What's Included in a Bareboat Charter (and What's Not)

"Bareboat" is one of the first words you meet when chartering a yacht, and it causes more confusion than any other. It does not mean an empty, stripped-out hull — a bareboat comes fully equipped and ready to sail. What it means is that you charter the boat without crew: you are the skipper, sailing it yourselves. Knowing exactly what the base charter fee covers, and what you pay on top, is the key to budgeting a week accurately and avoiding surprises at check-in.

The short answer

The base charter fee covers the boat and everything permanently aboard it — the yacht itself, its sails and rigging, engine, safety equipment, navigation gear, galley, bedding and dinghy. What it does not cover are the running costs of your specific week: fuel, marina fees, provisioning, end-cleaning, the transit log/tourist tax, and a refundable security deposit. Budget roughly 25–40% on top of the base fee for these extras, depending on how you sail. Once you know the split, a bareboat week is easy to plan and the cheapest way to charter per person. See live pricing across the fleet.

What the base charter fee includes

A properly equipped bareboat comes with everything you need to live aboard and sail safely:

• The yacht — hull, sails, rigging, engine and all onboard systems.
• Safety equipment — life jackets, liferaft, flares, fire extinguishers, first-aid kit, harnesses.
• Navigation gear — chartplotter/GPS, compass, VHF radio, depth and wind instruments, paper charts or pilot books.
• Ground tackle — anchor, chain and mooring lines.
• A dinghy (tender), usually with an outboard, for getting ashore.
• Galley kit — cooker, fridge/cool-box, pots, pans, crockery and cutlery.
• Bedding and linen — mattresses and usually sheets, pillows and blankets (sometimes towels).
• Ship's inventory — fenders, boat hook, torch, winch handles, basic tools.

In short: turn up with your bags and food, and you can sail. What you're not getting is a crew — you (or someone in your group) must hold the required sailing qualifications and experience.

What you pay for separately

These are the extras that turn a base price into a real budget. Some are compulsory, some optional.

• Fuel — the boat is handed over with a full tank and returned full; you pay for what you burn. A relaxed sailing week is often only a modest amount of diesel.
• Marina and mooring fees — pay-as-you-go through the week, anywhere from free (anchoring) to over €100 a night at a smart town quay.
• Provisioning — all your food and drink aboard.
• End-cleaning — a compulsory one-off fee, usually charged at the end.
• Transit log / tourist tax — an administrative or cruising fee, common in Greece, Croatia and elsewhere.
• Security deposit — a refundable hold covering potential damage (more below).
• Optional extras — outboard upgrade, SUP, gennaker, wifi, early boarding, skipper or hostess if you decide you want one.

For a full worked budget with real figures, see how much a yacht charter costs.

The security deposit

Because you're sailing the boat yourselves, the operator holds a refundable security deposit — typically €1,500–€5,000 depending on the yacht — against damage or loss. It's returned in full if the boat comes back fine. Many operators offer a smaller non-refundable damage waiver instead, so you don't tie up a large sum on your card. We cover exactly how this works, and how it differs from the APA on crewed boats, in security deposit and APA explained.

Bareboat vs skippered

The one thing a bareboat never includes is a professional crew. If nobody in your group holds the required qualifications — or you'd simply rather relax — you can add a skipper for roughly €160–€220 a day, or a full crew on larger yachts. That's a different product (and a different cost structure, including the APA on fully crewed boats). A skipper is a small addition split across a full crew, and often the difference between a stressful week and a brilliant one.

Frequently asked questions

Does bareboat mean the boat is empty? No. A bareboat is fully equipped and ready to sail — sails, engine, safety gear, galley, bedding and dinghy all included. "Bare" refers to there being no crew: you sail it yourselves.

Do I need a licence to charter a bareboat? Yes. At least one person aboard must hold a recognised sailing qualification (and often a VHF radio certificate), plus genuine experience. Requirements vary by country and boat; your base will confirm before you book.

Roughly how much do the extras add? Budget around 25–40% on top of the base charter fee for fuel, marinas, provisioning, end-cleaning and taxes — plus a refundable security deposit that you get back.

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See real prices for your dates and crew size across the fleet, and split the whole boat per person with your crew.