Chartering the Yacht You Saw at the Show
The charter yachts at the Monaco Yacht Show are there to fill next summer's calendar, and the brokers aboard are taking enquiries for it. A yacht you tour in September is priced for the following July the way any Mediterranean charter is: a base fee — €120,000 to €200,000 a week around 40 metres — plus APA, VAT and gratuity, for a real total near 1.4 to 1.7 times the base. The show is where the good weeks go first.
Why the show sets the calendar
Charter yachts sell weeks, and the best weeks — late July, August, the Grand Prix, the Cannes and Monaco events — are limited. The show is the one time each year the fleet, the brokers and the charterers are in the same harbour, and the bookings made in that week take the prime dates for the year ahead. By the spring, what remains is what was not taken in September.
That is the practical reason to tour with a charter in mind rather than out of interest. The yacht you liked has a calendar, and the calendar is filling while you are aboard.
What the yacht you toured costs
| Line | 40 m example | 50 m+ example |
|---|---|---|
| Weekly base fee | €150,000 | €300,000 |
| APA at 30% | €45,000 | €90,000 |
| VAT (varies by country) | on base fee | on base fee |
| Gratuity at 10–15% | €15,000–22,500 | €30,000–45,000 |
| Real total, ×1.4–1.7 | €210,000–255,000 | €420,000–510,000 |
How this was calculated. Base fee bands from the Mediterranean charter market — sources in what a yacht charter really costs, consulted 1 September 2026 — with the APA, VAT and gratuity structure applied as set out there and in APA explained. The largest charter yacht at the 2026 show, the 102-metre NIXIE, sits far above either column. Illustrative arithmetic for a size class, not a quote for a named yacht.
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How the booking actually happens
- The enquiry, aboard. Dates, guest count, region. The broker checks the calendar there and then and tells you which weeks are open.
- The proposal, within days. Base fee for the week, the APA percentage, the VAT treatment for the itinerary, and the terms. This is the document to read for the lines that are not the base fee.
- The contract and the deposit. A standard charter agreement, typically with half the base fee on signing and the balance plus the APA closer to the date. The prime weeks are held only against a signed contract, not a conversation.
- The APA and the preference sheet. Paid before the charter; the preference sheet — food, wine, itinerary, who is coming — is what the crew provisions against, and it determines whether the APA comes back to you or needs topping up.
What to decide before you enquire
- The dates, honestly. "Sometime in August" is not a booking; "the second week of August, and we could move a week either way" is. The flexibility is what gets you the yacht.
- The guest count, including children and staff. Twelve is the legal ceiling on almost every charter yacht regardless of length — the rule is in what size yacht do you need. A party of fourteen is two yachts or a different plan.
- Whether it is this yacht or this size. The yacht you toured may be perfect and unavailable. A broker who knows the fleet will have two like it. Deciding in advance whether you are buying the boat or the week saves a great deal of disappointment.
The same yacht, for sale
Many charter yachts at the show are also listed for sale, and a charter is the most reliable sea trial there is. If a purchase is on the horizon, say so at the show: a broker will structure the charter as a trial and the conversation afterwards is a different one. That is not a reason to charter — it is a reason to be clear about why you are aboard.
Common questions
Can you book a charter at the show itself?
You can commit at the show and sign within days. Brokers hold dates on a firm intention while the contract is drawn up, but the prime weeks go to the first signed agreement, not the first conversation. Decide before you leave Monaco.
Are show-week charter rates higher?
The rates quoted at the show are the yacht's published rates for the following season, and they are not inflated by the show. What the show changes is availability: the best weeks are taken there, and what is left in spring may be a different yacht at the same rate.
What if the yacht changes hands before my charter?
Charter contracts generally survive a sale, and the new owner inherits the booking, though the crew may change. A broker will tell you if a yacht is actively for sale and what that means for your dates.
Is a yacht at the show more expensive to charter than one that is not?
No. Being at the show is a marketing decision by the owner, not a pricing one. The show fleet is a sample of the charter market, priced like the rest of it.
From the gangway to the calendar
Tell us the yacht — or the size, the dates and the party — and we will confirm availability, get the proposal with every line shown, and hold the week while the contract is done. If the yacht you toured is gone, you will hear about the two that are not. Send us the yacht and the dates.