If you are under the impression that in order to charter a Mediterranean yacht you need to be either a Premiership footballer or a Russian oligarch, then you are only partially correct.
While it is true that some luxury yacht charters in the Mediterranean are extremely expensive (with prices of more than 25,000 euros per person/week), there are alternatives which are far more affordable.
Although prices for Mediterranean charters will vary from place to place and from agent to agent, there are two main factors that will generally affect the price of Mediterranean motor-yacht rental.
The first of these factors is the nature of the rental agreement. Motor-yachts (like sailboats) can either be rented as ‘bareboats’, where only the boat itself is hired, or as ‘crewed-boats’, where the boat is hired along with its crew. The main differences between these two types of rental will be described presently.
The second of these factors is the size of the boat required. As a rule, the larger boats tend to offer far more living space per person and consequently their charter rates (per person) tend to be extremely high. The smaller vessels, on the other hand, tend to be far more compact in terms of living space, and are consequently amongst the most affordable boats to charter in the Mediterranean.
Motor Yacht Bareboat Charter in the Mediterranean
The most affordable method of Mediterranean motor-boat charter is to hire a ‘bareboat’. Don’t be alarmed by the terminology though, ‘bareboats’ aren’t literally ‘bare’. The term merely reflects the fact that these boats are ‘stripped’ of crew!
The consequence of this is that one of your group will have to take on the mantle of ‘skipper’. All ‘bareboat’ charter companies will require that the designated ‘skipper’ has some relevant experience, though the exact level of experience required will differ from location to location depending on factors such as weather and traffic.
Should no-one in your party qualify as ‘skipper’, you always have the option of hiring a professional. The charge per day for a professional ‘skipper’ tends to be in the region of 125 to 200 euros per day, though you will have to hire a boat with an extra berth for him/her.
Having your own professional ‘skipper’ offers a number of great advantages; he/she will have a great local knowledge and will be able to show you great sights that you would have never found on your own, he/she will also be able to help you gain the relevant ‘experience’ needed to become ‘skipper’ yourself.
As a rough guide, prices for ‘bareboat’ yacht charters in the Mediterranean will start at about 5000 euros per week for a 4 person, 2 cabin, motor-boat. Larger boats tend to work out more expensively per person, with a 6 person, 3 cabin, boat costing upwards of 10,000 euros per week.
Crewed Motor Yacht Charter in the Mediterranean
While most small boats tend to be chartered as ‘bareboats’, the majority of larger boats tend to be only available as ‘crewed’ boats. In many cases, this is because the owner of the boat will employ his crew full-time and it does not make economic sense for him to lease one without the other.
The fact that there is a crew to pay for naturally makes the rental price of these vessels higher, and one must also consider that food and drink are generally included in quoted prices. At the cheaper end of the market you will find a 10 person, 5 cabin motor-boat with 4 members of crew, available for hire for around 28,000 euros per week.
While this might seem expensive at 2,800 euros per head, it pales in comparison to other Mediterranean yachts of similar capacity and it is not uncommon to find boats with the same number of cabins rented for three times that amount.
The principal reason for the difference in price is that the more expensive options tend to offer their guests far larger and far more luxurious accommodation. They will also tend to have far more extras like gyms, Jacuzzis, and in-house cinemas.
