About Bareboat Charter - Sailboats, Catamarans and Motor Yachts

What is Bareboating? (Looking for a Crewed Charter? Click here)
Bareboat Charters through Boatbookings.com
Successful Bareboat Charters
Choosing your Boat
Boat Layouts and Cabins required
What Boat Length is Right?
Choosing your Destination
OK already - let's get the boat!

What is Bareboating?

A "Bareboat" is a charter where you take full responsibility for all aspects of the boat and journey: navigation, sailing, mooring, motoring, cooking, cleaning etc. It is similar to renting an apartment, except you can take it wherever you want (within the limits of your contract and navigable waters). Bareboats offer tremendous freedom, self-dependence, and accomplishment, and you don’t have to worry if you “get along” with your skipper (or tip him!). Bareboating requires responsibility to go along with all that freedom - one of the members must be an experienced sailor or motor boat captain. Bareboat rentals also require that everyone on board take at least some responsibility for the itinerary and safety of the group, and "pitch in" so that the charter experience is one of teamwork. The skipper should not only know how to manage the boat, but also how to organise and manage the "crew" as well, especially on a sail boat.

Bareboat Charter through Boatbookings.com

Boatbookings.com has literally thousands of bareboat yachts available for charter in hundreds of ports around the world. We believe there is no better holiday you can find if you want to be on the water, go at your own pace, learn, and feel a sense of accomplishment at the end of your holiday.

Boatbookings.com acts as your agent for bareboat chartering - we're on your side! We look at your needs, recommend the right boats, and you pay the same price as if you'd gone direct. Most importantly, wherever possible we have inspected the boats that we recommend, so there are no surprises when you show up for your charter.

The process of chartering is straightforward, especially if you'll allow us to guide you through it.

1. Just fill out our Charter Request Form, giving us as much information as possible about your needs, likes and dislikes, and we'll provide a list of boats that we feel best suit you.

2. If you want to look through our boats yourself, just click here and we'll show you all the bareboat charters we offer, worldwide. You can sort them by location, type, price, cabins etc to narrow down the selection. Then simply make an enquiry on that boat. Note that charters vary dramatically in terms of quality and focus, and at some point we highly recommend that you allow us to advise you on which is best.

Successful Bareboat Charters

Bareboats do best when it is clear that a single person is in charge, but that everyone has at least some role in the team. This can vary from hoisting sails to dropping anchor to cleaning or cooking (or rotating these chores), but a true team puts less strain on the skipper and has a better sense of shared accomplishment. Buying crew t-shirts or baseball hats prior to departure is a great way of building a sense of team with everyone.

A successful bareboat charter begins long before you arrive at the dock. The entire team should have a very clear idea of what they're getting into. We highly recommend that you do the following before you book your bareboat charter:

Clearly communicate to all involved what will be expected of them
Plan an itinerary that is not overly aggressive unless everyone is experienced sailors (remember, many in the party probably want to return refreshed and relaxed, not stressed from oversailing).
Have a group meeting and walk them through the itinerary, what they can expect to be doing each day, and how much sailing/motoring will be involved.
Get agreement from everyone that they are approve of the itinerary, and that they'll not be upset if they can't sit on the beach reading a book every day
If time permits, ask the non experienced boat people to take a sailing course - they'll enjoy the trip much more if they know the difference between a sheet and a halyard!

If your group is keen to sail and has basic experience but are a bit apprehensive, it is normally possible to arrange for a skipper for a day or two while everyone gets used to the boat and each other. If you’re interested in a skipper for your boat, feel free to contact boatbookings.com and well arrange for one.

Choosing your Boat

Your boat will be your home for the entire length of the charter, so getting the right boat is critical! Skimping on space to save a couple of hundred Dollars or Euros is not a great idea, given that getting too little boat may cramp everyone and reduce the fun of the trip.

