A crewed catamaran charter starts around 25,000 a week all-inclusive, for a two-crew boat with 4 cabins in high season. Euros in the Mediterranean, dollars in the Caribbean. The typical booked boat is nearer 34,000.
What changes is the price structure, and that depends on where you cruise.
- Caribbean: all-inclusive is the standard. Food, drinks, fuel and moorings are already calculated into the price. You add government fees and the tip.
- Mediterranean: you pay a base charter fee, which can look lower than a Caribbean all-inclusive rate. Then the APA and VAT go on top.
- APA covers what the boat spends during your week: fuel, food, drinks, marina nights. 20 to 25 percent of the fee is normal on a catamaran. More if the itinerary is ambitious and burns fuel, or if you want premium champagne, steak or lobster every night. How the APA works.
- VAT depends on the country: 13 percent in Greece and Croatia, 21 in Spain, 14 in the Bahamas, nothing on the fee in the BVI. The rates by country.
- Tip: custom, not contract. 5 to 15 percent in the Mediterranean, 15 to 20 in the Caribbean.
For 8 guests, that lands around 6,500 per person for the week with everything in, tip included. Section 7 shows three weeks line by line.
1. What the weekly rate actually buys
The rate covers the catamaran and the people who run it: a captain, a chef or hostess, and on some catamarans a third crew member, stewardess or deckhand. Wages, food and the boat’s insurance sit inside that number. You pay for a week where nobody in your group drives, cooks or plans.
For a group, the useful figure is the rate divided by heads. A 35,000 euro Greek catamaran for 8 guests is 4,375 euros per person before running costs and tax; for 10 it is 3,500.
All-in, with tax, APA and a 10 percent tip, the same boat lands near 6,475 per person for 8; section 7 shows the arithmetic. A full boat is the best-value boat. For the full picture across every yacht type, read our whole-market cost guide.
2. What a crewed catamaran costs, by crew and size
Across the BVI, Bahamas, Greece, Croatia and Mallorca, a two-crew catamaran with 4 cabins realistically starts around 25,000 a week in high season. The typical booked boat is nearer 34,000. Each extra crew member and every 5 feet of length moves the number, so read it by crew first.
| Crew | Realistic entry | Typical week | What you get |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 crew | 27,000 | 33,600 | Captain plus chef or hostess. The standard under 60 feet. |
| 3 crew | 30,500 | 40,500 | Adds a stewardess or deckhand. The standard from 60 feet. |
| 4 crew | 47,000 | 73,000 | Chef, stewardess and deckhand. 65 feet and up. |
High season, 4 or more guest cabins, from the 126 two-crew, 122 three-crew and 38 four-crew catamarans we list across the BVI, Bahamas, Greece, Croatia and Mallorca. Entry is the 25th percentile, not the single cheapest hull. Euros in the Mediterranean, dollars in the Caribbean.
Size is the other lever, about 4,000 per 5 feet. A 48-foot catamaran with 2 crew is around 27,000. A 60-footer with 3 crew is around 41,000. A 70-footer with 3 crew is around 54,000. The third crew member is not an add-on you choose; it comes with the boat from about 60 feet.
The cruising ground then decides what sits on top of the rate. Here is what each one does.
| Ground | Terms | APA | Tax | 2-crew entry |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BVI | All-inclusive | None | No VAT. About 550 dollars in government fees for 8 guests | 27,000 to 30,500 dollars |
| Bahamas | Mostly all-inclusive | None | 14 percent | 25,000 to 26,000 dollars |
| Greece | Plus expenses | 20 to 25 percent | 13 percent | 20,500 euros |
| Croatia | Plus expenses | 20 to 25 percent | 13 percent | 25,000 to 26,500 euros |
| Mallorca | Half and half | 20 to 25 percent | 21 percent | 26,000 euros |
Entry is the 25th percentile of two-crew, 4-cabin catamarans in high season. Your contract states the exact terms.
Greece is the cheapest crewed-catamaran market at the base rate, and the smallest. The BVI is the deepest, with more than 120 two-crew boats, so the differences between hulls are real. We keep a shortlist of the BVI crewed catamarans that earn their place.
3. Why the same catamaran is all-inclusive in the BVI and plus-expenses in the Med
In the BVI most crewed catamarans are all-inclusive. One rate covers the crew, all meals, the ship’s bar of house wine, beer and standard spirits, fuel for a normal week’s cruising and, on many boats, the mooring balls. Still outside it: per-person government fees, premium alcohol, dinners ashore, dockage you request and the tip.
Which lands cheaper? Stack each week to its all-in number before you compare anything:
| Ground | Base rate | What gets added | All-in |
|---|---|---|---|
| BVI | 30,500 dollars | About 550 dollars in fees | About 31,100 dollars |
| Bahamas | 26,000 dollars | 14 percent tax | About 29,600 dollars |
| Greece | 20,500 euros | 25 percent APA, 13 percent tax | About 29,000 euros |
| Croatia | 26,500 euros | 25 percent APA, 13 percent tax | About 37,400 euros |
| Mallorca | 26,000 euros | 25 percent APA, 21 percent tax | About 39,300 euros |
Two-crew catamaran, 4 cabins, 25th-percentile rate, high season. Before the tip, which is discretionary everywhere.
The BVI ends up cheaper than Croatia and Mallorca and level with Greece, a little under it once the euros are converted.
Four reasons, in order of size: no VAT, which is 13 to 21 percent of the fee elsewhere; mooring balls instead of 2 to 4 marina nights; the deepest crewed-catamaran fleet anywhere, so owners compete; and only then shorter hops and less fuel.
