Thailand is the cheapest good charter ground in the world and the one with the shortest useful season. Phang Nga Bay and the islands south of Phuket are sheltered, warm and spectacular from November to April, and from May to October the south west monsoon makes the same water wet, windy and largely unsailed. Everything about chartering here follows from that.
Bareboat yacht charter Thailand: what a boat costs
Read on 11 September 2026, Click and Boat lists 295 boats in Thailand at an average of 1,215 EUR a day, from 401 to 4,023, including a 17 metre five cabin catamaran with a mandatory skipper and fuel included from 2,529 EUR a day and a 13 metre from 1,257. Sailo lists 273 boats in the country at an average of 4,935 USD a day, from 435 to 37,500, which is a different slice of the same market weighted to the crewed end.
Bareboat sailing Thailand: the skipper question
Several of the Thai listings carry a mandatory skipper and it is worth understanding why rather than treating it as an upsell. The charts of Phang Nga Bay are imperfect, the limestone karsts come up steeply from deep water with fringing reef at their feet, the tidal range is two to three metres and the bay dries in places at springs. A skipper here is cheap by the standards of this trade and worth more than in any Mediterranean ground.
The two seasons
November to April is the north east monsoon: dry, settled, eight to fifteen knots and flat water on the Andaman side, which is the charter season and the reason the fleets exist. May to October is the south west monsoon, with swell on the west facing beaches, heavy rain and squalls, and most of the fleet either moves east to the Gulf of Thailand or comes out of the water. Prices in the wet season are low and the sailing is genuinely worse.
Where a week goes
North from Phuket into Phang Nga Bay for the karsts, the hongs and Koh Hong, then south west to the Phi Phi islands, and on to Koh Lanta and the Trang islands if the week is long. Forty to sixty miles covers it. National park fees are charged per person per day across most of that water and the parks close the more fragile anchorages seasonally, so the itinerary is checked at the base rather than drawn in advance.
Questions people ask about bareboat charter Thailand
How much is a bareboat charter in Thailand?
Click and Boat lists 295 boats averaging 1,215 EUR a day, from 401 to 4,023, with a 17 metre catamaran from 2,529 and a 13 metre from 1,257, read on 11 September 2026.
Why do so many Thai charters require a skipper?
The charts of Phang Nga Bay are imperfect, the limestone karsts rise steeply with fringing reef at their feet, and the two to three metre tidal range dries parts of the bay at springs. A skipper here is cheap and earns it.
When is the season?
November to April, the north east monsoon: dry, settled and eight to fifteen knots on the Andaman side. May to October brings swell, rain and squalls, and most of the fleet moves or hauls out.