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There are four size lines in the charter market that matter. 35m. 50m. 70m. 90m. Below 35m the boat is a sailing yacht or a motor yacht with limited at-anchor stabilization and a small crew. Between 35 and 50m the yacht is the entry of the full charter spec sheet. Between 50 and 70m the helipad and a meaningful beach club become standard. Above 70m the yacht starts to behave like a small ship, with the operating profile and the access constraints that come with that. Above 90m the yacht goes places few destinations are sized for.
If you remember nothing else from this page, remember the lines. The weekly rate jumps disproportionately across them. So does the access map. So does the experience.
The four lines, by the spec sheet
Below 35m LOA. Sailing yachts and motor yachts at this size carry 8 to 10 guests in 4 to 5 cabins, with a crew of 3 to 6. Draft is shallow (typically 1.8 to 2.8m on a motor yacht, 2.5 to 3.8m on a sail boat with a lifting keel). Tender capacity is limited. No helipad. At-anchor stabilizers are not standard below 30m. The weekly rate runs 40,000 to 120,000 dollars in the Mediterranean and 35,000 to 100,000 dollars in the Caribbean. This is the entry to crewed yacht charter.
35 to 50m LOA. The volume tier. 10 to 12 guests in 5 to 6 cabins. Crew of 6 to 11. Draft 2.5 to 3.5m on most motor yachts. At-anchor stabilizers are standard above 38m on modern builds. A beach club is now common, opening from the transom. Tender garage holds two tenders and water toys. Weekly rates 150,000 to 350,000 dollars in the Med, 130,000 to 300,000 in the Caribbean.
50 to 70m LOA. The "this is a real charter yacht" tier. 12 guests in 6 cabins, often with a separate master deck. Crew of 12 to 18. At-anchor and underway stabilizers both standard. Full gym. Meaningful beach club. Helipad in touch-and-go configuration on most builds. Tender garage handles three tenders, a jet ski, and a paddleboard rig. Weekly rates 300,000 to 600,000 dollars in the Med, 280,000 to 550,000 in the Caribbean.
70 to 90m LOA. The flagship tier. 12 guests in 6 to 7 cabins (the guest cap stays at 12, but the rooms get larger). Crew of 18 to 28. Certified helideck on many. Multiple beach club zones. Submersible space on some. Owner's deck typically off-limits in charter and replaced by an additional VIP. Weekly rates 600,000 to 1,200,000 dollars in the Med, 550,000 to 1,100,000 in the Caribbean.
Above 90m LOA. A different conversation. 12 guests, 30 plus crew, helicopter, submersible, sometimes a second tender boat trailing the main yacht. Weekly rates 1,200,000 to 2,400,000 dollars and up. Inventory is thin. Some yachts in this band are owner-operated and not chartered at all.
The guest math, properly
The MYBA charter rule is 12 guests overnight. This is the legal cap, set by SOLAS (Safety of Life at Sea) for commercial charter yachts. It applies regardless of yacht size, regardless of cabin count. A 90m yacht with 8 cabins still takes 12 overnight guests.
If you have 13 or 14 guests, you have three options. Reduce to 12. Charter a private (non-commercial) yacht and operate under different rules, which limits where you can go and how the yacht can be paid. Or charter a yacht with a passenger-vessel certificate (PYC), which raises the overnight cap to 36 but limits inventory to a small handful of yachts globally.
Most charter clients arrive at the math with 6 to 10 guests. The right yacht size for those numbers:
6 guests: 30 to 45m motor yacht, 27 to 40m sailing yacht. The master sleeps the lead couple, the rest fits comfortably in standard cabins.
8 guests: 38 to 55m motor yacht, 32 to 45m sailing yacht. Cabin layouts open up. Two VIP cabins become standard.
10 guests: 45 to 65m motor yacht. Below 45m, the rooms feel tight.
12 guests: 50 to 90m motor yacht. The 12-guest configuration on a 50m is workable but tight. On a 70m it is comfortable. On a 90m it is generous to the point of unused space.
The destination draft check
The single most overlooked filter. A 70m yacht with a 4m draft cannot enter most of the better Bahamian anchorages, which top out at 3.5m. The yacht has to anchor offshore in the deeper water and run guests in by tender. That changes the trip. Same with parts of the Cyclades, parts of the Croatian islands, and any anchorage protected by a sandbar.