4. APA on a catamaran
The APA is a running-cost deposit. On a sailing catamaran it is usually 20 to 25 percent, though some Caribbean plus-expenses boats print 30 to 35; a motor yacht asks 30 to 40 because fuel is its biggest line, and a catamaran under sail burns a fraction of that. Power catamarans sit between, nearer 30.
Some boats quote a fixed sum instead of a percentage; the mechanics are the same.
It pays for fuel, provisioning, drinks, marina nights and port dues, spent at cost against receipts. Anything left over is refunded to you at the end of the week; it is separate from the tip. Ask the captain for the running balance around day 4, while there is still time to adjust the week.
5. Tax and fees by cruising ground
The country whose water you cruise sets the charter tax, and it is charged on the fee, not the APA. Croatia charges 13 percent. Greece charges 13 percent. Spain, and so Mallorca, charges 21 percent. The Bahamas takes a flat 14 percent on the fee.
The BVI charges nothing on the fee. Per-person government fees apply instead: a cruising tax from 4 dollars per person per day on a BVI-based boat and 16 on a foreign-based one, a 10 dollar environmental levy, and park and overnight moorings at 25 to 55 dollars a night. Your contract states the exact figures.
The DMA VAT guide has the full table by country.
6. The crew tip for a 2 or 3 person catamaran crew
The tip is at your discretion. Custom, not contract. Mediterranean crews expect 5 to 15 percent of the charter fee; Caribbean crews 15 to 20. Hand it to the captain, who splits it across the crew. Some BVI contracts print that range; it is still your call. Our etiquette guide covers when and how.
7. Three crewed catamaran weeks costed: BVI, Greece and Croatia
The BVI and Greek weeks are 8 guests; Croatia is 10, to show what a full boat does to the per-person number. All are 7 nights, high season. Tip rows are discretionary and follow the local custom.
| BVI, all-inclusive sailing catamaran, BVI-based boat | |
|---|---|
| Line | US dollars |
| Charter fee, all-inclusive | 45,000 |
| Government fees, 8 guests, 7 days | 554 |
| Charter tax on the fee | 0 |
| What you commit to | 45,554 |
| Crew tip, discretionary, at the 15 percent custom | 6,750 |
| Indicative all-in with tip | 52,304 |
| Per person, 8 guests | 6,538 |
Government fees: cruising tax at the 4 dollar BVI-based rate 224, environmental levy 80, park and overnight moorings about 250. On a foreign-based boat the cruising tax line becomes 896. Indicative; your contract states the exact fees.
| Greece, plus-expenses sailing catamaran | |
|---|---|
| Line | Euros |
| Charter fee | 35,000 |
| APA at 25 percent | 8,750 |
| Greek VAT at 13 percent | 4,550 |
| What you commit to | 48,300 |
| Crew tip, discretionary, at the 10 percent custom | 3,500 |
| Indicative all-in with tip | 51,800 |
| Per person, 8 guests | 6,475 |
APA is a deposit spent at cost; anything unspent is refunded. Indicative, high season.
| Croatia, plus-expenses sailing catamaran, 10 guests | |
|---|---|
| Line | Euros |
| Charter fee | 30,000 |
| APA at 25 percent | 7,500 |
| Croatian VAT at 13 percent | 3,900 |
| What you commit to | 41,400 |
| Crew tip, discretionary, at the 10 percent custom | 3,000 |
| Indicative all-in with tip | 44,400 |
| Per person, 10 guests | 4,440 |
APA is a deposit spent at cost; anything unspent is refunded. Indicative, high season.
Read across, not down. The BVI rate is the highest of the three, yet it is almost the whole bill: fees add about 1 percent. The two Mediterranean boats add 38 percent before anyone tips, and the unspent APA comes back.
If you want your own week costed this way, send us the group and the cruising ground and we will do the table for the boats that fit.
8. What moves the number most
Season first: the same catamaran in early June or late September is often 20 to 30 percent under peak. Sailing versus power catamaran is next; a power cat’s rate and APA both run higher. Then marina nights: a peak-season Greek berth may not exist, and a wide catamaran can be charged more than a monohull.
Dinners ashore lower the APA and raise your restaurant bill, usually a fair trade in Greece and Croatia. One-way routes carry a relocation fee, small on a short Croatian hop and larger on a long delivery, and a one-way across a border can change which tax applies. Ask before you plan one.
Send us an inquiry with your group size, dates and cruising ground, and we will come back with a shortlist of crewed catamarans costed the way the tables above are, all-in and per person. The money is the easy part to plan; what the week is like once you step aboard is the better question.
People also ask
Is a crewed catamaran cheaper than a crewed motor yacht?
At the same rate, yes. The catamaran’s APA is usually 20 to 25 percent against 30 to 40 on a motor yacht, so the deposit is smaller. The rate is usually lower too, because a sailing cat costs less to build and run than a motor yacht carrying the same guests.
Is APA lower on a catamaran?
Yes. The APA is sized to what the boat spends, and fuel is the biggest variable. A sailing catamaran motors a few hours a day, so fuel is a small share of the week and provisioning the larger line. Hence usually 20 to 25 percent of the fee, not a motor yacht’s 30 to 40.
Are BVI crewed catamarans really all-inclusive?
Mostly, yes. On most BVI catamarans one rate covers the crew, all meals, the ship’s bar, fuel for normal cruising and, on many boats, mooring balls. Still outside it: per-person government fees, premium wine and spirits, meals ashore, dockage you request and the tip.
The exceptions are the large motor yachts and a handful of top-tier catamarans, which charge a base fee plus APA.
How much does a crewed catamaran cost per person?
Divide the all-in number, not the rate, by heads. Our three worked weeks land near 6,500 dollars per person in the BVI for 8, 6,475 euros in Greece for 8, and 4,440 euros in Croatia for 10, tips included.
Filling the boat to 10 cuts each share by a fifth, before a small rise in provisioning and fees.
