Motor yachts, 30 to 50 metres. The size most weeks are chartered at.
Big enough for separate living areas, a beach club and a crew who are never in your way. Small enough to still get into the harbours you actually want to be in.
At a glance
What this size carries
- GuestsTypically 10 to 12Twelve is the maximum a charter yacht may sleep, whatever her length. A 30 metre yacht often sleeps 8 to 10, a 45 metre yacht usually 12.
- CabinsUsually 5 or 6A full beam master, one or two VIP cabins and doubles or twins for the rest. Twins that convert to doubles are common.
- CrewTypically 6 to 11Captain, chief engineer, chef, chief stewardess and stewards, mate and deckhands. Crew numbers rise sharply above 45 metres.
- DecksThree, often fourMain deck, upper deck, sun deck, and on many yachts a beach club at water level in the stern.
Why this band
The size where a yacht stops compromising
Below about 30 metres, a yacht asks you to share: one saloon, one outdoor table, cabins of noticeably different quality. Above 30 metres, the spaces separate. Someone can read in the saloon while someone else is on the sun deck and the children are in the water, and none of them are aware of each other. That is the difference the length buys, far more than any specification sheet.
By the mid forties a yacht carries a proper beach club at the stern, zero speed stabilisers that hold her steady at anchor as well as under way, a tender garage rather than a tender lashed to the deck, and enough crew that the chef never has to leave the galley. Above 50 metres you gain lifts, gyms, cinemas and spa rooms, and you begin to lose the small harbours: berths get harder to find, fees climb steeply and some ports simply cannot take you.
Odyssey arranges charter yachts, which means we have no yacht to sell you. We look at who is coming and put forward the boats that fit, in this band or outside it.
On board
What you generally find at this length
- A full beam master cabin on the main deck, so nobody in the party has to face a companionway at night
- Zero speed stabilisers, which is the single feature guests notice most, because they stop the roll at anchor
- A beach club or a broad bathing platform, usually with a shower, a fridge and somewhere to sit out of the sun
- A tender of around six to eight metres for shore runs, and on larger yachts a second, smaller one
- A toy locker: seabobs, paddleboards, inflatable toys, water skis and wakeboards, with jet skis where local rules allow them
- A jacuzzi on the sun deck, shaded dining outside on at least two decks, and air conditioning that works at anchor
- Wi-Fi throughout, which on a modern yacht is now good enough to work from, including offshore
Honest comparison
The class below, this one, and the class above
| 24 to 30 metres | 30 to 50 metres | 50 metres and above | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Guests | Usually 6 to 8 | Usually 10 to 12 | 12, in far more space |
| Crew | 3 to 5 | 6 to 11 | 12 or more |
| Living areas | One saloon, one outdoor table | Several, on separate decks | Several, plus gym, cinema and spa |
| Harbours | Almost anywhere, including small ports | Most major marinas, with a berth booked ahead | Limited, expensive, and booked far ahead |
| Running costs | The lowest of the three | Predictable, and dominated by fuel | Considerably higher on every line |
| Best for | A couple, a small family, short breaks | Two families, a group of friends, a full week | Milestone occasions and corporate hosting |
Numbers are typical across the charter market rather than rules. See charter costs for how the money works, and motor yacht charter for how to choose between individual yachts.
Range and pace
How far she will actually go
Most yachts in this band are displacement or semi displacement, which means a comfortable cruising speed somewhere around ten to fourteen knots, with a faster setting that costs a great deal more fuel. In practice that is two to three hours between anchorages, which is the right amount: long enough for a passage to feel like something, short enough that the day is not spent under way.
It is enough to cover the French Riviera and the Italian coast in a week, to work down through Corsica and Sardinia, to move between the Balearics, or to island hop in the Aegean. Crossing an ocean is a different conversation and usually a different yacht.
Luggage is worth a word. Cabins have hanging space and drawers, but no yacht has anywhere sensible to put twelve hard cases. Soft bags can be stowed flat and then put away, and the crew will ask you to bring them. Tell us what you are travelling with and we will make sure the cars at the airport are right for it.
Where they cruise
Usual grounds
Marinas they use
Getting to her
The yacht is the easy part to arrange
Embarkation is usually at midday, and the week goes wrong when the flights and the cars are booked separately from the yacht. We arrange all three on one itinerary, brief the captain on your arrival time and tell him the moment the aircraft moves.
Request a proposal
Tell us who is coming
Dates, numbers, ages and where you would like to be. We reply with a shortlist in and around this size, with the full cost of each and an honest word about the crew on every one.
Prefer to talk? +44 2030 048300 or WhatsApp, at any hour.
Questions people ask
About this size of yacht
Can we have twelve guests on a 32 metre yacht?
Sometimes, but the cabins will be tight and two of the party will be in a twin. From about 40 metres upward twelve guests are properly accommodated. Tell us the group and we will be straight with you about it.
Do all yachts this size have a beach club?
No. It is common from about 40 metres and increasingly found below that, but it depends on the yacht and her year. It is worth asking for specifically if it matters to you, and we will.
How much crew contact is there?
As much or as little as you want. Say so at the preference sheet stage and a good chief stewardess will set the tone of the whole week accordingly.
Can we take her somewhere else halfway through?
Within the cruising area in the agreement, yes, subject to weather and berthing. Big changes of plan may mean a delivery fee, which we would explain before you agreed to it.
Is a 45 metre yacht better than a 35 metre one?
Not necessarily. A superb crew on a well kept 35 metre yacht beats an indifferent crew on a bigger one every time, and we would rather send you the former.