This page contains affiliate and referral links. If you charter, book, or buy through them we earn a referral fee, paid by the broker or platform, at no cost to you. We have not adjusted our rankings for the referral rate. Full breakdown on our how-we-make-money page.
A 50m motor yacht charters at $350K to $450K base per week in the Med in August. A 50m sailing yacht charters at $230K to $320K. The gap is consistent at every LOA. At 30m it is roughly 25%, at 50m closer to 30%, at 70m roughly 35%, at 90m as much as 40%. We are talking about the same length of yacht, with similar crew counts and similar amenities. The price gap exists because the two products are not, in fact, equivalent. They look equivalent on the broker's LOA-sorted index. They are not equivalent on the spec sheet.
This is the teardown of where the gap comes from, where it closes, and when the sailing rate is the better unit economics.
The two products
A motor yacht at 50m LOA has a beam of roughly 9 to 10 meters, draft of around 2.4 to 3.0 meters (with retractable systems on some), gross tonnage of 500 to 700 GT, 5 to 7 cabins, 12 to 15 crew, two 1,500 to 2,500 kW main engines, and an interior volume sized for the GT. The interior fit-out budget on a new-build 50m motor yacht is typically $25M to $50M. The total build cost is $50M to $90M.
A sailing yacht at 50m LOA has a beam of roughly 9 to 10 meters, draft of 4 to 6 meters (more with a lifting keel), gross tonnage of 250 to 400 GT, 4 to 5 cabins, 7 to 11 crew, a sail plan with a mast height to match the LOA, and a much smaller engineering footprint. The interior fit-out is typically $12M to $25M, with total build around $30M to $60M.
The motor yacht has roughly 1.5x to 2.0x the internal volume at the same LOA. That is the largest single driver of the rate gap. The sailing yacht is a different product at the same overall length.
The gap by size
We work the math at four sizes, with 2026 Med peak figures.
30m sailing vs 30m motor. Motor base $80K to $115K. Sailing base $55K to $85K. Gap roughly 25%.
50m sailing vs 50m motor. Motor base $290K to $390K. Sailing base $200K to $280K. Gap roughly 28% to 30%.
70m sailing vs 70m motor. Motor base $600K to $850K. Sailing base $380K to $560K. Gap roughly 33% to 37%.
90m sailing vs 90m motor. Motor base $1.2M to $1.7M. Sailing base $700K to $1.05M. Gap roughly 38% to 41%.
The gap widens at larger LOA. The reason: the volume difference scales with displacement, and displacement scales faster than length. A 90m sailing yacht has roughly 35% to 45% of the GT of a 90m motor yacht. At 30m the ratio is closer to 70%.
What is in the bracket for the saving
Fewer cabins. A 50m motor yacht typically sleeps 12 in 6 cabins; a 50m sailing yacht typically sleeps 8 to 10 in 4 to 5 cabins. For a party of 8 or fewer, the sailing yacht is comparable in capacity. For a party of 12, the sailing yacht is short two cabins.
Less interior square footage. A 50m motor yacht has saloon, formal dining, sky lounge, beach club, and a separate breakfast room across multiple decks. A 50m sailing yacht has saloon-and-dining combined, a deckhouse, and a more compact layout. For families that live on the foredeck and the swim platform, this is not a downgrade. For families that want indoor square footage, it is.
Different cruising routine. A sailing yacht under sail at 9 to 11 knots is slower than a motor yacht at 12 to 14 cruising. A motor yacht under power can run 16 to 22 if it wants. Sailing schedules are flexible. Motor schedules are predictable.
Higher draft. A 50m sailing yacht draws 4 to 6 meters; a 50m motor yacht draws 2.4 to 3.0. Caribbean and Bahamas anchorages that the motor yacht can use are unavailable to the sailing yacht. Med anchorages are mostly deep enough for either.
Different physical experience. A sailing yacht under sail is a different sensation than a motor yacht under power. The heel is moderate on the largest yachts (active heel control and water ballast keep it under 5 degrees on the modern fleet), but the sound, the motion, and the bridge culture are different. Most clients who charter a sailing yacht for the first time spend the first day adjusting and the rest of the week not wanting to come back to motor. A meaningful minority of clients do not enjoy the difference.
Where the gap closes
Three scenarios.
