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Motor Yachts on Koh Samui: Trip Prices, Routes and Guests
Yacht charter in Koh Samui starts from ฿70,000 for a two-hour sunset cruise on a 42-foot yacht, half days start at ฿77,000, and the top of the range is ฿260,000 for eight hours on a 60-foot Sunseeker. Below: what each price unit buys, the cost per guest, routes to Ang Thong and Koh Tao, berths for a night on board and the rainy months.
Two hours, half a day, a full day or a day rate
The eight motor yachts on this page are priced in four different units, and until each one is brought down to an hourly figure, two prices cannot be compared.
What a yacht charter on the island buys
A charter here means the whole boat for your group, with a captain and crew, not a seat on a shared tour. The Rent-Trip section on this page brings together eight motor yachts from 42 to 64 feet, and the market offers them in three working modes: with a captain at the helm, as a two-hour sunset cruise and as a half or full day. Crew sizes are stated for three of the eight — three people on the Gulf Craft Princess 42 and the Azimut 55, four on the Princess 64. In my view the first question to settle in any yacht charter in Koh Samui is whether that crew sits inside the rate. Ask it before you set two quotes side by side, because a figure without the crew is not a price for the same thing.
Starting prices and the hours behind them
| Yacht | Starting package | Price | Per hour |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wave 42 | Sunset cruise, 2 hours | ฿70,000 | ฿35,000 |
| Gulf Craft Princess 42 | Half day, 4 hours | ฿77,000 | ฿19,250 |
| Fairline 43 | Half day, 4 hours | ฿85,000 | ฿21,250 |
| Azimut 55 | Day rate with crew | ฿99,700 | hours not stated |
| Wave 64 | Sunset cruise, 2 hours | ฿135,000 | ฿67,500 |
| Princess 64 | Day rate with crew | ฿176,100 | hours not stated |
| Wave 60 | Sunset cruise | ฿180,000 | hours not stated |
| Sunseeker 60 | Full day, 8 hours | ฿260,000 | ฿32,500 |
Why the lowest figure is not the cheapest hour
The lowest starting price, ฿70,000 on the Wave 42, buys two hours on the water, which works out at ฿35,000 an hour. The Gulf Craft Princess 42 asks ฿77,000 for four hours — ฿19,250 an hour, almost half as much — and the same boat costs ฿102,000 for eight hours around the island, which brings the hour down to ฿12,750. The Fairline 43 follows the same pattern: ฿85,000 for a half day, ฿135,000 for a full day to three islands. So the longer the trip, the cheaper each hour becomes, and the gap is large. Is the sunset cruise then poor value? Not if two hours at golden hour is exactly what you want. But if the plan is a swim stop and lunch, compare the total for the format you need, not the smallest number on the page.
Day rates, extra hours and extra guests
Two flybridge yachts carry a daily rate with crew: the Azimut 55 from ฿99,700 and the Princess 64 from ฿176,100. Both rates were converted from US dollars into baht at the exchange rate on the date of the price check and rounded to the nearest hundred, so a quote in dollars can differ slightly. Two other boats carry surcharges that change the total. On the Gulf Craft Princess 42 the price covers a group of up to 10 people, and every additional hour costs ฿20,000. On the Fairline 43 the price is based on 10 guests, each extra guest adds ฿3,000 and the limit is 13. Add these extras before comparing — a half day on the Princess 42 stretched to five hours costs ฿97,000, more than the Fairline's four hours for 13 people.
Eight yachts from 42 to 64 feet
The eight yachts split into two groups by size — three compact boats of 42 and 43 feet and five flybridges of 55 to 64 feet — and the group decides the price band more than the make does.