The draft limits worth knowing:
Bahamas, Exumas: 3.0 to 3.5m for the better inside anchorages. 4.5m if you stay outside. BVI: 3.5 to 4.5m for the main anchorages. Cyclades: 3.0 to 4.0m for the protected coves; deeper roadsteads work for larger yachts. Croatian Dalmatian coast: 3.5 to 5.0m, broadly fine for most charter yachts. Côte d'Azur: depths drop quickly; most yachts up to 90m anchor without issue. Sardinian Costa Smeralda: 3.5 to 5.0m for the named anchorages, with a few that take deeper. Norwegian fjords: depths are not the constraint; mooring infrastructure is.
If the destination is the Bahamas and the brief is "we want a 75m yacht because we are eight guests and want the helipad," the helipad will not save the trip if you spend half of each day tendering to and from the yacht. Drop a size line.
The amenity threshold check
What amenities will the group actually use?
At-anchor stabilizers: useful if any guest is prone to motion sickness or if the trip involves more than one open-water anchorage. Standard above 38m, optional below.
Beach club: useful if the group includes anyone who actually swims off the back of the yacht and uses water toys. Almost universal above 45m on modern builds.
Helipad in touch-and-go configuration: useful if you intend to fly guests on and off mid-charter. Otherwise decorative. Common above 50m.
Certified helideck: useful only if you actually have a helicopter operator booked. Otherwise it is a 70m bragging right. Common above 75m.
Gym: most charter clients use it twice. Some never.
Spa room with massage table: more useful than the gym, in our experience.
Submersible: a single charter use is impressive once. The booking and certification chain involves the operator, the country of operation, and at least one international permit per submersible dive. Rarely justifies the size step up.
Cinema room: useful if the group includes children who will tolerate a movie night on day three or four when energy is low.
The crew ratio
Crew per guest tells you most of what you need to know about service density.
Below 35m: 1 crew per 2 guests. 35 to 50m: 1 crew per 1.2 to 1.5 guests. 50 to 70m: 1 crew per 1 guest, often slightly better. 70 to 90m: 1.5 to 2 crew per guest. Above 90m: 2 to 3 crew per guest.
If service density is the thing the group cares about, the jump from 50 to 70m is the most defensible upgrade. Above 70m you are paying for additional crew per guest that few guests notice in practice.
The size mistakes we see
Charter clients book too much yacht roughly 60 percent of the time, in our reading of post-trip feedback. The most common mistakes:
Booking a 70m yacht for 6 guests because the broker said the rate was "good value." It is not value if four cabins are unused and the yacht is too big for the destination anchorages.
Booking a 50m yacht for 12 guests because the cabin count was sufficient on paper. Twelve people in a 50m yacht is tight at all moments other than the deck during the day. The dining table seats 12 with the leaves in. The salon does not.
Booking a sail boat in the Caribbean because the family wanted "the sailing experience" and then realizing on day two that no one wanted to actually sail. The captain hoisted sail for one hour on day three and dropped it. The rest of the week was motor.
Booking a 70m yacht for the BVI. Possible. Not enjoyable for most groups. The BVI rewards smaller yachts.
The rate math, all-in
Take the base weekly rate. Add 30 percent APA on a Med charter or 25 percent on a Caribbean charter (the APA explained page covers why). Add 10 to 15 percent gratuity (covered on how to tip yacht crew). Add VAT in the Med (jurisdiction-dependent, typically 7 to 22 percent, and often partially structured around the cruising plan).
Worked example, 50m Med charter at 350,000 base: APA at 30 percent: 105,000. Gratuity at 10 percent: 35,000. VAT at 13.5 percent average across the cruising plan: 47,250. All-in: 537,250 dollars for the week.
Same yacht in the Caribbean at 320,000 base: APA at 25 percent: 80,000. Gratuity at 13 percent: 41,600. No VAT in most charter jurisdictions. All-in: 441,600 dollars.
The Med charter is about 20 percent more expensive all-in for the same yacht. Worth knowing when comparing.
FAQ
What is the maximum number of guests on a charter yacht? 12 guests overnight on a MYBA-compliant charter, regardless of yacht size.
What size yacht do I need for 8 guests? A 35 to 45m motor yacht or 30 to 40m sailing yacht. Below 35m motor, the master gets tight.
What does LOA mean on a yacht? Length Overall, the actual length from bow to stern. The dimension that drives marina fees and pricing tiers.
Is a bigger yacht always better? No. Bigger yachts cannot enter many of the better anchorages in the Bahamas, Cyclades, and Croatia due to draft.
How much does a 50m charter yacht cost per week? 300,000 to 500,000 dollars base in the Med, all-in 430,000 to 750,000 with APA and gratuity.
What is the smallest yacht worth chartering with a crew? 24m. Below that, the crew is two people and the cabin layout compromises start to matter.