Catamaran charter in Koh Samui

Catamaran charter in Koh Samui starts at ฿9,450 a day for a 30-foot boat and at ฿12,900 for a two-and-a-half-hour sunset trip with crew. The 21 models below take 9 to 60 guests. Here is how trip and daily prices compare, who a price actually covers, what bareboat requires and what the routes cost.

Crewed trips and daily rates: two ways to hire

Catamarans on the island are sold in two ways — as a crewed trip measured in hours, or as a whole boat by the day — and the two kinds of price cannot be compared head to head.

What you book: the whole boat

A catamaran here is hired whole, for your own group, never as a seat on a shared tour. The Rent-Trip section on this page brings together 21 models, and they split into two markets of almost equal size. Eleven are crewed boats run by local operators and priced per trip, from a sunset to a morning or afternoon outing. Ten are sailing and motor catamarans with a daily rate, the kind of boat also chartered for a week of island hopping. For catamaran charter in Koh Samui this split matters more than the make: a ฿21,000 trip and a ฿20,500 daily rate look alike on paper, yet one buys a few hours with crew and the other the boat until evening. Before comparing two prices, check the unit — trip, hours or day — written next to the figure.

Per-trip prices with crew

The 11 crewed boats start between ฿12,900 for a sunset on the Wave 9 and ฿60,000 for four hours on the Serenity 71, with the middle of the range at ฿22,000. Four quote a 2.5-hour sunset, two a 4.5-hour outing, and the rest a half day of about four hours. Captain and crew are part of every one of these prices; snorkelling gear is on every inclusions list, and fruit with soft drinks on all except the Serenity 71, which charges ฿150 a head for them. Six of the 11 take 10 to 15 guests, a market built around families and small groups. The figure to watch is the number of hours: ฿21,000 buys 2.5 hours on the Victoria, four on the Vickey and 4.5 on the Wave 5 — divide by the hours before you choose.

Daily rates and the weekly charter

The ten models with a daily rate start between ฿9,450 for the Custom Built 30 and ฿109,200 for the Lagoon 620, and the middle of the range is ฿22,100. Five of them cost between ฿16,800 and ฿23,400, which is where the four-cabin sailing catamarans on the island sit. These boats live by a different rhythm: most catamarans and sailing yachts here are rented from Saturday to Saturday, and the week is the natural unit. The cheapest weeks start from about ฿76,200, or about ฿10,900 daily — roughly half the starting price of a mid-range Lagoon. Seven separate days on the Lagoon 400 S2 at ฿20,600 would come to ฿144,200. So once the plan grows beyond four or five days on the water, ask for a weekly price instead of multiplying a daily one.

Starting prices, not quotes

Every price on this page is a starting price without dates — the lowest figure a boat goes out for, not a quote for your calendar. One model can also mean several boats: an older Lagoon 380 with three cabins starts from about ฿12,700, while a second Lagoon 380, four years younger and with four cabins, starts from ฿16,800. On the crewed boats the starting price is nearly always the cheapest slot, the morning outing or the sunset, while afternoons and longer routes cost more. On several boats the price also assumes a base group smaller than the boat's limit, a point covered in the section on guests. Read each figure as a floor and a guide to the class of boat, then ask for a dated price on the exact boat and route.

Sunset, half-day and full-day prices

Crewed catamarans are sold by duration — a sunset, a half day or a full day — and each step up costs less than the extra hours would suggest.

Crewed boats by trip length

Sunset cruises of two and a half hours

A sunset catamaran in Koh Samui starts at ฿12,900 on the Wave 9 and ฿13,900 on the Wave 7, both for up to 10 guests and 2.5 hours. The Victoria, a 37-foot sailing catamaran for 13, and the 38-foot Nina for 15 start at ฿21,000 and ฿22,000, with the sunset slot running from 16:00 to 18:30 and a stop at Koh Tan. A Seawind 1000 runs the same hours for ฿20,000 with up to six guests. The ฿9,100 between the cheapest and dearest sunset boat buys a sailing catamaran with room for up to five more people. Is a sunset worth booking on its own? For a couple or a family, the Wave boats are the cheapest way onto a private catamaran; for 12 people or more, compare per-head costs on the Victoria and the Nina.