The yachts side by side
| Yacht | Length | Guests | Cabins |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wave 42 | 42 ft | 10 | not stated |
| Gulf Craft Princess 42 | 12.8 m | 10 | 2 |
| Fairline 43 | 13.1 m | 13 | 2 |
| Azimut 55 | 17 m | 12 | 3 |
| Sunseeker 60 | 18.3 m | 13 | 3 |
| Wave 60 | 18.3 m | 12 | 2, master and VIP |
| Princess 64 | 20 m | 12 | 4 |
| Wave 64 | 64 ft | 20 | master and guest |
Compact yachts of 42 and 43 feet
The three compact yachts — the Wave 42, the Gulf Craft Princess 42 and the Fairline 43 — are 42 to 43 feet long, take 10 to 13 guests and start between ฿70,000 and ฿85,000. The Princess 42 is the best documented of them: a flybridge with a 440 hp Volvo Penta engine, a cruising speed of 28 knots, a top speed of 32 knots, an en-suite master cabin and three crew. The Fairline 43 has two double cabins and the largest guest limit in this size, 13 people. The Wave 42 is sold mainly as a two-hour sunset cruise for up to 10 guests. For yacht rental in Koh Samui on a first budget, these three are the realistic entry point — and with 28 knots of cruising speed, the Princess 42 reaches Ang Thong or Koh Tao within an eight-hour day.
Flybridges of 55 to 64 feet
Five yachts are 55 to 64 feet long, and their starting prices run from ฿99,700 daily on the Azimut 55 to ฿260,000 for eight hours on the Sunseeker 60. The Sunseeker 60 and the Wave 60 are both 18.3 metres; the Princess 64 is 20 metres with four cabins, the most in the section. The Azimut 55 is the older of the two daily-rate boats, and the Princess 64 is five years younger. The Wave 64 takes 20 guests, the largest group in the section, while every other boat in this group takes 12 or 13. For luxury yacht charter in Koh Samui the difference between these five is less about length than about cabins and format: a day rate with crew on the Princess 64, a sunset cruise on the Wave 60, a fixed eight-hour route on the Sunseeker 60.
Few yachts on the island and what it means for dates
Eight motor yachts is a short list, and that is the honest picture of the island. Large yachts rarely stay based on Koh Samui all year, and most boats offered from the Andaman coast are too far away to come for a single outing, so the choice of locally based motor yachts with a price stays small. In practice that has two consequences. First, a particular boat can be taken for your date, and there may be no twin to fall back on — the three compact boats start within ฿15,000 of each other, but the next step up is the Azimut 55 at ฿99,700 daily. Second, the catamarans and sailing yachts of the island are separate sections. If your date is fixed, ask for two or three yachts at once rather than one at a time.
Guests, berths and cost per person
Guest numbers on these yachts range from 10 to 20, and dividing the price by the real headcount changes the ranking more than any other calculation.
Price per guest at full capacity
| Yacht | Guests | Starting price | Per guest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wave 42 | 10 | ฿70,000 | ฿7,000 |
| Gulf Craft Princess 42 | 10 | ฿77,000 | ฿7,700 |
| Fairline 43 | 13 | ฿94,000 with 3 extra guests | about ฿7,230 |
| Azimut 55 | 12 | ฿99,700 | about ฿8,310 |
| Princess 64 | 12 | ฿176,100 | about ฿14,680 |
| Wave 60 | 12 | ฿180,000 | ฿15,000 |
| Sunseeker 60 | 13 | ฿260,000 | ฿20,000 |
Guest limits versus overnight berths
Day capacity and sleeping places are two very different numbers. The Wave 64 takes 20 guests for an outing but only 8 overnight; the Princess 64 takes 12 and sleeps 8 in four cabins; the Azimut 55 takes 12 and sleeps 6 in three cabins. The compact yachts have two cabins each, enough for a couple or two to rest, not for a group to spend the night. An outing needs deck and saloon space, while a night at anchor needs a berth for every guest — and the three boats with stated overnight numbers lose between a third and three fifths of their day capacity. The Wave 64's starting price is also given for a couple on a two-hour sunset run, so a group of 20 should expect a higher figure. If anyone in the group plans to sleep aboard, filter by berths first and ignore the guest limit.
Sizing the group to the boat
A private yacht in Koh Samui costs a group of 10 roughly the same per head on any of the three compact boats: ฿7,000 on the Wave 42, ฿7,700 on the Gulf Craft Princess 42 and ฿8,500 on the Fairline 43. The picture changes above 10 guests. The Princess 42 stops at 10, and the Fairline 43 takes up to 13 at ฿3,000 for each person over 10, so 13 guests pay ฿94,000 in total, about ฿7,230 each. For 12 people the choice moves to the flybridges, where the Azimut 55 works out at about ฿8,310 a head and the Sunseeker 60 at ฿20,000 for eight hours with 13 aboard. A full boat is the best case: if your group is half the boat's limit, the per-head figure doubles, so do this division with your real headcount.
