A client asked me this exact question last month: “If I only use a boat 20 days a year, am I better off just chartering?” It’s the right question. Most buyers never actually run the numbers before answering it themselves.
Industry benchmarks put annual ownership costs at roughly 10-15% of the purchase price, sometimes higher depending on size and use. On a USD 1.8 million yacht, that’s USD 180,000-270,000 a year. Insurance alone typically runs 0.5-2% of the yacht’s value. Maintenance sits closer to 5-10%. Crew, if you run any, adds another 2-5%. Berthing in Asia costs meaningfully less than the Mediterranean, but it’s still a real line item every month, whether you’re on the boat or not.
Singapore charter rates for a well-appointed motoryacht start around USD 4,500 a day. Add Singapore’s 9% GST, then 30-35% APA on top for fuel, provisions and marina fees. All-in, a single serious charter day often lands closer to USD 6,500-7,000. Weekly charters start from roughly USD 31,500 before those same add-ons.
Take a USD 1.8 million yacht at 12% annual ownership cost — about USD 216,000 a year. Divide that by an all-in charter day rate of roughly USD 7,000, and you land around 30 days. Use the boat more than 30 days a year, and ownership starts winning on pure cost. Use it less, and chartering usually comes out ahead — before you even count the hassle of maintenance, crew, and berthing that ownership brings with it.
If you’re realistically on the water more than a month a year, own it. The math favors you, and so does having a boat that’s set up exactly the way you want it. If you’re closer to a handful of long weekends and one big trip annually, charter makes more financial sense than most buyers want to admit — pride of ownership is real, but it isn’t free.
There’s a middle path too. Some owners buy specifically to offset costs through charter management, letting the boat earn income on the weeks they’re not using it. Boat International has a good rundown of the ownership-side hidden costs if you want to go deeper on that math.
Not sure which side of the line you fall on? Reach out and we’ll run the actual numbers for your situation, not just the industry averages.
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