On the price list a crewed catamaran costs two and a half to three times what a bareboat does. That is not the real comparison. The bareboat price is the boat and nothing else. The crewed price is the boat, a captain, a chef, every meal, the bar, the fuel, the moorings and the permits. Here are real 2026 prices for both, and what each week actually costs by the time you fly home.
The price list: bareboat against crewed
Weekly prices for the whole boat in the BVI. Bareboat figures are the published 2026 rates for three current catamarans, from the lowest week of the year to the highest. Crewed figures are the middle half of a fleet of 95 crewed catamarans for the 2026 to 2027 season, all-inclusive, with every cabin full. We have left boat and company names out on purpose. Under each price is what it comes to a person for the week, with every cabin full.
| Crew size | Bareboat catamaranboat only, low to high season | Crewed catamaran, all-inclusivemid-range, low to high | Least expensive crewed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 guests, 3 cabins | $7,499 to $9,99940 to 45 ft, 2025 or 2026 build. $1,250 to $1,666 a person | $25,000 to $37,000typically about 50 ft. $4,167 to $6,167 a person, food and drink included | $21,000$3,500 a person |
| 8 guests, 4 cabins | $9,000 to $12,00046 to 50 ft, 2025 or 2026 build. $1,125 to $1,500 a person | $36,000 to $61,000typically about 62 ft. $4,500 to $7,625 a person, food and drink included | $25,000$3,125 a person |
| 10 guests, 5 cabins | $15,000 to $19,000Over 50 ft, 2025 or 2026 build. $1,500 to $1,900 a person | $46,000 to $64,000typically about 64 ft. $4,600 to $6,400 a person, food and drink included | $35,000$3,500 a person |
Per person you also get a bigger boat. For the same crew, a crewed yacht is typically 8 to 16 feet longer than the bareboat you would charter: about 50 feet against 40 to 45 for six guests, 62 against 46 to 50 for eight, 64 against 51 for ten. That means bigger cabins, more deck and room to spread out, and a table where everybody fits at dinner without elbows in each other’s plates. The 51 footer in the bareboat column actually has six cabins. We have set it against five-cabin crewed yachts because ten guests is the most a crewed yacht in the BVI normally carries.
What a bareboat week costs on top of the boat
Eight people on a 46 foot, four cabin catamaran, seven nights, high season, eating three lunches and two dinners ashore. None of this is padding. It is what the boat briefing does not mention and the credit card statement does.
Damage waiver
$500Usually compulsory. About $40 to $70 a night, often capped.
Cruising permit
$336$6 a person a day for a BVI-based charter boat.
National Parks permit
$45Needed for the day moorings at The Indians, The Caves, The Baths and the wrecks.
Mooring balls, 7 nights
$315$40 first come, $55 reserved. We used $45 a night.
Fuel, water, ice, garbage
$490Some fleets include a full tank on sailing yachts. Most others refill it and bill you, at about $8 a gallon for diesel and $7 for dinghy gasoline in late 2026, and rising.
Provisions and drinks aboard
$2,240About $40 a person a day for the breakfasts, lunches and dinners you do cook, snacks, and the bar on board. Island prices.
Three lunches ashore
$1,800About $75 an adult at a beach bar or restaurant, with a drink and the tip.
Two dinners ashore
$1,600About $100 an adult. Plenty of crews eat out more than this.
Beach bar tabs
$2,800About $50 a person a day. Cocktails ashore run $15 to $20 each, and Painkillers go down easily. On a crewed yacht the bar on board is included.
Two paddleboards
$350Not on the boat. About $175 each a week from the base or a water sports shop. On a crewed yacht they are included.
Double kayak
$140About $140 a week. Included on most crewed yachts.
Fishing gear and permits
$255A trolling rod and tackle is about $135 a week, and each person fishing needs a permit at $45 to $64. Crewed yachts carry the gear.
WiFi
$100$28 a week on some fleets, $17 to $40 a day on others. We used $100.
On top of the boat
$10,971That is 91 percent on top of a $12,000 high-season boat. Hire a skipper as well, at about $275 to $330 a day plus his food and a tip, and you add another $2,500.
The whole week, side by side
High season, every cabin full. Bareboat is the high-season boat price plus the extras above, scaled to the crew. Crewed is the low end of the mid-range plus a 20 percent gratuity, which is customary and not included in the rate.
6 guests, 3 cabins
40 to 45 ft bareboat against a crewed yacht
On the crewed yacht you are also on a boat about 8 feet longer (50 ft against 42), with room to spread out. The difference is about $269 a person a day. The least expensive crewed yacht of this size comes to $4,200 a person, all in.
8 guests, 4 cabins
46 to 50 ft bareboat against a crewed yacht
On the crewed yacht you are also on a boat about 16 feet longer (62 ft against 46), with room to spread out. The difference is about $361 a person a day. The least expensive crewed yacht of this size comes to $3,750 a person, all in.
