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A group charter is the trip where layout failures bite hardest. Eight to twelve adults of similar age, no children, three to five couples or a mix of couples and singles, and a brief that includes a sun-deck party every other night, three or four port stops, and at least one day where half the group wants the beach club and the other half wants the spa. Get the deck plan wrong and the group ends up in two halves on a small yacht; get it right and the boat absorbs the group into one trip.
We have ranked 10 yachts at €260,000 to €1,200,000 per week. Reviewed 38 candidates, pruned to 10. The Editor's Pick is a 47m Sanlorenzo SD96 because the deck flow is the strongest in the segment for a 10 to 12 guest group. The runner-up is a 50m Heesen because the sun deck is the largest per metre in the segment and the cinema seats 12.
How we ranked
For groups, sun deck volume and configurability is the most important factor. A group lives on the sun deck more than they live in the saloon. The second factor is the number of bar and lounging stations across decks: a yacht with one bar serves a 10-guest group poorly. The third is cabin equality. Group guests notice cabin disparity in a way family guests do not, because the implicit rank order of bedrooms is a social problem. The fourth is the cinema, because group dinner-and-cinema nights are the standard pattern. The fifth is at-anchor stabilizer behaviour because at 10 to 12 guests above deck the moment-of-inertia roll is meaningful.
We weighted sun deck at 25 percent, bar and lounging stations at 20 percent, cabin equality at 20 percent, cinema and shared interior spaces at 15 percent, at-anchor stabilizer behaviour at 10 percent, and crew tenure at 10 percent.
No. I — Editor's Pick: [VERIFY: 47m Sanlorenzo SD96 group charter name]
| Spec | Detail |
|---|---|
| LOA | 47.45m |
| Beam | 9.00m |
| GT | 499 |
| Year built | 2021 |
| Builder | Sanlorenzo |
| Guests | 12 in 6 cabins (cabin sizes within 6 percent of each other) |
| Crew | 11 |
| Rate | €350K to €410K per week, plus 30 percent APA |
| Verdict | Worth it |
The reason this is the Editor's Pick for groups is the cabin equality. Six lower-deck cabins designed to within 6 percent of each other in floor area, with two of the six having marginally better view geometry rather than being meaningfully larger. The on-deck master is the only outlier and works as the host cabin or rotates between couples on multi-week charters. Sun deck is 95 square metres with two distinct lounging stations and a bar. Cinema seats 10 in fixed and 2 on a sofa. Toy package supports the standard group brief: two Williams jet tenders, an inflatable trampoline (the social one), four SeaBobs, four e-foils, two paddleboards, a wakeboard tow tender, and a beach setup kit for one-island days.
What it is bad at: the gym is small for a group of 12, the spa is two-station, and the sun-deck spa pool seats six which is short for a 12-guest sundowner.
No. II — Runner-up: [VERIFY: 50m Heesen 50m group charter name]
| Spec | Detail |
|---|---|
| LOA | 50.00m |
| Year built | 2019 |
| Builder | Heesen |
| Guests | 12 in 6 cabins |
| Crew | 12 |
| Rate | €420K to €480K per week, plus 25 percent APA |
The sun deck is 110 square metres, the largest per metre of LOA in the segment. Two bars, two lounging zones, a dining station for 12, and a 5m by 2.5m spa pool. The cinema seats 14 in a dedicated room. Bar count across the boat is four: main saloon, beach club, sun deck, and the upper-deck aft. We rank it second because the cabin equality is slightly weaker than the Editor's Pick, the on-deck master is meaningfully larger than the lower-deck cabins, and the running cost reflected in APA settlement runs hot.
No. III — [VERIFY: 55m Amels 180 group charter name]
A 55m Amels with a six-cabin equal-spec layout, a 75 square metre sun deck, and a 13 crew complement. Rate band €495K to €565K plus 30 percent APA. The reason this ranks third is the rate-to-value: a 10 to 12 guest group at €530K per week is paying for the volume rather than for group-specific features, and the Editor's Pick covers the brief at €410K.
No. IV — [VERIFY: 60m Lürssen group charter name]
A 60m Lürssen with the right deck plan for a 12-guest party. Rate €750K to €830K plus 30 percent APA. Included because some group bookings run at flagship rate bands; ranked at IV rather than higher because at 60m the per-guest budget no longer scales for most groups.