First, when the sailing yacht is one of the named flagships. S/Y Maltese Falcon, S/Y Sea Eagle, S/Y Athena, S/Y Aquijo, and the largest Royal Huisman, Perini Navi, and Baltic builds charter at rates close to motor yacht equivalents at the same LOA. The flagship sailing yachts have lower availability, higher demand from clients who specifically want sailing, and an owner who can hold the rate. The gap on these names compresses to 10% to 15% versus motor at the same LOA.
Second, on charters where the routing is heavily sailing-focused. The Caribbean and Croatian sailing weeks where the yacht is under sail 5 to 6 days out of 7. Owners price the yacht at the sailing-experience premium when they know charter clients are coming for the sailing. The base fee gap can close to 15% on a long-running, well-positioned sailing program.
Third, on catamarans. A 28m crewed catamaran in the Caribbean charters at rates close to a 32m to 35m motor yacht equivalent. The catamaran's interior volume and cabin count rivals a slightly smaller motor yacht. The base fee gap is sometimes inverted: a strong catamaran can charter higher than a tired 32m motor yacht.
Where the gap is the widest
The gap is widest on conventional, mid-fleet, non-flagship sailing yachts in the 50m to 80m range that have not been recently refitted. The owner is competing against the motor fleet on a hull that does not have the prestige of the flagships, and the charter market has discounted the sailing rate accordingly. A well-maintained 60m Perini Navi from the early 2000s, no major refit since 2015, will charter at 35% below a 60m motor yacht of similar vintage and condition. The yacht is fine. The market has priced sailing at a discount.
What we would book with the saving
A 30% saving on a 50m sailing yacht versus a 50m motor yacht is roughly $90K to $110K per week. The question is what that money buys.
We have seen the saving redeployed in three ways. First, two extra weeks of charter (the sailing yacht over two weeks costs roughly the same as the motor yacht over one). Second, a step up to a larger sailing yacht (50m saving paid for the move to a 60m sailing yacht of comparable specification). Third, kept as cash, with the charter taken on the smaller boat and the difference going to dinners, helicopter days, or shoreside extras.
The last option is the one we recommend least. The reason to charter a sailing yacht is the sailing. The saving is a bonus, not the point.
The trade-off in the APA line
Fuel. The sailing yacht's APA on a sailing-heavy week is roughly half the motor yacht's. A 50m sailing yacht under sail 50% of the time consumes 40% to 50% of the motor yacht's fuel for the same itinerary. The APA reconciles smaller, and the unused balance is refunded.
This widens the all-in delta. A 50m motor yacht all-in at $437K to $589K in the Med (see our Med vs Caribbean comparison) compares to a 50m sailing yacht all-in at $290K to $420K. The delta on all-in is closer to 30% to 35%, on top of the 28% to 30% base fee delta.
The reason this matters: clients calculating the saving on the base fee alone understate it. The actual saving is larger.
What we would pass on
We would not charter a sailing yacht with a party of 12 or more guests in the 50m size class. The cabin count does not work; you are sleeping 12 in 5 cabins with doubles converted to singles, and the experience compresses. Step up to 60m if the group is 12, or take the motor yacht.
We would not charter a sailing yacht in destinations where sailing is constrained. The Caribbean in February has reliable trade winds and is a strong sailing destination. The Med in August has variable wind, with some weeks where the yacht is under power 5 days out of 7. If you are paying for the sailing experience, book a season and a region where the wind exists.
We would not charter a sailing yacht with a charter client who has not been aboard a sailing yacht before, without a day-charter test first. Most clients love it. A minority do not. A day-trial in Antibes or in St Maarten before the week-charter commitment is cheap insurance.
FAQ
Is a sailing yacht charter always cheaper? At equivalent LOA, yes. The gap is 25% to 40% on base fee, wider on all-in.
Why does a sailing yacht charter cost less to run? Lower fuel burn (sailing under wind), smaller crew, lower dockage at LOA-based marinas (sometimes), lower wear on engineering systems.
Is a sailing yacht slower? Under sail, yes (9 to 11 knots cruising). Under power, comparable to motor (12 to 14 knots). Routing flexibility is the trade.
Can the family choose not to sail? Yes. A sailing yacht can motor for the entire charter if the family prefers. The base rate does not change, but APA fuel consumption rises.
What is the difference between a catamaran and a sailing yacht? A catamaran is a sailing yacht with two hulls (more interior volume per LOA, shallower draft, smaller heel). A monohull is a single-hulled sailing yacht with deeper draft and more traditional sailing feel.