Routes: Koh Tan, Ang Thong, Koh Phangan and Koh Tao
The destination moves the price of one and the same yacht by up to 80 percent, so the route belongs in the comparison as much as the boat does.
The same route on three yachts
| Route | Princess 42 | Fairline 43 | Sunseeker 60 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Koh Tan, half day | ฿77,000 | ฿85,000 | — |
| Koh Phangan, 4 hours | ฿77,000 | — | — |
| Around Koh Samui, full day | ฿102,000 | — | ฿260,000 |
| Koh Phangan, full day | ฿102,000 | ฿145,000 | ฿260,000 |
| Pig, Tan and Rab islands, full day | — | ฿135,000 | — |
| Ang Thong, full day | ฿114,000 | ฿145,000 | ฿285,000 |
| Koh Tao and Koh Nang Yuan, full day | ฿139,000 | — | ฿305,000 |
Ang Thong National Marine Park
A full-day yacht trip to Ang Thong National Marine Park takes eight hours and starts at ฿114,000 on the Gulf Craft Princess 42, ฿145,000 on the Fairline 43 and ฿285,000 on the Sunseeker 60. The park is a group of about 40 islands west of Koh Samui, and on the Princess 42 the trip costs ฿12,000 more than eight hours around Samui itself; on the Sunseeker 60 the difference is ฿25,000. The park entrance fee is not part of any of these prices: ฿300 per adult and ฿150 per child, with children aged 12 and over paying the adult rate. For a group of 10 adults that is another ฿3,000 on the day, paid on top of the charter. When you compare Ang Thong offers, check that the fee is counted the same way in each one.
Koh Tao, Koh Nang Yuan and Koh Phangan
Koh Tao with Koh Nang Yuan is the longest run among the routes shown, and also the most expensive: ฿139,000 for eight hours on the Gulf Craft Princess 42 and ฿305,000 on the Sunseeker 60. On the Princess 42 that is ฿37,000 more than eight hours around Koh Samui, the clearest example of fuel and distance showing up in the price. Koh Phangan is the closer option: the Princess 42 goes there and back in four hours for ฿77,000, the same price as its half day to Koh Tan, and a full Phangan circuit costs ฿102,000. The Fairline 43 asks ฿145,000 for a full day to Phangan. If Koh Tao is the goal, pick a fast boat: a slow one spends most of the eight hours in transit and little of it at the island.
Entrance fees outside the charter price
- Ang Thong National Marine Park: ฿300 per adult and ฿150 per child; children aged 12 and over pay as adults.
- Koh Nang Yuan: ฿250 per adult and ฿125 per child, charged on the Koh Tao trip on top of the charter.
- Koh Madsum: ฿50 per person — the island often sold as Pig Island on half-day trips near Samui.
- Koh Rap: ฿100 per person, part of the three-island trip on the Fairline 43.
- Budgeting the fees: multiply the fee by the headcount and add it to the charter total before comparing two routes.
Sunset cruise, half day or full day
The format decides how much time you spend at anchor and how far the boat can go, and each of the three formats suits a different plan for the day.
Two-hour sunset cruises
Three of the eight yachts are sold first of all as sunset cruises: the Wave 42 from ฿70,000 for two hours, the Wave 64 from ฿135,000 for two hours and the Wave 60 from ฿180,000, with the length of its sunset trip not stated. Two hours is enough for a slow run along the coast and the sunset itself, not for a swim stop at a distant island. The Wave 64's price is given for a couple, which suits a proposal or an anniversary rather than a party of 20. The Wave 60 has a flybridge and two cabins with their own bathrooms. Because the slot is set by the sunset, the boarding time moves with it — so ask for the boarding time and the return time, not just the date.
