How much does a one-week catamaran charter really cost?

For 4–6 guests in the shoulder season on a 45–50 ft catamaran in the BVI or Greece, a fully-loaded bareboat week lands around $13k–$22k all-in (base + skipper + provisioning + cleaning + fuel + gratuity). A crewed week on the same size boat runs $28k–$48k, of which roughly 25% is the APA (Advance Provisioning Allowance, refundable against actual spend). Peak-season weeks run 20–45% higher.

What is APA on a crewed catamaran charter?

APA stands for Advance Provisioning Allowance. On a crewed charter the captain is given a float (typically 20–30% of the base fee) before the trip to cover food, drinks, fuel, marina fees, dockage and any extras. At the end of the week the captain accounts for every dollar and refunds the unused balance — or asks for more if you blew through it. It is not a tip.

Do I need a skipper on a bareboat charter?

That depends on the country and your experience. The BVI, USVI and Bahamas accept an ICC or RYA Day Skipper for charterers with daytime sailing experience. Greece, Croatia, Italy and Turkey technically require a sailing CV and often a check-out sail with the base. If you are new to chartering we always suggest adding a professional skipper for your first week — figure $200/night or roughly 12% of base, whichever is higher.

Is gratuity included in the charter price?

No. Crew gratuity is a separate, customary line — 10–15% of base is the industry standard for crewed charters, paid in cash at the end of the week. Bareboat charters don't take a gratuity; the base charter company fee covers delivery, cleaning and check-in. We surface gratuity as a separate line in the calculator so the total is honest.

Interactive tool · 60-sec result

Catamaran Charter Budget Calculator

Real all-in costs — base, skipper, APA, provisioning, cleaning, gratuity. Built from 348 verified weekly bands.

Question: How much will my charter really cost, all-in?

ID: budget-calculator

Tell us about your charter

Ten inputs — we split the cost into base, skipper, APA, provisioning, cleaning and gratuity so nothing hides in a lumped number.

Who is sailing?

Adults Kids (under 12) Nights

Where are you sailing?

Region Country

Boat & crew

Catamaran

What we publish verified bands for

Monohull

No verified bands — catamaran reference figures

Motor yacht

No verified bands — catamaran reference figures

Peak

Christmas–Easter (Caribbean) / Jun–Aug (Med)

Shoulder

May / Nov (Caribbean) / May / Sep–Oct (Med)

Off

Hurricane-risk window / winter closures

Bareboat

You sail it, you provision it

Crewed

Captain + hostess handle the boat

Skipper & provisioning

No skipper

You hold the required license

Optional

I might add one (checkbox below)

Required

Local rules or experience force one

Yes — opt me in to adding a skipper on the "optional" setting.

Self provision

Hit the supermarket on arrival — ~0% of base

Half board

Some provisioning help — ~10% of base

Full board

Online pre-order, fully stocked on arrival — ~20% of base

4 guests · 7 nights · Caribbean / British Virgin Islands · shoulder · bareboat

Your charter budget

4 guests · 7 nights · Caribbean / British Virgin Islands · shoulder · bareboat

Total (low)

$9,380

54 bands for caribbean (any season)

Median

$22,050

~$3,190/day · $~$5,583/person

Total (high)

$35,280

Includes a 15% gratuity reserve.

Breakdown

Base charter

$7,000–$28,000

Skipper

$1,400–$3,360

Provisioning

$700–$2,800

Cleaning & transit

$280–$1,120

Source: noonsite.com + dreamyachtcharter.com + themoorings.com

Same trip in peak season: +3% on the base charter — plan ahead for holiday weeks.

Similar-cost alternatives

South America & Galápagos

Mid band ~$19,000/wk · ±9% vs British Virgin Islands

Indian Ocean

Mid band ~$14,000/wk · ±20% vs British Virgin Islands

Closest verified catamarans for your budget

Lagoon

Lagoon 46

Match 99/100

$14,500-20,000/wk bareboat

Closest verified match for British Virgin Islands in shoulder season.

Get a Free Quote → View specs

Leopard

Leopard 45

Match 90/100

$13,500-19,500/wk bareboat

Mid-band within 5% of your trip — common alternative when the top pick is sold out.