Half days of four to four and a half hours

Morning and afternoon trips start at ฿21,000 — on the Vickey, a 36-foot boat for 10, and on the Wave 5, which runs 4.5 hours for 15 — and go up to ฿60,000 on the Serenity 71. The Ocean Wave costs ฿23,000 for 4.5 hours with 20 guests, the Scarlet ฿32,900 for four hours, and the Coco Paradise and the Lagoon 42 ฿45,000 each. Mornings are cheaper wherever both slots are priced: on the Scarlet the afternoon costs ฿34,900 against ฿32,900, on the Nina ฿31,000 against ฿29,000, on the Coco Paradise ฿50,000 against ฿45,000. Only the Victoria charges ฿25,000 for either. These short trips hop to Koh Tan, Koh Madsum, Pig Island, Koh Som or Koh Mad Lang near Thongson Bay. With a flexible schedule, book the morning — on most of these boats it saves ฿1,000 to ฿5,000.

Full days of six to eight hours

A long trip costs much less than two short ones. The Victoria goes out for six hours from ฿35,000 and for eight hours, with Pig Island, Koh Tan and Koh Rap, from ฿39,900; the Nina costs ฿38,000 and ฿43,000, and the Scarlet ฿47,900 and ฿52,000 for the run to Koh Phangan. The Vickey has one long option, Koh Phangan from 10:00 to 18:30, at ฿35,000. Against the four-hour price, eight hours costs about 1.5 to 1.6 times as much, which on the Victoria brings the hourly cost down from about ฿6,250 to about ฿4,990. The Scarlet adds a Thai lunch on six- and eight-hour trips only. On the Victoria the last two hours add just ฿4,900 to the six-hour price, so if you are already paying for six, eight is the better buy.

Guest limits, base headcount and cost per head

The guest figure on a catamaran is a ceiling, not the number the price is built on, and the difference changes the cost of a full boat considerably.

Who the trip price covers

Cost of a full boat

Filling a boat to its limit adds the extra-guest fee for everyone above the base. The Scarlet costs ฿32,900 for a morning trip with 8 people, but ฿50,900 with 20, about ฿2,545 a head. A private catamaran in Koh Samui can still come out cheap per person for a big group: the Serenity 71 with 60 guests on a four-hour trip comes to ฿88,000, about ฿1,470 each, and the Coco Paradise with 45 to ฿97,500, about ฿2,170 each. At the small end, the Vickey with 10 guests costs ฿26,200, about ฿2,620 a head, and the Victoria at sunset with 13 costs ฿24,000, about ฿1,850. For the Wave boats the base group is not stated, so ask whether ฿12,900 covers all 10 places. Do the sum with your real headcount and the extra-guest fee, not with the headline price.

Party-size boats for 45 to 60 guests

Three catamarans take 45 or more people. The Serenity 71 is the largest, 21.6 metres long and 10.3 metres wide, with four double cabins, each with a shower and air conditioning, and room for 60; four hours cost ฿60,000 and an eight-hour trip to Ang Thong ฿130,000. The Coco Paradise, a sailing catamaran with three cabins and a personal butler on board, takes 45 and starts at ฿45,000 for a morning trip. The Power Catamaran Samui, a 49-foot motor catamaran with 630 hp, also takes 45 and has a daily rate from ฿62,100, always with a captain. For a party, the base headcount decides more than the headline price: the Serenity's price covers 25 guests, the Coco Paradise's covers 10. For any group above 30, compare the full-load totals of these three first.

Cabins and nights on board

Daytime capacity and sleeping places are two separate numbers. The Seawind 1000 takes up to 15 guests for an outing but is fitted to live aboard for five guests and one child; the Lagoon 620 has six cabins for 12 guests and a shower in each of its six toilets. The four-cabin boats — the Lagoon 380, 400 S2, 440 and 450 and the Island Spirit 410 — take nine or ten people, and the Fountaine Pajot Belize 43 has three cabins. On the crewed trip boats, cabins range from one on the Vickey to three on the Scarlet and the Coco Paradise and four on the Serenity 71, yet none of them prices a night. Can you sleep on a trip boat? That is a question for the operator. For a night or a week on board, choose by cabins first.

