Yacht chartering is the practice of renting, or chartering, a sailboat or motor yacht and traveling to various coastal or island destinations.

There are three main kinds of charter: bareboat, skippered and crewed. Bareboat charters require the client to skipper the boat themselves, while skippered charters include both boat and a professional skipper. Crewed charters are staffed by a captain and professional crew that can include chefs, engineers, deckhands, and stewards. Most bareboat charter companies offer basic seamanship courses to prepare clients for handling a boat. These companies may also provide skippered charters, which include a skipper, but no additional crew.^[1]

Several factors determine the cost of a charter, including the size of the yacht, its age, its pedigree, the number of crew, time of sailing (whether it is high season or not), and the destination. The worldwide range of charter prices (per person per week) is estimated to be from $1000 up to and in excess of $20,000.

The rate for mega yachts or superyachts that are over 150-foot to 300-foot is estimated respectively to be from $45,000 up to $3,000,000 (per week)

Crewed charter means that the yacht is rented with a full crew. Usually, the crew is based on a specific yacht. A captain, a chef, a deck's hand and a hostess are a typical crew.

Skippered charter means that the yacht is rented with a professional skipper/captain who is responsible for the manoeuvring of the yacht. In several cases, the skipper is also aided by other crew members. Skippered charter usually is used for yachts which require a skipper/captain with documented special nautical skills and experience. However, skippered charters exist on all types of yachts.

• Bareboat charter
• Luxury yachts
• List of motor yachts by length
• OCSC Sailing