Superyacht Charter — What's Included, What Isn't, and How to Read a Brochure

# Superyacht Charter — What's Included, What Isn't, and How to Read a Brochure A superyacht charter brochure is a marketing document. It will tell you the yacht has 5 cabins, sleeps 10, has a beach club and a Jacuzzi on the sundeck. It will rarely tell you exactly what the €450,000 weekly base rate buys versus what the €130,000 APA pays for. Here is the working translation. ## What the base rate includes - The yacht and full crew (typically 1 crew per 3m of LOA — a 50m yacht runs 15–18 crew). - Insurance, depreciation, regular maintenance. - Linen, towels, basic cleaning supplies. - Use of the yacht's tenders and standard water-sports inventory. ## What the APA pays for - **Fuel** — the biggest line. A 50m motor yacht running fast can burn €25–40k/week. - **Food and beverage** — the chef provisions to your preference sheet. Wine and champagne can dwarf the food bill. - **Dockage** — Port Hercule, Marina Ibiza, ACI Split during peak weeks can run €3–8k/night. - **Customs, agents, port fees** — €200–800/port. - **Communication** — VSAT internet for guests. - **Diving compressor refills, tender fuel, jet ski fuel** — small but additive. ## What you're expected to pay separately - **VAT** in EU waters (13–22% depending on flag state and region). - **Crew gratuity** at the end of the week — 10–20% of the base rate, captain's distribution. - **Helicopter transfers**, special excursions, restaurants ashore. - **APA overage** if the captain spent more than the deposit (refund if less). ## How to read the spec sheet The key fields in a superyacht charter brochure: - **LOA**: length overall — proxy for marina cost and presence. - **Beam**: width — proxy for interior volume. - **Cruising speed**: how aggressive the itinerary can be. 12 knots = relaxed; 18+ = multi-region in one week. - **Range at cruising speed**: matters for ocean passages and Indian Ocean charters. - **Tender garage**: indicates how many toys the yacht can launch quickly. - **Stabilizers at anchor**: a huge comfort line item — zero-speed stabilization keeps the yacht still at anchor. ## Red flags on a brochure - "All-inclusive" pricing without a defined fuel cap — usually means the APA is bundled but capped at modest fuel use. - No mention of zero-speed stabilizers on a yacht over 40m — likely an older retrofit that'll roll at anchor. - "Crew profile available on request" — ask. Stewardess-to-guest ratio matters more than the spec sheet. Our [concierge team](/concierge) reads brochures professionally so you don't have to — for any yacht we propose, we'll attach a one-page plain-English summary of what's included.