How Much Does it Cost to Charter a Yacht in 2025?

How much does it cost to charter a yacht in 2025?

The honest answer is: anywhere from £700 per week to £500,000 per week. Charter pricing spans an extraordinary range, from a compact bareboat sailboat in Croatia to a 90-metre superyacht in Monaco. Understanding what you get at each price point — and what you don't — is the first step to booking the right holiday.

Bareboat charter prices by size and destination

A bareboat charter means you hire the boat without crew. You are the skipper. Here's what you can expect to pay across the most popular destinations:

35ft monohull sailboat

• Croatia (Split/Trogir): £700–1,000 per week
• Greece (Ionian/Athens): £800–1,100 per week
• Turkey (Bodrum): £650–950 per week

40ft monohull sailboat

• Croatia: £900–1,400 per week
• Greece: £1,000–1,600 per week
• Spain (Palma, Alicante): £1,100–1,700 per week

45ft catamaran

• British Virgin Islands: £2,500–4,000 per week
• Greece: £2,000–3,200 per week
• Croatia: £1,800–2,800 per week
• Seychelles: £2,800–4,200 per week

Prices above are for the boat only, in shoulder season (May, June, September). Peak season (July–August) typically adds 20–40%.

What's included in the charter fee

A standard bareboat charter fee includes:

• The boat and all onboard equipment
• GPS chartplotter, VHF radio, safety equipment
• Dinghy and outboard motor
• Liferaft, flares and first aid kit
• Sails, winch handles, fenders, dock lines

What is NOT included — the additional costs

This is where budgets frequently unravel. The headline charter fee is only part of the story:

Security deposit: £1,500–5,000, held against damage. Returned in full at check-in if no damage. You can purchase a damage waiver from the charter company (typically £150–300 per week) to reduce your liability to zero.

Fuel: Budget £50–100 per day for a motorboat, £20–40 per day for a sailing yacht (for motoring in/out of harbour and calm patches). More in peak season if you cover distance.

Provisioning: Food and drink for the week. Budget £150–200 per person per week for Mediterranean provisioning. Supermarkets in Split, Lefkada and Marmaris are excellent and inexpensive.

End-cleaning fee: Most charter companies charge £100–250 if you don't return the boat clean. Worth paying — saves hours of work.

Marina fees: Variable. Small Croatian harbours charge £20–50 per night. Anchor for free in most bays. Greek island marinas (Mykonos, Santorini): £80–200 per night. Ibiza and Sardinia marinas in peak season: £200–500 per night.

Outboard fuel: Budget £20–30 for the week for the dinghy outboard.

APA for crewed charters

On a crewed or luxury charter, the Additional Provisioning Allowance (APA) is paid in advance and covers all running costs: fuel, food, wine, marina fees and crew gratuity. The APA is typically 30–35% of the base charter fee. Unspent funds are returned at the end of the charter; overspending is settled at disembarkation.

Sample total costs per person (group of 8)

Charter type	Base charter	Extras	Total	Per person
Croatia bareboat sailboat	£1,200	£2,200	£3,400	~£425
Greek Islands catamaran	£2,500	£3,500	£6,000	~£750
BVI catamaran	£3,500	£4,500	£8,000	~£1,000
French Riviera crewed 60ft	£8,000	£6,000 APA	£14,000	~£1,750

How to save money

Sail in shoulder season: May, June and September are 20–30% cheaper than peak July–August, with better winds and fewer crowds.

Choose less fashionable bases: Biograd (Croatia) vs Split saves £100–200 per week. Lefkada (Greece) vs Athens saves £150+.

Go bareboat: A skippered charter adds £150–300 per day. Gain your ICC and halve the total cost.

Book early: Most charter companies open bookings in October for the following season. The best boats at the best prices go first.

Security deposit and damage waiver

Every bareboat charter requires a security deposit, held by credit card pre-authorisation at check-in. The standard deposit is:

• 35–38ft boat: £1,500–2,500
• 40–45ft boat: £2,500–4,000
• 45ft+ catamaran: £3,000–5,000

A damage waiver (sometimes called Collision Damage Waiver or CDW) reduces or eliminates your financial liability for accidental damage. At £150–300 per week, it's worth it for peace of mind — particularly for first-time bareboaters.

Browse charter destinations and get a quote to start planning your trip.