Yacht charter in Pattaya

Yacht charter in Pattaya starts from ฿19,000 for four hours on a 12.5-metre motor yacht and from ฿22,100 for a full day on a custom-built boat for 20 guests. Below: what the starting price covers, how four and eight hours compare, how many guests sleep on board, and what VAT and marina fees add.

What a starting price buys: four hours, a day or a trip

The 19 motor yachts in this section are priced in three units, and the unit matters more than the figure: the same ฿39,900 can mean four hours on one boat and a full day on another.

Three price units across 19 yachts

The Rent-Trip section on this page brings together 19 motor yacht models, and their starting prices come in three units: 10 are priced by the day, 8 from a four-hour charter and one per trip. The figures look comparable but are not — ฿39,900 is a full day on the Custom Built 50 and only four hours on the Tarquin 66. The day-priced boats are mostly local custom builds and Princess models for up to 30 guests; the four-hour boats include the Sunseeker 64, both Azimut flybridges and the 40-metre Benetti. The one per-trip boat, the Power Catamaran Chardannay, has no stated trip length. In my view, most confusion around yacht charter in Pattaya starts right here, so before comparing two boats, check which unit each price uses and convert both to the same number of hours.

Captain, crew and fuel come with the boat

Every yacht here is chartered with a skipper, so no boat licence is needed — the captain and crew are part of the price rather than an extra. On the boats with full stated terms, the crew means a professional captain, deckhands and an English-speaking steward or stewardess, and the starting price also covers all fuel, the crew's food and salaries, and snorkelling and fishing equipment. The Tarquin 66 adds water toys to that list. That makes a starting price closer to a final price than on a self-drive rental, because fuel — the biggest variable on a motor yacht — is already inside it. Still, terms differ from boat to boat. Ask whether fuel is included for your specific route, especially if the plan involves a longer run to the outer islands at cruising speed.

What is added on top of the starting price

• VAT: Thailand's 7% value added tax is charged on top of the charter rate, so ฿19,000 becomes ฿20,330 before anything else.
• Marina guest pass: each guest pays ฿200 to enter the marina, which means ฿2,400 for a full group of 12.
• Food and drink: catering and alcohol are not part of the rate and are ordered separately or brought on board.
• Worked example: four hours on the Sea Lord 41 for 12 guests comes to about ฿22,730 with VAT and passes.
• Superyachts: the base rate is quoted before 7% VAT and an advance provisioning allowance of 30–35%.

Day rates and four-hour prices side by side

Split by unit, the 18 yachts with a fixed duration form two clear price ladders, and each one has its own cheap end, its own middle and its own outliers.

Ten yachts priced by the day

Eight yachts priced from four hours

Where most prices fall

Most day rates sit well under ฿100,000: eight of the ten day-priced yachts start between ฿22,100 and ฿89,200, and only two Princess models go above ฿200,000. The middle of the ten lies between ฿59,500 and ฿74,500. The Custom Built 45, Custom Built 65, Monte Fino 64 and Custom Built 50 all start under ฿40,000, and another four boats between ฿40,000 and ฿100,000. On the four-hour ladder, six of the eight boats start under ฿100,000, from ฿19,000 on the Sea Lord 41 to ฿99,000 on the Azimut 64 Flybridge, and the Benetti stands alone at ฿650,000. For a first budget for yacht rental in Pattaya, a day on a custom build costs about the same as four hours on a branded flybridge — the choice is between more time and a more famous hull.

Length is not a price scale

Length explains surprisingly little here. The Princess 54 and the Custom Built 55 are almost the same size — 16.5 and 16.8 metres — yet the Princess starts at ฿241,300 a day and the custom build at ฿74,500, about 3.2 times less. The gap is wider still between the 19.8-metre Custom Built 65 at ฿27,000 and the 22.35-metre Princess 72 at ฿210,000, close to eight times as much for a boat only 2.5 metres longer. Even within one make the scale breaks: the Azimut 64 Flybridge starts at ฿99,000 for four hours, the slightly longer Azimut 66 at ฿89,000. What drives the price is the make and how many guests the boat is set up for — the Princess 54 takes only 6 people, the Custom Built 55 takes 30. When two boats of similar length are far apart, compare guests and cabins before assuming either price is wrong.

From a four-hour outing to a week on board

Several boats in the section come with a full ladder of durations, and those ladders show how the price grows with time — and how sharply the guest limit drops once you stay the night.

