How much does it cost to charter a superyacht for a week?
Calculate the complete trip, not just the weekly yacht fee. Northrop & Johnson’s charter guidance separates yacht-and-crew hire from expenses such as provisioning and fuel, with taxes and delivery charges potentially additional. (visitstkitts.kn)
- For the principal’s approval:
Use two separate calculations:
- Cash required: charter installments + expense advances + taxes + delivery charges + any security deposit + separately payable travel costs.
- Final expenditure: charter fee + actual operating expenses + taxes + delivery charges + chosen gratuity + other trip costs, after applicable refunds and credits.
What would an illustrative $150,000 charter actually cost?
The following is a worked budgeting example, not a market benchmark or a quotation for any destination. Every amount is assumed; the $18,000 tax provision is deliberately not presented as a jurisdiction’s tax rate.
| Budget item | Expected-spend example | Higher-spend example |
|---|---|---|
| Weekly base charter fee | $150,000 | $150,000 |
| Assumed taxes—replace with written calculation | $18,000 | $18,000 |
| Agreed delivery/redelivery charge | $5,000 | $5,000 |
| Actual operating expenses | $42,000 | $67,500 |
| Discretionary gratuity chosen for this example | $15,000 | $15,000 |
| Flights, hotels and separately paid shore costs | $20,000 | $20,000 |
| Final trip expenditure | $250,000 | $275,500 |
Assume the agreement requests a 35% APA, or $52,500. The yacht-related cash advanced would be $225,500: base fee, APA, assumed taxes and delivery charge.
- In the expected case, the APA exceeds operating expenditure by $10,500.
- In the higher-spend case, expenditure exceeds the APA by $15,000.
- Do not add the $52,500 APA to the operating-expense row again.
The higher-spend case is a scenario, not a contractual maximum. Ask the captain or manager to explain what assumptions would produce it: cruising hours, fuel consumption, marina nights, provisioning and special arrangements.
For the principal’s approval: show expected expenditure, a higher-spend scenario, cash-transfer dates and unresolved amounts on one page. An unknown tax or delivery charge should remain visibly unknown—not be entered as zero.