Sailing catamarans by the day: Lagoon, Island Spirit and others

Ten models carry a daily rate. Most are four-cabin sailing catamarans of 11 to 14 metres; the rest are a small custom build, an older Australian design, a motor catamaran and a 62-foot Lagoon.

Daily-rate models side by side

Five boats of 11.5 to 14 metres

The core of catamaran rental in Koh Samui is five four-cabin cruising catamarans: the Lagoon 380 from ฿16,800, the Island Spirit 410 from ฿20,500, the Lagoon 400 S2 from ฿20,600, the Lagoon 440 from ฿20,800 and the Lagoon 450 from ฿23,400. Lengths run from 11.55 to 13.96 metres, and each takes nine or ten people. Within this group, the extra 2.4 metres between the Lagoon 380 and the Lagoon 450 cost ฿6,600. Four of the five come with a skipper as an option rather than a requirement, and the fifth, the Lagoon 380, is offered bareboat, so the group suits both crewed and self-sailed plans. On a first budget, the ฿20,500–23,400 corridor gives the widest choice of comparable boats, while the Lagoon 380 is the entry point for anyone who mainly needs four cabins.

Age, make and the price gap

Build year barely moves the price in this group. The Island Spirit 410 is the newest catamaran in the section, built this year, and starts at ฿20,500; the Lagoon 440 is 18 years older and starts at ฿20,800, and the Lagoon 400 S2, between them in age, at ฿20,600. The oldest boat with a daily rate, the 33-foot Seawind 1000, costs more than any of them at ฿37,400, but it always sails with a captain and is set up for 15 guests. The Fountaine Pajot Belize 43, more than two decades old, starts at ฿48,800 with three cabins and is based at Petcherat Marina in Bophut. Ask for the build year, the cabin count and whether a skipper is included before you compare makes — on this island the make alone says little about the price.

The extremes: a 30-footer and a 62-foot Lagoon

The cheapest catamaran in the section is the Custom Built 30, a 9.1-metre custom boat based at Lipa Noi by the naval base, from ฿9,450. At the other end, the Lagoon 620 is 18.9 metres long, has six cabins for 12 guests and starts at ฿109,200, about 11.6 times as much, with a captain always on board. Between the two, the Power Catamaran Samui at ฿62,100 is the only motor catamaran among the daily-rate models, built for groups of up to 45 rather than for sailing. The jump from the Lagoon 450 to the Lagoon 620 is the steepest in the table: 4.9 metres more length and about 4.7 times the price. If you need crew and six cabins, budget for that class; if not, the four-cabin boats cost a fifth of it or less.

Skipper or bareboat: licences, experience and charter length

Most catamarans on the island go out with a skipper. Hiring one bareboat is possible, but the market sets conditions and does not fully agree on them.

What charter companies ask for bareboat

• ICC licence: for a bareboat charter, charter companies on the island ask for an International Certificate of Competence, shown to the base and to the port authorities.
• Nautical résumé: a written record of your sailing — the boats you have skippered and the waters you sailed — is requested together with the licence.
• Same-size experience: for a catamaran, you are expected to prove that you have already handled a boat of similar size, not just any yacht.
• No licence, with skipper: without a licence, any boat can still be chartered with a skipper, and the crewed trip boats always include one.
• Check before paying: ask the base in writing which documents it accepts, because the requirements come from the company and the port, not from the price.

Where the market disagrees

Not every charter company reads the rules the same way. One part of the market states that operators in the Gulf of Thailand generally do not require a specific international sailing certificate by law, while another insists on the ICC and a sailing résumé before handing over the boat. Both positions describe practice rather than one written rule, and the base that owns the boat has the final word. In practice, a sailor without an ICC may find a bareboat catamaran that accepts other proof of experience — and a sailor with no paperwork at all may be turned away by the next base. The difference matters at booking time, not at the marina. If you plan to sail yourself, get the base's document requirements in writing before paying anything, and keep a skippered option ready in case they say no.

