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French Polynesia at 50 to 60m is the Pacific's principal long-haul charter geography and the bracket runs the basin as a multi-archipelago expedition product. The 2026 weekly rate runs $310,000 to $480,000 for motor and $250,000 to $385,000 for sailing, plus APA at 32 to 38 percent (the highest standard APA at the bracket globally because provisioning and fuel both import expensive into the basin), French Polynesia cruising and yacht-licence fees, and gratuity at 10 to 15 percent. The bracket carries 10 to 12 guests in 6 cabins (7 at the upper end), with 14 to 18 crew. Embarkation is at Papeete (Tahiti) at the Marina Taina or the new Papeete superyacht berths; the charter season runs May to November for the Society Islands and June to October for the Tuamotus pass-diving program. Charter activity is structurally thinner than the Mediterranean or Caribbean because the basin's repositioning logistics tax the inventory: yachts cross the Pacific in March to May from the Caribbean and exit in November to January for Southeast Asia or back east to the Americas.
Why the basin works at the bracket
French Polynesia spans five archipelagos across 1,200 nautical miles of Pacific Ocean. The bracket's charter is the Society Islands cluster (Tahiti, Moorea, Huahine, Raiatea, Tahaa, Bora Bora) with overnight passages between islands and lagoon-based anchorage at each. The Tuamotus (the world's largest atoll group, with Rangiroa, Fakarava, and Tikehau as the principal charter atolls) sit 200 to 250 nautical miles northeast of Tahiti and require an overnight passage each direction. The Marquesas (Nuku Hiva, Hiva Oa) are the basin's most remote and most culturally distinctive archipelago, 800-plus nautical miles north of Tahiti, accessible at the bracket on long-form expedition charters.
The bracket's anchorages run inside-lagoon at each Society Island (the barrier-reef geography creates protected lagoon basins at every primary island). Bora Bora's lagoon, the basin's marquee anchorage, takes the bracket on swing inside the reef at 4 to 6 boats during peak; the Conrad and Four Seasons resort-island anchorages run separate access patterns. Moorea's Opunohu and Cook's Bay handle the bracket on swing. The Tuamotus' pass-diving program at Fakarava (Garuae Pass) and Rangiroa (Tiputa Pass) rewards the dive-tender spec; the inside-atoll anchorages take the bracket comfortably.
The booking pattern at the bracket is the Society Islands seven-to-ten-night week or the Society plus Tuamotus fourteen-to-twenty-one-day expedition. The Marquesas expedition is a separate product running 21 to 28 days from Tahiti round trip; the captain bench for the Marquesas is narrow and the program requires advance planning.
Weekly rate map for 2026
High season (May to November 2026 austral-winter window), before APA at 32 to 38 percent and gratuity at 10 to 15 percent. The Tuamotus expedition product carries the expedition supplement; the Marquesas expedition runs a separate quote.
| LOA bracket | Motor yacht (low to high) | Sailing yacht and motor-sailor (low to high) |
|---|---|---|
| 50 to 53m | $310K to $360K per week | $250K to $295K per week |
| 53 to 57m | $355K to $415K per week | $290K to $340K per week |
| 57 to 60m | $400K to $480K per week | $335K to $385K per week |
The Bora Bora June through September window runs at the peak rate and is the basin's strongest social-geography week. November runs a 15 to 20 percent discount as the south-Pacific cyclone window approaches; charter clients booking November should reference the Pacific cyclone planning notes at the booking stage. December through March is the structural off-season at the bracket because the cyclone window pushes the fleet north and east. For broader context see Repositioning charters and the 40 to 50m French Polynesia bracket.
What is in the bracket in this bracket
Cabins. 6 cabins standard, 7 at the upper end. The French Polynesia 50 to 60m pool is structurally limited (roughly 10 to 20 yachts the basin across the season) because the basin requires either a year-long commitment or a deliberate Pacific repositioning loop.
Crew. 14 to 18. The basin's crew bench is the Pacific's deepest at the bracket because the multi-archipelago expedition program rewards experienced senior crew. Chef profiles skew toward the French and pan-Pacific vein with a knowledge of Polynesian provisioning. The captain bench specifically rewards the navigator with documented Tuamotus pass-diving and Marquesas open-passage hours.
Tenders. Primary 9 to 10m, secondary 7m, dedicated dive tender for the pass-diving program. The Tuamotus drift-dive program at Fakarava and Rangiroa runs the dive tender hard; the dive-tender spec is the bracket's single most important kit differentiator for the basin.