Get a Free Quote → View specs

Bali

Bali 4.4

Match 79/100

$12,500-18,000/wk bareboat

Larger layout — better if your group wants a spare cabin or a kids space.

Get a Free Quote → View specs

Excess

Excess 14

Match 72/100

$16,500-23,500/wk bareboat

Performance / luxury alternative within your budget envelope.

Get a Free Quote → View specs

How we calculate your budget

Every number in the calculator is derived from a verified weekly band in src/data/pricing_bands.json. We don't estimate, we read. There are 348 bands in total, each tied to a boat model + destination + season + crew type + year, and each linked back to a real operator (The Moorings, Dream Yacht Charter, Sunsail, Navigare Yachting and The Yacht Week are the most common). The result is a real range, not a guess.

Season mapping. UI picks peak / shoulder / off map to the data seasons high / shoulder / low. Same words on both sides; the calculator doesn't reach for off-season rates when you've said you want peak.
Band selection cascade. We try (a) bands for your country at your mapped season, then (b) bands for your country at any season, then (c) bands for your region at your mapped season, then (d) bands for your region at any season, and finally (e) all bands for boats that charter in your region. The result area tells you which tier you landed on — "based on 54 bands for Caribbean (shoulder)".
Weekly × nights. Bands are weekly, so we scale by nights / 7. A 10-night trip is 1.43× the published 7-week week. The weekly base is capped at $80,000 per the PRD — anything above that is clipped, and we surface the cap note in the result.
Add-ons, separately. Skipper = max(nights × $200, 12% of base) when skipper is required or opted-in. APA = 20–30% of base, only when crewed, refundable balance. Provisioning = 0 / 10 / 20% of base on bareboat, depending on your provisioning choice. All four lines sit on top of the base — no silent lumping.
Gratuity separately. 10–15% of base, customary on crewed charters only. The total you see already reserves 15% so there are no surprises at the end of the week.

What the number includes — and what it doesn't

Base charter fee

The published weekly rate for the boat + destination + season. Bareboat = you bring your own skills + provisions. Crewed = captain + hostess handle the boat, food and itinerary.

Skipper

A professional captain hired for the week. Always required in some jurisdictions; optional in the BVI, USVI, Bahamas and most of the Caribbean for licence-holders.

APA — Advance Provisioning Allowance

A 20–30% float the captain is given before the trip to cover food, drinks, fuel, marina fees and dockage. Refundable against actual spend — any unused balance comes back to you at the end of the week. It is not a tip.

Provisioning

Bareboat food + drink + galley consumables. Self-provision = ~0% of base (supermarket on arrival). Half board = ~10%. Full board = ~20% (pre-order online, fully stocked).

Cleaning & transit

A 4% allowance for end-of-charter cleaning, dinghy fuel, water top-up, marina departure fees and the laundry-and-beds turn at handover.

Gratuity (separate)

10–15% of base, customary on crewed charters and paid in cash at the end of the week. Bareboat charters don't take a gratuity.

Not included: flights to the base marina, transfers from the airport, marina parking if you drove, holiday insurance, dive courses, restaurant meals on shore and souvenirs. Fuel is included in most crewed packages and not in most bareboat packages — confirm with the operator.

Assumptions & limits

Bands are weekly published rates from The Moorings, Dream Yacht Charter, Sunsail, Navigare Yachting and The Yacht Week. We surface the actual source string below the breakdown.
APA is a refundable balance, not a fee. The figure shown is the float given to the captain, of which unused dollars come back at the end of the week.
Gratuity (10–15% of base, customary) is shown separately and never added to the total.
Fuel is included in most crewed packages and not in most bareboat packages — a 7-day bareboat in the BVI averages 40–60 gallons, ~$200–$300. Confirm with your operator.
Monohull and motor yacht: no verified bands published. The numbers stay catamaran reference figures and a specialist can quote your specific boat in <24h via /quote/.
The weekly base figure is capped at $80,000 per the PRD. Anything above that is clipped, and we say so in the result.
This tool never collects email or stores inputs in cookies / localStorage. Refresh-safe via URL only.