St Thomas is forty minutes from Tortola by ferry and a completely different charter market. The British Virgin Islands sells seven day bareboats and the US Virgin Islands sells days, because St Thomas is a cruise port with two million arrivals a year and most of the demand is for a boat between breakfast and dinner rather than for a week.
What a catamaran costs by the day
Read on 11 September 2026, Sailo lists 117 boats at St Thomas at an average of 1,813 USD a day, the cheapest at 204 and the dearest at 8,721. Its own guidance on the same page puts a private powerboat at roughly 650 to 1,200 a day for fast island hopping to St John or the BVI, and a luxury sailing catamaran at 1,400 to 2,800 a day. Individual listings are blocked rather than daily: a 32 foot Contender for ten at 850 per four hours, a 37 foot Midnight Express for twelve at 1,100 per four hours.
A day here against a week next door
A sailing catamaran at 1,400 to 2,800 a day is 9,800 to 19,600 over seven days if you simply multiplied it, which nobody does. The same seven days taken as a bareboat out of Tortola starts at 3,284 USD with The Moorings and 6,999 with Conch Charters for its cheapest catamaran, a four cabin Fountaine Pajot Helia 44. The day market is priced for a day, with a captain, fuel, ice and usually snorkelling gear inside it. It is not a cheap way to buy a week.
Where a St Thomas day goes
St John is three miles east and two thirds of it is a national park, with Trunk Bay, Maho and Waterlemon Cay on mooring balls. Water Island and Buck Island are twenty minutes out. Jost Van Dyke and Norman Island in the BVI are within a fast powerboat's range but they are a different country, so a day trip there clears customs both ways and the boat must be licensed to carry you across. Ask before booking rather than after.
Chartering a week from the USVI
There is a crewed fleet based here and very little bareboat, which is the mirror image of Tortola forty minutes away. If you want a bareboat week the practical answer is to take the ferry to Road Town or Nanny Cay and charter there: Horizon Yacht Charters prices its BVI catamarans by the day at Nanny Cay, a six cabin Lagoon 51 of 2025 at 2,599 USD a day and a four cabin owner's version of 2024 at 2,299.
Questions people ask about catamaran rental St Thomas
How much is a catamaran in St Thomas?
Sailo puts a luxury sailing catamaran at 1,400 to 2,800 USD a day at St Thomas and lists 117 boats overall at an average of 1,813 a day, read on 11 September 2026.
Can you take a St Thomas charter to the BVI?
Only on a boat licensed to cross, and the trip clears customs in both directions. Many day boats are limited to US waters, so it is a question to settle before booking rather than on the morning.
Is it cheaper to charter in the USVI or the BVI?
For a week, the BVI by a distance: The Moorings starts a seven day BVI charter for two at 3,284 USD. The USVI market is priced by the day with a captain aboard and is not a cheap way to buy seven of them.