The first decision is the type of boat - Motor, Sail Monohull, or Sail Catamaran. If you want a fun day out, desire speed, have a lot of places to see, or just need to get somewhere, a bareboat Motor Boat is right for you. It is possible to charter bareboat Power Boats for multiple days, but typically they are chartered for a day, require a large deposit and certification, and are rarely over 40 feet. Most owners of power boats will not allow their million dollar yachts to be taken out by strangers, and in fact are often prevented by insurance restrictions from doing so anyway.

If you're looking for a bareboat sailing yacht your fundamental choice is between a catamaran and a monohull (traditional) sail boat. We discuss catamarans in detail here, if you'd like more background information on them.

Catamarans are one of the fastest growing areas of the charter business because they deliver great comfort and privacy, while providing a lot of communal areas to better enjoy your group. They don't heel ("tip") like a monohull, providing for a more stable feeling on the boat. If you're a party of several couples or a family, with several inexperience sailors, we'd normally recommend a catamaran. If you want the enjoyment of pure sailing, and have mostly experienced sailors aboard, we'd recommend a Monohull. Catamarans are generally more expensive per person than a monohull, because there is more boat.

Boat layouts and cabins required

The next most important decision number of cabins you require. All of our boats have detailed floor plans such to help you make this decision. Each couple will require their own cabin, and if you will be having a skipper on board, of course they will require one as well. Here is an example of some of our Sailing Yachts by number of cabins:

2 Cabin Layout		Example: Bavaria 32 Show all 2 Cabins
3 Cabin Layout		Example: Oceanis 393 Show all 3 Cabins
4 Cabin Layout		Example: Gib Sea 43 Show all 4 Cabins
5+ Cabin Layout		Example: Bavaria 50 Show all 5 Cabins

Importantly, all cabins are not created equal. The 5 cabin Bavaria 50 above has two bunk cabins - great for kids or non-couples, but horrible for those who are interested in a bit of romance along the way. You should also be aware of how many wc's there are, and that everyone either has their own or is ok with sharing. Cabins next to each other of course offer less privacy than those divided by the salon/galley. Our point here is that these decisions should be discussed prior to booking the boat, not when you arrive!

You can easily search by “number of cabins” desired on our search page to see all of our boats available with the number of cabins you require.

What Boat Length is Right?

Once you’ve decided how many cabins you require, you’ll generally find that there are multiple lengths available to you. Obviously, the shorter the boat, the cheaper it is. Our main recommendation here is that while a 1 foot distance may not seem like a lot, remember it is multiplied in three dimensions within the tight quarters of a boat, and so it does make significant difference on the overall feeling of space. Often, one foot adds sufficient additional room for an additional head, or more cooking area. If you have just one couple, you'll generally find that a 30-40 foot boat will work fine. Two couples are more comfortable on a boat in the 38 - 46 foot range. If you have more than two copules, we're seeing more and more charter groups selecting 50 foot boats in order to really make everyone comfortable, although many boats in the mid to high 40 foot range are suitable.

We always include an interior shot of our boats – take a look at it and try to imagine your party there. Again, review the layout as well – are the head placements and number ok? Will you be able to comfortably sleep everybody? Are there bunks in a cabin (they work well for kids, the skipper or friends that are not couples), do you like the layout of the galley? 5 extra minutes studying these images can save you a lot of inconvenience during your holiday! If you have any questions, please email us, even your question is as vague as “we have 2 couples and 3 kids, what boat would you recommend?”

Bareboat Destinations

There are hundreds of great bareboat destinations around the world. The ones we recommend most often are the British Virgin Islands (BVI), St. Vincent and the Grenadines, French Riviera, Mallorca, Croatia, Greece and Italy (Sicily, Sardinia, Naples and Tuscany). These all have ample boats, great sights, reliable winds, and a culture that is supportive and accepting of bareboating. We provide extensive information about many of these destinations in separate articles you can see here. You will also find links to our boats in many of the best areas directly below. You can also call us at any time for advice about destinations.

OK already - let's get the boat!

Hopefully by now your group is all organised, know what to expect, and you know the type of boat you need and how many cabins. Great news! Now all you have to do is contact us and we'll take it from there, or better still dream a while as you sort through the boats below in the area you're intending to charter.