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A 23m sailing catamaran chartered in the Caribbean for the peak two weeks bracketing Christmas 2025 cost roughly €68K/week before APA. A 23m monohull motor yacht in the same window asks €130K to €180K/week. Same LOA, very different number, very different product. The catamaran charter market is the only segment of the weekly yacht charter business that grew double-digit in 2024 and 2025, and the only segment where capacity at the upper end (above 24m) is meaningfully expanding. Five new yards delivered yachts over 24m LOA into commercial charter between 2023 and 2026. The pricing math is changing.
The catamaran charter market, summarized
The catamaran charter fleet breaks into three practical segments.
The under-24m sailing catamaran fleet. Production hulls from Lagoon (the 50, 51, 55, and 60), Fountaine-Pajot (the Tanna 47, Aura 51, Samana 59), Bali (the 4.6, 5.4, 5.8), and Leopard (the 50, 53, 58). This is the deepest charter fleet in the Caribbean. Crewed weekly rates: €45K to €120K. APA 20 to 25 percent.
The 24m to 30m sailing and power catamaran fleet. This is where new build activity is concentrated. Fountaine-Pajot's Power 80, Sunreef 80, Sunreef 100, and the larger custom Sunreef hulls. Weekly rates: €100K to €220K. APA 22 to 28 percent.
The 30m+ luxury catamaran fleet. Sunreef Yachts dominates. Their 100 Sunreef Power, the 80 Sunreef Eco, and the larger 35m+ customs. Charter availability is limited but real and growing. Weekly rates: €180K to €280K and upward for the largest hulls. APA 25 to 30 percent.
The 2026 published rate band
Observed across the charter fleet as of May 2026, before APA and VAT. Caribbean rates in USD, Med rates in EUR.
| Type and LOA | Caribbean peak | Med peak |
|---|---|---|
| Sailing cat 15-18m | $35K to $55K | €40K to €60K |
| Sailing cat 19-21m | $48K to $75K | €50K to €80K |
| Sailing cat 22-24m | $65K to $110K | €70K to €120K |
| Power cat 22-26m | $85K to $140K | €100K to €150K |
| Sailing cat 25-30m | $95K to $170K | €110K to €180K |
| Power cat 27-32m | $130K to $210K | €145K to €230K |
| Sailing/power cat 32m+ | $170K to $280K+ | €190K to €290K+ |
These are weekly, crewed, before APA. The under-24m segment in the Caribbean often includes provisioning in the base rate (called "All-Inclusive Plus" by some operators), which changes the comparison with the monohull market. Read the contract.
The comparison with monohull at equivalent LOA
The honest comparison is per guest, not per foot of LOA.
A 23m monohull motor yacht sleeps 8 in 4 cabins, two of which are smaller than the others. Peak Caribbean rate: $150K/week + 28 percent APA.
A 23m sailing catamaran sleeps 10 in 5 equal cabins, each ensuite. Peak Caribbean rate: $80K/week + 23 percent APA.
Same LOA. 25 percent more sleeping capacity on the catamaran. Roughly half the base rate. The all-in for an 8-day charter is $40K to $50K lower on the catamaran with two more guests sharing the cost.
The catamaran loses three things in this comparison. Public-space height (the saloon overhead on a 23m cat is lower than a 23m motor yacht). Single-deck-feel (the cat is wide but lower; the motor yacht has more vertical layout). Top speed under power (cat at 9 to 12 knots under engine, motor yacht at 22 to 28 knots). For some itineraries the speed matters. For most weekly itineraries (where 25 to 35 cruising hours over a week is normal), it does not.
Why the catamaran is structurally cheaper per guest
Three reasons the cost-per-guest math favours catamarans.
The cabin-to-LOA ratio. Catamarans have parallel hulls. The beam of a 23m catamaran is 11m. The beam of a 23m monohull is 5.5m to 6m. That doubles the floor plan area at the same length. Cabins are placed in both hulls. The 5-cabin configuration in a 23m catamaran is standard. The 4-cabin configuration in a 23m monohull is the upper end.
Lower fuel use under engine. A 23m sailing catamaran burns 30 to 50 litres/hour under twin engines. A 23m motor yacht burns 120 to 180 litres/hour at cruising. Even before adding sail use, the cat is structurally more efficient.
Smaller crew complement at the same LOA. A 23m sailing catamaran runs 3 to 4 crew (captain, chef, deck-hand, sometimes a stew). A 23m motor yacht runs 4 to 6. Crew cost flows through to the rate.
Where the catamaran is more expensive
Two specific scenarios where the catamaran does not win on cost.
Larger party sizes (12 guests). A 30m+ catamaran sleeping 12 has fewer cabins than a 30m+ monohull sleeping 12. The 12-guest catamaran fleet is small. Many of the largest Sunreef hulls sleep 10 or 11. If the party is fixed at 12, the choice is narrower.