10 guests, 5 cabins
Over 50 ft bareboat against a crewed yacht
On the crewed yacht you are also on a boat about 13 feet longer (64 ft against 51), with room to spread out. The difference is about $328 a person a day. The least expensive crewed yacht of this size comes to $4,200 a person, all in.
- Boat or charter rate
- Bareboat extras
- Crew gratuity
What the difference buys
On a bareboat you are the crew
- You provision, cook, wash up and clean, every day.
- You plan the route, pick up the moorings, watch the weather and fix what breaks.
- One of you is always the skipper, including at the beach bar.
- You go where you like, when you like. For a lot of sailors that is the whole point.
- It is cheaper, and much cheaper outside high season.
On a crewed yacht you are the guest
- A captain who knows every anchorage and a chef cooking three meals a day.
- Alcohol is included: a stocked open bar on board, so nobody is paying $18 a cocktail ashore unless they want to.
- A bigger, newer boat: about 50 to 64 feet against 42 to 51.
- Paddleboards, a kayak, snorkel and fishing gear and floats on board at no charge, often scuba too. On a bareboat each of those is a weekly rental.
- No sailing resume needed, and nobody left out of the holiday.
The cost that is on no invoice: your time
A charter week is seven days. On a bareboat a fair slice of it is work, and most of that work lands on one or two people. On a crewed yacht all of it is somebody else’s job.
Provisioning
Half a dayWriting the list, the supermarket run or the delivery, carrying it down the dock and finding somewhere to stow a week of food and drink for eight.
Briefings and checkout
3 to 4 hoursThe chart briefing, the boat briefing and the inventory before you leave, then refuelling, the inspection and settling the bill on the last morning.
Cooking and washing up
2 to 3 hours a dayThree meals for a full boat in a small galley, in the heat. Somebody does it, every day, and it is usually the same somebody.
Running the boat
1 to 2 hours a dayWeather, route, water and battery checks, racing for a mooring ball by early afternoon, and fixing whatever stopped working.
Cleaning
A little, constantlySand, salt, wet towels, the heads and the rubbish run ashore.
Over the week
30 to 40 hoursThat is a working week of crew time, out of your holiday. Some people love that part, and for them it is the holiday. For everybody else, the time you do not spend cooking, cleaning, provisioning and checking out is what the extra money buys, and you cannot put a price on it.
Our honest view, having done both for a living: if you want to sail the boat yourself, bareboat, and use this guide to do it well. If what you really want is the BVI without the work, price a crewed week before you assume you cannot afford it, especially with a full boat. Half-empty cabins change the sums fast in both directions.
Bareboat or crewed: common questions
Is a crewed charter much more expensive than a bareboat?
On the price list, yes: two and a half to three times as much. Once you add what a bareboat week really costs (permits, moorings, fuel, provisions, dinners ashore, bar tabs and the water toys) and the gratuity on the crewed yacht, a mid-range crewed catamaran works out at a little under double the bareboat, and the least expensive crewed yachts at about one and a third times.
What does a bareboat charter not include?
The boat price covers the boat. You add the damage waiver, the cruising permit, the National Parks permit, mooring balls at $40 to $55 a night, fuel on most fleets, all your food and drink, every meal ashore, every bar tab, and the paddleboards, kayak and fishing gear if you want them. For eight people in high season that came to about $10,971 on top of the boat in our worked example.
Is fuel included in a BVI bareboat charter?
It depends on the fleet. Some of the big fleets include a full tank on sailing yachts and catamarans. Most smaller fleets send you out full, refill the tank when you come back and bill you for what you used, at about $8 a gallon for diesel and $7 for dinghy gasoline in late 2026, and rising. Power catamarans always pay for fuel. Ask before you book.
What does all-inclusive mean on a crewed charter?
The rate covers the yacht, a captain and a chef, all meals, a stocked bar, fuel, moorings, permits and the water toys. The extras are getting to the islands and the crew gratuity, which is customarily about 20 percent of the charter rate, paid at the end.
Are crewed yachts the same boats as bareboats?
No, and that is part of the price. The bareboats in this comparison run 42 to 51 feet. The mid-range crewed catamarans run 50 to 64 feet, with en suite guest cabins and separate crew quarters.
When does a bareboat make more sense?
When you want to skipper your own boat, your crew is happy to cook, clean and provision, and the freedom is the point. It is also clearly cheaper, especially outside high season, when bareboat rates drop by a fifth or more.
Want real numbers for your dates?
Tell us your crew and dates. We will price a bareboat and a crewed yacht side by side, same price as booking direct, and tell you which one we would pick.
Checked in September 2026. Bareboat prices are published 2026 weekly rates for three BVI catamarans of 42, 46 and 51 feet. Crewed prices are 2026 to 2027 all-inclusive weekly rates across 95 BVI crewed catamarans, at full occupancy, excluding Christmas and New Year weeks. Extras are our estimates from current BVI fees and prices. Your week will differ.