What longer hours cost

Why eight hours costs less than double

Doubling the time never doubles the price. Eight hours on the Versilcraft costs about 1.45 times its four-hour rate, the Sunseeker 64 about 1.5 times, the Tarquin 66 about 1.63 times and the Sea Lord 41 about 1.84 times. On the Sunseeker that means roughly ฿12,475 an hour for four hours against about ฿9,360 an hour for eight. The time of day matters too: the Sea Lord's morning four hours start at ฿19,000, an afternoon slot at ฿25,000. A standard full day runs from 10:00 to 18:00, while a half day lasts four to five hours with flexible start times. Is the extra time worth it? If the plan includes a swim stop and lunch at an island, four hours leaves little time at anchor — and on these four boats the second four hours costs between about 45% and 84% of the first.

Overnight trips and the guests who can sleep on board

The guest limit falls sharply once a trip includes a night. The Tarquin 66 takes 25 people for a day but 6 overnight; the Sunseeker 64 takes 18 by day and 6 overnight; the Sea Lord 41 goes from 12 to 4. The Versilcraft Super Challenger 110 carries 50 guests on a day charter and sleeps 8, and the Princess 72 has 8 berths in 4 cabins against 18 day guests. Overnight pricing follows a ladder too: two days and one night start at ฿159,000 on the Tarquin and ฿179,000 on the Sunseeker, while eight days and seven nights reach ฿590,000 and ฿690,000. On the Versilcraft, 24 hours with a night on board starts at ฿259,000, about 2.9 times its four-hour rate. For a stay on board, choose by the overnight figure first — a boat that hosts a party of 25 may sleep only six.

Guest numbers, cabins and the price per head

All 19 yachts state a day capacity, from 6 to 50 people, and this single filter removes more boats from a shortlist than price does.

How many guests the yachts take

Price per guest

Dividing the starting price by the guest limit turns the ranking upside down. The Custom Built 65 works out at about ฿900 per person for a full load of 30, the Custom Built 45 at about ฿1,105 for 20, and the Power Catamaran Chardannay at about ฿810 per person for 40 on a single trip. Four hours on the Versilcraft come to about ฿1,780 a head for 50 and on the Sea Lord 41 to about ฿1,583 for 12. At the other end, the Princess 54 costs about ฿40,200 per person for its 6 guests, and the Princess 72 about ฿11,667 for 18. A private yacht in Pattaya can therefore cost a large group less per head than a small group pays on a compact boat — but only with a full boat. Do the division with your real headcount: half a boat doubles the per-person figure.

Cabins and what they are for on a day trip

Cabin counts are given for 13 of the 19 yachts: 8 have two cabins, one has three, three have four and the Benetti has six. On a day trip cabins serve as changing rooms and shade, so two are enough even for 30 guests — every custom build with a stated layout has exactly two. Overnight the number decides everything: the Princess 72 has 4 cabins with 8 berths, and the Monte Fino 64 also has 4 cabins but takes only 8 guests by day, the same ratio of one cabin per two guests as the Princess 54, which puts 3 cabins on a boat for 6. If a quote mentions cabins, ask how many berths they hold — two cabins on the Sea Lord 41 sleep 4, while four cabins on the Princess 72 and on the Versilcraft sleep 8.

Custom builds, Princess, Azimut and one superyacht

The 19 models split into local custom builds, series yachts from known yards and two outliers — one superyacht and one motor catamaran — and each group sits in its own price band.

Six local custom builds from 45 to 73 feet

Custom builds are the largest group in the section: six models from 45 to 73 feet, or 13.7 to 22.3 metres, all priced by the day from ฿22,100 to ฿89,200. They are one-off boats rather than series models, built for groups — the six take 20 to 30 guests each, and five of them have two cabins. Their prices do not follow length: the 65-foot boat starts at ฿27,000, below the 50-foot one at ฿39,900, and the 55-foot boat at ฿74,500 costs more than the 56-foot one at ฿59,500. For a party, a corporate outing or a family group of 20 or more, this is the band with the lowest price per head in the section. The trade-off is information — no make history or build year — so ask for recent photos of the deck and saloon with the quote.

Series yachts: Princess, Azimut, Sunseeker and others

• Princess: three models — the 42, 54 and 72 — priced by the day from ฿76,400 to ฿241,300, the most expensive day rates here.
• Azimut: the 64 and 66 Flybridge take 18 and 20 guests and start at ฿99,000 and ฿89,000 for four hours.
• Sunseeker and Tarquin: the Sunseeker 64 and Tarquin 66 start at ฿49,900 and ฿39,900 for four hours, with overnight packages.
• Smaller yachts: the Rodman Spirit 42 Fly and Sea Lord 41 are the entry point, from ฿34,900 and ฿19,000.
• Choosing by make: a known yard narrows comfort, not price — Princess alone spans more than three times from cheapest to dearest.