No. V — [VERIFY: 45m Benetti 145 group-marketed charter name]
A 45m Benetti at the lower end of the band, €245K to €280K per week. The reason this ranks here is the 5-cabin layout limits the group to 10 guests rather than 12 and the sun deck is on the small side at 55 square metres. The reason it is on the list is the rate-to-value for a 10-guest group is the best on this guide.
No. VI — [VERIFY: 48m Heesen 48m group charter name]
A 48m Heesen with a six-cabin layout. Rate €310K to €360K. Strong sun deck, competent bar configuration, three lounging stations across decks. The reason it sits at No. VI is the cabin equality is poorer than the Editor's Pick and the cinema is a fold-down screen rather than a dedicated room.
No. VII — [VERIFY: 53m Trinity group charter name]
A 53m Trinity at the lower end of the larger-boat band. Rate €420K to €475K. The reason it ranks here is the build is competent rather than flagship-grade and the US deck plan favours the main saloon over the sun deck. Suits a group brief that runs to four or five port stops over a week rather than two long anchorages.
No. VIII — [VERIFY: 56m Westport 175 group charter name]
A 56m Westport at the lower end of the rate band for the size, €450K to €510K. US-flag, Caribbean-program. The reason this ranks at No. VIII is the deck plan is dated and the at-anchor stabilizer behaviour in beam swell is competent rather than excellent. Suits a Caribbean-week group brief specifically.
No. IX — [VERIFY: 42m Sunseeker 42m group charter name]
A 42m Sunseeker with a five-cabin sport interior. The reason this is on the list is the rate-to-fun ratio for a sportier group brief: think 8 to 10 guests in their late 20s and early 30s doing a 5-night port-hopping week rather than a 7-night anchorage week. Rate €185K to €220K.
No. X — [VERIFY: 65m Oceanco group charter name]
A 65m Oceanco with the volume and the toy package for a 12-guest party at scale. Rate €820K to €920K plus 30 percent APA. Included because some group bookings specifically want the volume. Ranks tenth because the per-guest spend stops scaling above 50m for most groups and the Editor's Pick covers the brief better.
Passed on
Passed: [VERIFY: 70m Codecasa group-marketed charter name]. Sun deck too small for a 12-guest party, dining program built around a main-deck dining room that does not seat 12 comfortably (seats 10 with a stretch), and the bar configuration is single-station.
Passed: [VERIFY: 43m sailing yacht group-marketed charter name]. Sailing yachts for a 10 to 12 guest party are a specific brief and the segment is small. The boat we considered is suitable for a sailing-experienced group only; we will publish a separate sailing-yacht ranking in Q3 2026 [link to /best/].
Passed: [VERIFY: 55m converted explorer group charter name]. Explorer yacht at a Mediterranean cruising rate. Wasted on a group week sitting in Porto Cervo.
Passed: [VERIFY: 50m+ marketed-as-charter brand new build group charter name]. Boat is new in 2026 and the crew is on its first season together. We would re-review for 2027. Some brokers are recommending it as a 2026 group charter on the strength of the spec sheet; the operation is not ready.
Frequently asked questions
What size yacht does a group of 10 need?
45 to 55m. Below 45m the sun deck is too small for 10 guests and the cabin count is short. Above 55m the per-guest spend stops scaling. The Editor's Pick at 47.45m is the right answer for most 10 to 12 guest group briefs.
How do we split the rate between guests in a group?
The contract is one signature. Internally most groups split equally per couple or per cabin. APA and gratuity are typically split per couple as well. The lead signer assumes responsibility on the MYBA contract and is the party of contact with the broker.
Should we charter for 5 nights or 7 nights?
7 nights is the convention and the rate is built on it. 5-night charters are available on a number of yachts at roughly 80 to 85 percent of the weekly rate. If the group includes guests flying in from different time zones, 7 nights is better. If the group is local, 5 nights with two travel-shoulder days at a port hotel works.
Can we do a one-way charter?
Yes. Boarding in Cannes and disembarking in Sardinia is normal at this size. Some yachts apply a delivery surcharge of €15K to €40K depending on the route. Some brokers will price-match the surcharge against a quiet shoulder week.
Where should a group go for the first charter?
Croatia in late June or early September is the strongest first-charter group destination. Short hops, anchorages that take a 47m yacht comfortably, a port-stop rhythm that works for a group, and rates that run 15 to 25 percent below the Western Mediterranean. The full breakdown is at /charter/croatia/.