Half days near the island
A half day lasts four hours and starts at ฿77,000 on the Gulf Craft Princess 42 or ฿85,000 on the Fairline 43. The Fairline offers two slots, 09:00 to 13:00 in the morning and 14:30 to 18:30 in the afternoon, both at the same price and both to Pig Island and Koh Tan, the small islands just south of Samui. The Princess 42 takes four hours to Koh Tan or to Koh Phangan. Lunch on the Fairline is included only on full-day trips, so a half day usually means snacks and drinks on board. Which slot to choose? The morning one leaves the afternoon free for the beach or a transfer; the afternoon slot ends at 18:30, close to sunset, which turns a half day into a sunset cruise with a swim stop.
Full days of eight hours
A full day is eight hours on the water, 10:30 to 18:30 on the Fairline 43, and it is the format for the far destinations: Ang Thong, Koh Tao with Koh Nang Yuan, or a whole circuit of Koh Phangan or Koh Samui. Prices start at ฿102,000 on the Gulf Craft Princess 42, ฿135,000 on the Fairline 43 and ฿260,000 on the Sunseeker 60. Lunch is included on the Sunseeker 60 and on the Fairline's full days; on the Princess 42 it is not part of the price. An extra hour on the Princess 42 costs ฿20,000, so a nine-hour trip there comes to ฿122,000. Plan the full day around one main destination and build the swim stops along the way, because two far islands in one trip leave almost no time at either.
Inclusions, weather and a request that gets a clear quote
What sits inside the price differs from boat to boat, and the weather sets the months when a trip at sea is most predictable.
What a charter price usually covers
What the starting price includes varies from yacht to yacht, so read the terms of each offer separately. On the Fairline 43 and the Sunseeker 60 a hotel transfer is part of the package, together with soft drinks and fruit; on the Gulf Craft Princess 42 the terms list a hotel transfer among the inclusions and also say transfer is not included — exactly the kind of point to confirm in writing. Lunch is included on the Sunseeker 60, on the Fairline only on full days, and not on the Princess 42. Snorkelling gear and life jackets come with all three. The Sunseeker 60 charges ฿7,000 for additional service staff. Ask for the inclusions as a written list with the quote, because a ฿10,000 difference between two offers can be lunch and a transfer.
Rainy months and the boat season
The wettest months on Koh Samui are roughly October to December, with the peak in November at around 445 mm of rain. The island's boat charter season is usually described as May to August, and in the high season boats are booked about two months ahead. These figures describe the island and its boats as a whole, not each yacht. For a trip in November, keep a spare day in the plan and ask in advance what happens if the weather stops the trip: a new date, a shorter route closer to the island or a refund. For a fixed date between May and August, book early rather than waiting for a lower price.
What to put in a charter request
- Date and format: give the exact date and choose sunset, half day, full day or day rate, so every offer covers the same hours.
- Route: name the destination — Koh Tan, Koh Phangan, Ang Thong or Koh Tao — because it moves the price by up to 80 percent.
- Guests and nights: state the full headcount, children's ages and whether anyone sleeps aboard, since berths are fewer than day places.
- Inclusions: ask whether crew, lunch, hotel transfer and park fees are inside the price or added on the day.
- Exact boat: name the model from the cards on this page and ask whether the quote is for that boat or a similar one.
Reading two quotes for the same date
Two quotes for the same date are comparable only when four things match: hours, route, headcount and inclusions. A ฿77,000 offer for four hours on the Gulf Craft Princess 42 and an ฿85,000 offer for four hours on the Fairline 43 look close, but the Fairline includes lunch only on full days and takes three more guests at ฿3,000 each. A sunset offer for two hours cannot be set against a day rate at all until both are divided into hours. Write the four facts next to each total and only then compare. If an offer cannot say how many hours it covers or whether the park fee is included, it is not yet a price, whatever the figure on it says.
Key points before you book
Five figures to keep in mind
- Starting price: the eight yachts start at ฿70,000 for a two-hour sunset and reach ฿260,000 for an eight-hour day.
- Price per hour: two hours at ฿70,000 cost ฿35,000 an hour, while eight hours at ฿102,000 cost ฿12,750 an hour.
- Price per guest: a group of 10 pays ฿7,000 to ฿8,500 each on the compact 42 and 43 foot yachts.
- Route: Ang Thong adds ฿12,000 to ฿25,000 over a full circuit of Samui, plus ฿300 per adult in park fees.
- Weather: October to December are the wettest months, so keep a spare day for any long trip in November.