Captain optional, captain mandatory and charter length

Of the eight daily-rate models whose sailing mode is stated, four come with a skipper as an option, one Lagoon 380 is offered bareboat, and three always sail with a captain: the Lagoon 620, the Seawind 1000 and the Power Catamaran Samui. Time is the other condition: the minimum bareboat charter is typically seven days, or three for larger vessels, and most catamarans here change hands from Saturday to Saturday. A two-day bareboat trip is the exception rather than the rule. What does that leave for a short stay? A crewed trip of a few hours, or a daily rate with a skipper on one of the four-cabin boats. With three days or fewer, plan around a skipper from the start instead of hunting for a short bareboat slot.

Routes, departure bays, season and extras

Where the boat goes, where it leaves from, the month and the small print add the last layer to the price.

Routes and park fees

Short trips stay close to the island: four-hour outings go to Koh Tan, Koh Madsum, Pig Island, Koh Som or Koh Mad Lang near Thongson Bay, and sunsets on the Victoria and the Nina stop at Koh Tan. Eight-hour trips reach Koh Phangan, Koh Rap and Ang Thong Marine Park, and Ang Thong is priced highest: ฿85,000 on the Coco Paradise against ฿65,000 for its long trip to Koh Tan and Koh Madsum, and ฿130,000 on the Serenity 71 against ฿100,000 for its other eight-hour routes. Park and island fees come on top. Ang Thong costs ฿300 per adult and ฿150 per child, and children aged 12 and over pay the adult rate; Koh Madsum costs ฿50 and Koh Rap ฿100. For 20 adults, Ang Thong alone adds ฿6,000, so multiply the fee by your headcount before comparing routes.

Where the boats are based

The known departure points sit on the north and west coasts. Bophut, around Fisherman's Village, is the base for bareboat charters, and the Fountaine Pajot Belize 43 sits at Petcherat Marina there; the Power Catamaran Samui also leaves from Bo Put. The Custom Built 30 is based at Lipa Noi, by the naval base, and Taling Ngam on the west coast is another departure point. For most crewed trip boats the pier is not stated, so it belongs in your first question. Transfers differ boat by boat: the Scarlet includes a VIP transfer from your hotel, while the Serenity 71 lists transfer, lunch and kayaking as extras, with soft drinks and fruit at ฿150 and a buffet with barbecue at ฿600 per person. Ask for the pier and the hotel pick-up before comparing two similar prices.

Season and booking ahead

The boat charter season on Koh Samui runs from May to August, and in the high season charter boats on the island are in such demand that booking about two months ahead is advised. The wettest months come later, roughly October to December, with rainfall peaking in November at around 445 mm. Routes depend on the weather, and on at least one boat the terms say outright that the route can change with it. On the Scarlet, the Victoria, the Nina and the Vickey guests may bring their own snacks and drinks free of charge, which keeps extras down. For a November trip, keep a spare date in the plan so a cancelled sailing can move rather than disappear, and for May to August book early.

What to put in a request

• Date and slot: give the date and the slot — morning, afternoon, sunset or a long trip — because mornings are often ฿1,000 to ฿5,000 cheaper.
• Headcount: state adults and children separately, so the extra-guest fee and the park fees can be added into one total.
• Route: name the islands you want, such as Koh Tan, Koh Phangan or Ang Thong, since eight-hour routes differ by up to ฿30,000.
• Skipper and crew: on daily-rate boats, ask whether the skipper is included or extra, and how many crew come aboard.
• Extras: ask about hotel transfer and lunch; on the Coco Paradise a pool and water slide add ฿3,000 and are not allowed inside Ang Thong.

Key points before you book a catamaran

Five figures to remember

• Two prices: crewed trips start at ฿12,900 for a 2.5-hour sunset; daily rates start at ฿9,450, with the middle at ฿22,100.
• Base headcount: a trip price can cover from 6 to 25 guests, and each person above that adds ฿800 to ฿1,500.
• Long-trip value: eight hours costs about 1.5 to 1.6 times a four-hour trip on the same boat.
• Bareboat: expect to show an ICC and a sailing record, and to book about a week, often from Saturday to Saturday.
• Fees on top: Ang Thong adds ฿300 per adult and ฿150 per child to any charter price.