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A 40 to 50m motor yacht the Thai Andaman in the dry-season window (November 2026 to April 2027) runs $182,000 to $268,000 per week plus 25 to 30 percent APA, takes 8 to 12 guests, and bases out of Yacht Haven Marina on Phuket's northeast coast at 8 degrees north latitude. The Andaman charter ground runs three discrete cruising legs at the bracket: Phang Nga Bay at 15 to 25 nautical miles east of Yacht Haven, the southern Phi Phi and Krabi run at 25 to 45 nautical miles southeast, and the outer Similan and Surin Islands national parks at 50 to 95 nautical miles northwest. The Mergui Archipelago in Myanmar territory at 80 to 250 nautical miles north of Phuket is the bracket's outer expedition product, available October through April with prior permitting. The active 40 to 50m fleet using Phuket through a typical Andaman dry season is 6 to 9 yachts, the most commercial Asian charter ground at the bracket and the structural opposite-season counterweight to the Mediterranean.
Why the bracket runs Phuket at all
The dry season inversion. The Andaman northeast monsoon (November to April) lines up against the Mediterranean cyclone-free dry weeks for owners and clients running the December-to-April Caribbean alternative. Phuket is the only Asian charter base at the bracket with deep yacht infrastructure, English-language brokers and crew, customs and immigration set up for foreign-flagged commercial yachts, and a repair and provisioning chain. The bracket runs Phuket as the Asia winter charter default.
The Andaman geography. Phang Nga Bay carries the limestone-karst anchor product (the James Bond Island, Hong Island and Panyee fishing-village runs) at 12 to 25 metre depths inside the inner bay. The Similan Islands National Park at 55 nautical miles northwest carries the marquee diving product with the Richelieu Rock and Koh Bon manta-cleaning stations. The Surin Islands at 90 nautical miles northwest carry the outer Moken sea-gypsy village and Koh Surin diving programme. The Mergui Archipelago at 80 to 250 nautical miles north of Phuket carries the structural outer-expedition product with an exclusive 800-island ground inside Myanmar territorial water.
The infrastructure. Yacht Haven Marina at Cape Yamu carries the deep-water berthing at the bracket with the 40 to 50m berths on the outer pontoons. Royal Phuket Marina at Koh Kaew runs the alternative inner-marina berthing and Phuket Yacht Haven Boat Lagoon runs the refit yard. The provisioning chain runs through Bangkok and the Phuket international airport at Mai Khao on the northwest coast.
The off-season. The southwest monsoon runs May through October. The destination closes for charter at the bracket through the wet calendar. October and May are shoulder weeks with reasonable availability and rates 12 to 18 percent below the December to February peak. The Mergui Archipelago opens October 15 and closes April 30.
What the cruising area gives the bracket
Phang Nga Bay carries the standard embarkation week with the Hong Island, Phanak Island, Panak Lagoon, Panyee floating village, and the Koh Yao Noi anchorages. The bracket holds at anchor in 12 to 22 metres on mud and sand bottom inside the inner bay and the limestone karsts run the marquee shore programme. Phang Nga Bay is the destination's most-built anchor ground for the inner two to three-night programme.
The Phi Phi and Krabi run at 25 to 45 nautical miles southeast of Yacht Haven carries the dressed-island product with the Maya Bay (open with the Hat Noppharat Thara permitting regime), Phi Phi Don and the Railay Beach Krabi anchorages. The bracket holds at anchor in 8 to 16 metres on sand bottom and runs the inner Phi Phi shore programme on the standard charter. Maya Bay reopened with a daily-visitor permit cap in 2022 and the captain prior tenure on the permit window is the variable that decides cleanly.
The Similan and Surin Islands National Parks at 50 to 95 nautical miles northwest of Phuket carry the outer diving and beach product with Koh Similan, Koh Bon, Koh Tachai, Richelieu Rock, and the Surin Moken village. The bracket holds at anchor in 14 to 20 metres on sand bottom. The national park anchor permitting runs through the Department of National Parks and the captain prior tenure on the permit chain is structural. The Similans run a three to four-night structural leg at the bracket.
The Mergui Archipelago at 80 to 250 nautical miles north of Phuket carries the marquee expedition product with the 800 Myanmar-side islands, the southern Lampi Marine Park, and the Salet Galet Bay anchor ground. The bracket runs the Mergui as a 7 to 10-night extension on the longer charter with the Myanmar cruising permit cleared at contract 60 to 90 days prior and a Burmese government liaison officer aboard for the duration. Mergui is the destination's outer marquee at the western Andaman.
Weekly rate map for 2026/27 dry season
Rates below are firm dry-season pricing for November 2026 through April 2027, before APA at 25 to 30 percent and gratuity at 10 to 12 percent. Peak weeks (Christmas, New Year, Chinese New Year) run at 1.20 to 1.40 times the published rate.
| LOA bracket | Motor yacht (low to high) | Sailing yacht and large catamaran (low to high) |
|---|---|---|
| 40 to 43m | $182K to $215K per week | $158K to $185K per week |
| 43 to 47m | $215K to $245K per week | $185K to $215K per week |
| 47 to 50m | $240K to $268K per week | $210K to $238K per week |
Phuket rates run roughly 8 to 12 percent below the equivalent Caribbean dry-season week at the same LOA on the headline rate, but the APA at 25 to 30 percent and the Mergui liaison and permit costs add roughly 4 to 7 percent on the all-in. Provisioning runs at Bangkok import cost and the European wine list runs at 1.5 to 2.0 times the Mediterranean equivalent. Build the wine and spirits brief into the contract APA.
What is in the bracket in this bracket
Cabins. Five to six. The 40 to 50m Asian standard runs the 5-cabin layout at 8 to 10 guests on the standard winter week. The 6-cabin product runs the multi-family week and the Christmas to New Year peak compresses to the 6-cabin upper end.