Itineraries with long cruising legs at high speed. A catamaran does not run at 25 knots. If the itinerary requires Cannes to Saint-Tropez in 1.5 hours, the catamaran does it in 3.5. For a week with three or more legs over 30nm, the motor yacht's speed advantage shows up.
APA on catamarans: lower across the board
APA on a sailing catamaran runs 20 to 25 percent of the base fee. On a power catamaran, 22 to 28 percent. Both are lower than the monohull equivalent.
The driver is fuel. Even the power catamarans (Fountaine-Pajot Power 67, Power 80, Sunreef 80 Power) achieve 30 to 50 percent better fuel economy than a similar-sized monohull motor yacht because of the slim-hull hydrodynamics. APA reflects that.
Where APA on a catamaran goes higher than expected: the Bahamas (where dockage at Albany Marina, Atlantis, and the high-end resort marinas is comparable to the Riviera), the BVI cruising-permit and mooring-fee system (which is now meaningful at the upper end), and itineraries with heavy use of the toy fleet (the wider beam and stable platform encourages more aggressive water-sports programs).
What changed in 2025
Three structural shifts in the past 18 months.
Sunreef Yachts continued to dominate the upper end. The 100 Sunreef Power and the new 35m+ customs are entering charter at the top of the band. Pricing is at or near the published ask. The waiting list at the yard pushes some buyers into late-availability charter to test the product.
Fountaine-Pajot Power range expanded the mid-tier. The Power 80 specifically opened the 24m to 26m power catamaran charter category. Two operators in the BVI and Bahamas now run Power 80s as primary charter inventory and the rates are settling at $130K to $160K/week peak Caribbean.
The Mediterranean catamaran fleet grew, slowly. The Med has historically been monohull-dominated for charter, but the Croatia, Greece, and Balearics fleets have added meaningful catamaran inventory at 19m to 26m LOA. Rates are still 5 to 12 percent above the Caribbean equivalents because of the management cost and the shorter season.
The catamaran charter destinations that work
Caribbean: the natural home. BVI, USVI, Antigua and Barbuda, St Lucia and the Grenadines, Bahamas Exumas, and Turks and Caicos all have deep catamaran charter fleets. Anchorage choice is wider for catamarans because of shallower draft (typically 1.2m to 1.8m).
Bahamas Exumas: the catamaran market here is the strongest in the Caribbean for power catamaran charter because of the shallow water and the long flat-water cruising days.
Croatia, Greece Cyclades, and Balearics: the Med catamaran fleet for charter. Smaller than the monohull fleet but growing.
Phuket and the Andaman Sea: a small but established catamaran charter market. Sunreef has presence here.
Where the catamaran charter market does not work: South of France peak weeks (the marinas are not configured for the wider beam at the upper end), Bonifacio harbour (catamarans are berthed by request only), and Capri (no catamaran-specific anchorage permits at this scale).
The catamaran charters we are recommending
The full ranked list for 2026 lives on our best catamaran charters 2026 editorial guide. The methodology rewards crew tenure, condition, and the operator's track record. We do not favour the largest hulls automatically. A well-run 22m Lagoon 60 with a chef who has been on the yacht for six years often wins the comparison against a fresh 30m catamaran with a green crew.
The catamarans we passed on this season
Two specific catamarans came up in client shortlists and were passed on:
A 28m sailing catamaran delivered in 2020. The yacht is in good condition. The captain rotated mid-2025 and the chef who built the yacht's reputation left at the same time. We will revisit her in 2027 after a season under the new crew.
A 24m Power catamaran delivered in 2023. The yacht looks great. The owner has been slow to address recurring tender davit issues that have appeared in 2024 and 2025 charter feedback we have access to. Until the tender deployment is reliable, the yacht is not deliverable at the rate the broker is asking.
Who should book a catamaran
Book a catamaran if your party is 8 to 12 and you want everyone in equally-sized cabins. Book a catamaran if your itinerary stays primarily at anchor (the at-anchor stability of a wide catamaran is structurally better than a monohull of any size). Book a catamaran if you are running a Bahamas or BVI charter and shallow draft opens anchorages a monohull cannot reach.
Do not book a catamaran if you need 22-knot cruising. Do not book a catamaran if you are 12 guests and want a master suite that takes a full deck beam. Do not book a catamaran for the South of France peak two weeks unless you have confirmed marina availability in advance for the wider beam.
What this means for the buyer
The catamaran segment is the most-changing part of the weekly charter market. Rates at the upper end are climbing because Sunreef is selling its order book to private buyers and charter inventory is rationed. Rates at the lower end are stable because the Lagoon, Fountaine-Pajot, and Bali production fleet keeps expanding.
For a Caribbean 2026-27 charter party of 8 to 10 looking at $80K to $140K/week, the sailing catamaran is the strongest value in the market. For a Med 2026 party at the upper end of the budget, the catamaran sits alongside the sailing monohull and the 50m motor yacht as the three options to weigh. The choice is product-fit, not price.