At-anchor stabilizers. Required. The inside-lagoon anchorages at the Society Islands run quiet but the outside-lagoon passage anchorages and the Tuamotus inside-atoll anchorages take steady trade-wind swell.
Helipad. Touch-and-go workable at the upper end. The basin's domestic-flight network through Air Tahiti is well-established for inter-island guest movement; the yacht's helipad is meaningful primarily for the Bora Bora to Tahiti and Marquesas-to-Tahiti routes where private rotary movement is otherwise an expensive air-charter exercise.
Expedition kit. Water-maker redundancy, fuel range supporting the inter-archipelago passages with margin, satellite communication redundancy, full dive support (rebreather capability is the bracket norm at the basin), and provisioning capacity for the 14 to 21-day cycle. The Pacific is the basin where the kit margin matters most globally because of the inter-archipelago passage distances.
Trip shapes that fit the bracket
The Society Islands seven-night. Embark Papeete, one night Moorea, one night Huahine, two nights Raiatea-Tahaa, two nights Bora Bora, return Papeete by Air Tahiti for the upper end (one-way charter ending Bora Bora). Seven nights. The bracket fits the entire run and this is the basin's signature week at the LOA.
The Society plus Tuamotus fourteen-day. Embark Papeete, four nights Society Islands, run northeast overnight to Tikehau, four nights Tuamotus (Tikehau, Rangiroa, Fakarava under permit), return via Tetiaroa or Moorea, disembark Papeete. Fourteen nights. The Tuamotus leg requires the dive program and rewards the bracket's captain bench.
The Marquesas expedition (21 to 28 days). Embark Papeete, run north 4 to 5 days to Nuku Hiva, work the northern Marquesas group for 8 to 12 days (Nuku Hiva, Ua Pou, Ua Huka, Hiva Oa), return south via the Tuamotus for an additional week, disembark Papeete. Twenty-one to twenty-eight days. Best at the upper end of the bracket for the open-water passage. Permit and provisioning lead time runs 6 to 9 months. For destination context see Charter French Polynesia, How to plan an Indian Ocean charter, and the Repositioning charters reference.
What the bracket does not do well in French Polynesia
Marina-side weekly. Marina Taina at Papeete handles the bracket on a tight slot allocation and the upper end of the bracket frequently runs anchorage rather than dockage. Bora Bora has no marina at the bracket. Charter clients who want the dock-side evening pattern should plan around the anchorage pattern from the outset.
Cyclone-window weeks (December to March). The south-Pacific cyclone season is the basin's structural off-season at the bracket. December through March runs available at the basin but the fleet thins materially and the captain bench respects the window.
Inside-window Marquesas attempts. The Marquesas program is structurally a three- to four-week commitment because of the passage logistics. Inside-week attempts are not viable and broker representations otherwise should be questioned at the booking stage.
Two we would book
For two couples, seven days in mid-July, Society Islands cluster: a 53m motor yacht with 6 cabins, at-anchor stabilizers, twin tenders plus dive tender, embarkation Papeete. Budget $365K plus APA at 35 percent, all-in roughly $510K. Booking lead time: 8 to 11 months.
For a family of 10, fourteen days in early September, Society plus Tuamotus: a 56m motor yacht with 6 cabins, full dive program, embarkation Papeete. Budget $820K plus APA at 35 percent, all-in roughly $1.15M. Booking lead time: 12 to 16 months.
For a serious-expedition friend group of 8, twenty-eight days in June, full Marquesas plus Tuamotus expedition: a 58m motor yacht with 6 cabins, full expedition kit, embarkation Papeete, return Papeete. Budget $1.85M (4 weeks plus expedition supplement) plus APA at 38 percent, all-in roughly $2.6M. Booking lead time: 14 to 20 months.
Build year, refit, condition
The French Polynesia 50 to 60m pool runs the youngest average for the Pacific basin because the inventory tends to be deliberately positioned yachts on multi-year owner programs or expedition-specification charter inventory. A 2020 or later refit with at-anchor stabilizers, demonstrated Pacific-range fuel margin, dive-tender plus full reef program kit, water-maker redundancy, and confirmed Tuamotus-bench captain is the value zone. We would pass on tonnage running pre-2018 expedition kit margins through the Tuamotus and Marquesas programs specifically; the basin's passage logistics are the operational constraint, not the marketing line.