nautical infrastructure and perfectly organized marinas like Croatia for example. If you expect to have fresh water, electricity, food supply, bathrooms, shops and cafes on the marina you should consider that this will be an additional cost to calculate: 70 – 250 Euro per night on each marine base. Even in smaller bays there are already fees for a buoy overnight.
If you plan to stay more in wild bays and don’t really need a perfect marina with water and electricity supply you should choose Greece or Turkey – here you will pay less or nothing for moorings.
If you prefer good restaurants or clubbing at night, then you should sail on the Cote d’Azur or Ibiza. But consider that Spain and France have the highest marina prices in Europe and fancy prices in the restaurants.
If you are more adventurous and want to explore a completely different sailing area, you probably would charter a boat in Thailand or in the Caribbean, keeping in mind a much bigger budget for the flights.
Our recommendation:
Read our basic sailing information and price tips about the nine best sailing countries worldwide or make a good research for your sailing destination online, prior to the booking. Additionally to the price of the yacht charter, you should consider the prices for getting there first and the fees for the moorings and supply in the marinas.
Explore our sailing blogs about: Croatia, Greece, Spain, Italy, France and Turkey.
Boatico´s trick when comparing boats
Find the most important information about each yacht charter at a glance!
To be able to compare the boat prices quickly and efficiently we have a smart icon description on each boat card:
- Name / Brand, model
- Marina, Country
- Number of cabins
- Length
- Year of construction
- Price / Week
- Discount ( right upper corner )
- Number of berths ( beds )
Seasonal price differences when chartering a yacht
How long is the sailing season?
Well, this is different around the globe. The sailing season in the Mediterranean is 6 months, starts in April and ends in October. The sailing season in the Caribbean is January – Mai. On the Seychelles – the whole year long, except the rain season December – February. The best sailing time in Thailand is from November to April.
Yacht chartering in the High Season
The high season for sailing in the Mediterranean is July and August. The high season for a sailing trip in the Caribbean, Thailand or the Seychelles is February – April.
The price of a charter is most affected by the time in which you will make your vacation. Whatever yacht charter you will choose, in the high sailing season it will cost you double the money you would pay off season!
Off season prices
A yacht charter in Mai or October will be much cheaper than the same boat in the high season. In Italy this difference could be even 3 times. We recommend choosing June and September for sailing in Europe – it is warm enough, the prices are fair and the Best Sailing Routes are not overcrowded!
Booking time
The early bird bookings are for sure something that you have to take advantage of! From the middle of November until the end of January there are really Great Deals – up to 40% off the price for the next sailing season. On Boatico.com, these offers are marked in the upper right corner with the percentage of the discount on the particular boat.
Duration of the boat rental
The duration of a yacht charter is almost always a week – from Saturday to Saturday. That’s why all charter prices in our catalog are for one week. Rarely there are boats to be chartered on a daily basis and this will be more expensive then chartering the boat for a week. For a longer sail (10 days – 2 weeks) you will get an additional discount.
Additional cost for the crew on board
There is a big price difference between chartering a bareboat and chartering a yacht with a crew. Find a short explanation about the differences of hiring a crew.
What is a bareboat charter?
A bare boat charter is when the charterer is renting the watercraft only, no crew is hired on board. In this case the charterer has to provide a proper license for navigating the rented watercraft. He is the skipper and is taking the full responsibility for the yacht and the passengers on board.
In the case of hiring a bare boat, you actually skip the cost for the crew.
Hiring a Skipper
When you plan to book a boat for your vacation, but you don’t own a boating license you will have to book a professional skipper to navigate the yacht. BOATICO´s service includes finding a skipper and connecting him with the charterer. The honorar has to be paid directly to the skipper or on the marine base, in the office of the boat operator. Find all Tips & tricks when hiring a skipper in our blog.
The cost for renting a skipper varies between 1.050 and 1.500 Euro per week or 200 Euro per day, depending on the rented watercraft, the destination and the sailing season.
Hiring a Skipper and a Hostess
For more comfort on board and a carefree vacation there is the possibility to book a skipper and a hostess on board. The hostess is responsible for the shopping of the food supply, cooking, cleaning, serving and also helps the skipper when mooring the boat. The booking of the hostess is a separate business and has to be paid directly to her or in the yacht charter office in the marina before leaving the port.
The cost for renting a hostess varies between 900 and 1.200 Euro per week or 150 Euro per day, depending on the charter company.
Chartering a crewed yacht
In this case you can charter the watercraft with the crew on it only. The yacht can not be charted as a bareboat. The crew on a bigger yacht normally includes 3-10 people – skipper, handling crew, hostess, cleaning, a chef and kitchen crew.
The cost for the crew on a luxury crewed yacht is always included in the price. It is common for the charterer to provide tips for the staff.
Hidden costs when chartering a boat
A big and very important part of each boat vacation is the planning before – destination, supply, crew, weather, the route etc. But the planning of your budget is essential. To be able to skip unpleasant surprises we put together the main additional costs which would come up and you also have to calculate. Check for example the additional cost for a Cancelation Insurance of your boat trip.
Boat sharing – budget only for a cabin?
What is cabin charter?
There is a trend of boat sharing in recent years, especially for young people and singles. Some of our partners operate their boats on a cabin charter basis. This means you would book just one cabin, for one or two people. In this case, you have to be ready to share the boat with other guests which you don’t know.
Just a cabin rent or an All-inclusive boat trip
The booking can be a cabin charter only or a cabin rent, including also food and beverages – All inklusive. This type of bookings are usual in Turkey on a Gulet or in the Caribbean on a catamaran. A trip like this is fully organized, the boat is with crew and there are no additional fees to pay.
In this case you will pay a fixed sum between 1.000 and 3.000 Euro ( depending on the destination ) and skip the charter deposit, skipper fee, supplies and organization of the trip.
Contact office@boatico.com if you want to book a cabin!
BOATICO`s basic yacht charter prices
Sail boat, 2004 in Croatia or Greece
38 ft, 6 passengers, off season, no skipper
from 500 Euro / week
Sail boat, 2020 in Croatia or Greece
38 ft, 6 passengers, high season, with skipper
from 3.500 Euro / week
Sail boat – 2018 in Thailand
45 ft, 8 passengers, high season, no skipper
from 4.500 Euro / week
Catamaran – 2010 Croatia or Greece
40 ft, 8 passengers, off season, no skipper
from 2.500 Euro / week
Catamaran – 2020 in the Mediterranean
40 ft, 8 passengers, high season, with skipper
from 7.000 Euro / week
Motor boat – 2018 in Italy
30 ft, 2 passengers, high season, no skipper
form 3.700 Euro / week
Motor yacht – 2012 in Spain
43 ft, 4 passengers, high season, with skipper
form 8.400 Euro / week
Catamaran – 2020 in the Caribbean
38 ft, 8 passengers, high season, no skipper
from 4.000 Euro / week
Gulet – 2018 in Turkey
50 ft, 12 passengers, after season, with crew
from 14.000 Euro / week
Canal boat – 2017 in France
35 ft, 4 passengers, pre season, no license needed
from 1.200 Euro / week
Crewed Luxury Yacht – 2018 Worldwide
50ft +, 8 passengers, all year
from 25.000 Euro / week
Now, after you know everything about the prices of yacht charters – Go ahead and Choose the best boat for your dream vacation! We will support you from the beginning till the end of your journey!
