Try before you buy: chartering the model first
A week on a charter boat of the model you want costs far less than owning the wrong one. Test noise, space, handling and daily routine before you buy.
Updated 3 min read
Key points
- Charter the same model, in the season you plan to use it, for at least 5 days.
- Charter boats are 3 or 4 cabin versions with heavy wear. Do not judge condition from them.
- Many charter fleets sell their boats after 3 to 5 years. Survey one as carefully as any other.
Why charter first
A brochure cannot tell you how loud the engine is at 2,000 rpm, how the boat behaves reefed in 25 knots, or whether the galley works for the person who cooks. A week aboard answers those questions for the cost of one charter, and a charter fee is a small fraction of the cost of a wrong purchase.
How to run a useful charter
- Take 5 to 7 days. A day sail shows you the helm. A week shows you the routine.
- Go in the season you will sail. A boat in light June winds tells you less than the same boat in late September.
- Bring the people who will use the boat. Ask your partner and your guests what they dislike.
- Do the awkward jobs: back into a Med berth, anchor in 5 m of water, use the heads, run the air conditioning from the generator, raise and reef the sails alone.
Bareboat or skippered
A bareboat charter needs a valid skipper licence for the boat's size and area. See Skipper licences in Spain: PNB, PER, Patrón and Capitán de Yate, and foreign licence recognition. A skippered charter lets you watch how an experienced person handles the boat and ask questions, and it works well if you have little experience. Many buyers do both: a skippered week first, a bareboat week later.
What a charter boat does not tell you
Charter boats are fitted with 3 or 4 cabins and many heads, which is often not the layout you will buy. They are used by many hands and show more wear. Do not judge the condition of the model from one. Do not judge the engine hours either, as they run higher than on a private boat of the same age.
Buying an ex-charter boat
Charter fleets often sell their boats after 3 to 5 years, and these boats usually come with detailed maintenance records. They also come with heavy use, so survey them like any other boat (see Why you need your own pre-purchase survey) and check what has been replaced.
Where to charter
Barcelona, Palma, Ibiza and the Costa Brava all have charter fleets of the main production brands. Ask your broker which model you should try, and book early for July and August.
Related guides
General information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Rules change; check your own case with a professional or ask us.