Should I choose a bareboat or a skippered charter?

Choose bareboat if you can sail and want the boat to yourselves. Choose skippered if you cannot sail, or if you would rather not spend the week making decisions.

The difference is legal as well as practical. A skippered charter is generally a Class 1 operation with a professional master responsible for the vessel. Bareboat is Class 4 hire and drive: you operate, and the operator's job is to certify, maintain and brief. That changes who carries the risk when something goes wrong.

Bareboat suits you if

• Someone in the group has real time on the helm, including anchoring and mooring.
• You want to change plans daily without consulting anyone.
• You are comfortable holding a bond against a card, which on bareboat can run to thousands of dollars.
• You accept that a grounding or a lost tender is likely your problem.

Skippered suits you if

• Nobody wants to be responsible at 2am when the wind swings.
• You are travelling with children, older guests or nervous first-timers.
• You want local knowledge about anchorages, reefs and weather windows.
• The group is large enough that a spare pair of hands changes the trip.

Cost is not the clean divider people expect. A skipper adds a daily rate, but a skippered boat can be slightly cheaper to charter, and you avoid the bareboat bond and damage waiver. Run both numbers. The costs page shows what the line items usually are.

A middle option

Many operators will put a skipper aboard for the first day or two and then leave you to it, or send a skipper without a cook. Ask. It is common and rarely advertised.

Start with charter types for the full comparison, then bareboat guide or skippered and crewed depending on which way you lean. If you are choosing a boat at the same time, choosing a vessel covers how hull type interacts with crew.