The Benetti superyacht and its extra charges

The Benetti Classic 132 Supreme is the only superyacht in the section: 40.2 metres, 6 cabins and room for 30 guests, from ฿650,000 for the shortest charter. At that level the starting price is a base rate, not a total. Superyacht rates are quoted before 7% VAT and an advance provisioning allowance — APA — of 30–35%, a deposit the crew draws on for fuel, food and drinks and settles at the end. On a ฿650,000 base, VAT adds ฿45,500 and the APA another ฿195,000 to ฿227,500, so the money needed up front reaches roughly ฿890,500 to ฿923,000. The most expensive day rate in the section, ฿241,300 on the Princess 54, is about 37% of that base. Ask for a written statement of what the APA will cover and how the unused part is returned before paying it.

Age, refits and speed

Build year and refit date often matter more than the name on the hull. The Tarquin 66 is a 1970s yacht with a full refit two years ago, the Sunseeker 64 is about twenty years old with a refit in the same year, and the Sea Lord 41 was built in the late 1990s and fully refitted last year; the Versilcraft dates from the late 1990s as well. Speed separates them more than age: the Sunseeker cruises at 22 knots with a top speed of 30 on twin MAN V12 engines, the Tarquin at 12 knots with 18 at most, and the Sea Lord at 8 knots with a maximum of 10. The Versilcraft runs on twin Deutz engines of 1,850 hp. For a four-hour charter to a distant island, cruising speed decides how much of that time is spent at anchor rather than in transit.

Ocean Marina, the islands and the season

Departure point, route and dates shape the day as much as the boat does, and on this coast all three are simpler than on Thailand's island resorts.

One marina in Na Jomtien

Eighteen of the 19 yachts in this section sail from one base: Ocean Marina Yacht Club in Na Jomtien, south of the city centre. Every custom build, every Princess and the Monte Fino are based there, and so is the four-hour fleet, from the Sea Lord 41 to the Benetti; only the Chardannay's pier is not stated. One base makes comparison easy — whichever boat you pick, the transfer and the meeting point are the same, and a ฿200 guest pass per person applies at the gate. It also suits guests coming from the capital: Pattaya is about 90 minutes by road from Bangkok, which makes the coast a natural choice for weekend escapes and corporate outings. Plan the drive with a margin, though — a four-hour charter leaves little room for a late start, and the group boards together.

Islands within reach

The usual destinations are the islands of the Gulf of Thailand just off the coast — Koh Larn, Koh Sak and Koh Rin. A private yacht to Koh Larn is the simplest half-day plan: it gives a swim stop, snorkelling with the gear already on board and time on a beach before the return. Koh Sak sits close to Koh Larn, so the two fit into one outing. Koh Rin lies farther out, and that is where speed counts: a boat cruising at 22 knots covers the distance in a fraction of the time a boat at 8 knots needs. For a half-day slot on a slow boat, one island is a realistic plan; two or three islands call for eight hours or a faster yacht. Ask the captain to confirm the route against the weather on the day.

The November–April peak

The peak season for yachts on this coast runs from November to April. No single figure describes how much rates rise in those months, and the prices in this section are starting prices without dates — the lowest figure each boat goes out for, not a quote for a particular weekend. First, a quote for a date between November and April can come in above the figure on the card, so the card is a guide to the class of boat rather than a promise. Second, boats should be compared on dated quotes: two yachts with similar starting prices can move differently for the same Saturday. Outside the peak, from May to October, the starting prices are the benchmark to measure a quote against. For dates near the start of November or the end of April, ask for prices on both sides of the season boundary before fixing the trip.

What to put in a charter request

• Date and hours: give the date and whether you want four, six or eight hours, so every boat is priced in one unit.
• Guests and nights: state the full headcount and whether anyone stays overnight, since sleeping places are far fewer than day places.
• Route: name the island — Koh Larn, Koh Sak or Koh Rin — so the boat's speed and fuel can be matched to it.
• Extras: ask whether VAT, guest passes, catering and drinks are in the figure or added on top.
• Exact boat: name the model from the cards on this page and ask whether the quote is for that boat or a similar one.

Key points before you choose a yacht

Five figures to keep in mind

• Price unit: 10 of the 19 yachts are priced by the day and 8 from four hours, so convert before comparing.
• Starting prices: day rates run from ฿22,100 to ฿241,300, four-hour rates from ฿19,000 to ฿650,000.
• Longer hours: eight hours costs about 1.45–1.84 times the four-hour rate, not double.
• Extras: 7% VAT and a ฿200 marina pass per guest come on top of the starting price.
• Overnight: a yacht that takes 25 guests by day may sleep only 6, so overnight plans start with berths.