Crew. Nine to thirteen. The Phuket crew bench is split Thai-deck and Western-officer with a strong Australian and South African presence on the captain and engineer side. Substitution flies in via Phuket international (HKT) and Bangkok Suvarnabhumi (BKK) on a 24 to 48 hour lead time. Captain prior tenure on the Phang Nga Bay limestone-karst anchorages (the inner channels narrow to 8 metre depths and the tide range runs 2.5 metres), on the Similan and Surin national park permit chain, and crucially on the Mergui Myanmar permitting and the Salet Galet anchor ground is the variable that decides cleanly. Confirm captain prior Mergui tenure at inquiry if the Myanmar leg is in scope.
Tenders. A primary 9 to 11m fast tender plus a 6 to 7m secondary, with the dive tender configuration on the secondary. The Phang Nga limestone-karst penetration (the inner Hong Island and Panak lagoons run shallow-draft tender only at 0.6 to 1.0 metre depth), the Similan diving programme, and the Mergui inner-island access work the tender hard. The Andaman clarity and the diving depth at the outer reef run the dive tender programme.
At-anchor stabilizers. Load-bearing. The Andaman northeast monsoon swell runs 0.5 to 1.2 metres in the Phang Nga inner bay and 1.0 to 1.8 metres in the open Andaman crossing to the Similans. The at-anchor product earns its keep on the standard week. The underway stabilizers earn the Mergui 80 to 250 nautical mile crossings. Specify both at inquiry.
Helipad. Useful but not structural. Phuket international runs the inbound and outbound guest logistics within 25 minutes of Yacht Haven. The helipad carries the Phang Nga and Phi Phi guest rotation, the Similan day-trip access (90 minutes from Phuket compresses to 25 minutes on the helicopter), and the Mergui inbound and outbound rotation. Useful for the Mergui charter, optional on the standard Andaman week.
Trip shapes that fit the bracket
The 7-night Phang Nga and Phi Phi round-trip. Embark Yacht Haven, two nights Phang Nga (Hong, Panak, Panyee), two nights Phi Phi (Phi Phi Don, Maya Bay permit window), one night Krabi Railay, one night Phang Nga return, disembark Yacht Haven. The standard winter week at the bracket. Suits the family week tied to Phi Phi and the dressed week with the Krabi shore programme.
The 10-night Phang Nga, Phi Phi, and Similans extension. Embark Yacht Haven, two nights Phang Nga, two nights Phi Phi and Krabi, four nights Similans and Surin (Koh Similan, Koh Bon, Koh Tachai, Richelieu Rock, Surin Moken village), one night Phang Nga return, disembark Yacht Haven. The extended winter charter at the bracket with the diving leg. Suits the diving-focused couples week and the multi-family week with the Similan extension.
The 14-night full Andaman and Mergui Archipelago expedition. Embark Yacht Haven, two nights Phang Nga, six nights Mergui Archipelago with Burmese liaison aboard (Salet Galet, Lampi Marine Park, southern Mergui), three nights Similans on the return leg, two nights Phi Phi, one night Phang Nga return. The marquee Andaman charter at the bracket. Suits the dedicated expedition couples week and the Mergui-focused multi-family charter. Booking lead time 12 to 14 months for the Myanmar permit chain.
For destination context see Asia charter season, 40-50m Maldives, and 40-50m Raja Ampat.
What the bracket does not do well at Phuket
The Mediterranean port-night charter shape. The Andaman runs the at-anchor product and the destination has no stern-to old-town quayside equivalent. The Phuket Old Town, Patong Beach, and Phi Phi Don run the night-out shore programme via tender, not via marina dockage. Build the at-anchor week into the brief.
The compressed seven-night charter that tries to include the Mergui. The Phuket-to-southern-Mergui round-trip is structurally a 10 to 14-night charter on the 80 to 250 nautical mile transit window and the Burmese permitting. The seven-night charter does not run the Mergui. Build the Mergui leg into a 14-night charter or commit to the Andaman national parks instead.
The southwest monsoon charter. The Andaman wet season (May to October) closes the bracket on monsoon risk and the destination runs the dry-dock and the repositioning calendar. The May to October Asian charter runs the Indonesian dry season (Komodo, Raja Ampat) or the Maldives shoulder, not Phuket.
The Maya Bay daytime visit at peak. The Maya Bay daily-visitor permit cap (typically 375 visitors per session, four sessions per day) runs to capacity through December to February. Confirm the Maya Bay permit window at contract and build the visit into the early-morning slot.
Two we would book
For a family of 8, 7-night Phang Nga, Phi Phi, and Krabi round-trip in mid-February at the dry-season peak: a 43 to 45m motor yacht with the 5-cabin layout, a captain holding prior Maya Bay permit tenure, a full tender complement with the shallow-draft Phang Nga tender, and the Hong Island lagoon programme arranged at contract. Budget: $235K plus APA at 27 percent, all-in roughly $315K. Booking lead time: 6 to 9 months.
For a couples-only 14-night full Andaman and Mergui expedition through mid-January at the season peak: a 45 to 47m motor yacht with the 6-cabin layout, helipad for the Phuket-Mergui repositioning, full tender complement with dive configuration, the captain experience for the Salet Galet anchor ground and the southern Lampi Marine Park, the Myanmar cruising permit cleared at contract, and the Burmese liaison officer aboard for the Mergui leg. Budget: $325K per week, all-in for 14 nights roughly $830K including APA and Mergui permit chain. Booking lead time: 12 to 14 months.
Inventory
The live 40 to 50m Phuket and Andaman dry-season inventory through the 2026/27 season updates weekly.. For broker-side inquiry, see the brokers pillar and the Asia charter season report.