For most charter agencies, it is now child's play to query which yachts have been booked the most in their system at the touch of a button. Of course, this also allows agents to draw interesting conclusions, such as which yacht types customers like or which offer good value for money. We therefore asked one of the larger agencies in Germany, 1a Yachtcharter from Lübbecke, for its top 10 list. The result was more or less astonishing.
The top 10 charter yachts
Charter market: Kats continue to increase their share
Basically, this top 10 list highlights some things in the market quite clearly. For example, the fact that a catamaran lands in second place that Lagoon 42. The boom in multihulls, or more precisely almost only cats, in the charter market has been a phenomenon for almost 10 years, and they are becoming more and more numerous at practically every base. They are very popular because of the enormous amount of space they offer and, above all, because of their almost identically large cabins. No arguments about cabin and berth allocation, many even have their own bathroom per cabin. The huge cockpit is unbeatable for living, bathing and cooking. They have long dominated the market in the Caribbean because the cat is objectively a good choice when anchoring in the Atlantic swell and in the hot climate.
But of course, when it comes to sailing action and performance, the often very heavy cruising cats are less attractive than monohulls. This is perhaps also demonstrated by the space miracle Bali Catspacewhich occupies one of the lower places in the list of 10 boats. However, Sebastian Kather from 1a Yachtcharter reports that the catamaran is becoming increasingly popular: "Customers who are all about holiday comfort love the Bali because of the large sunbathing areas and other features that make it so comfortable. You can see that some of our customers who used to sail a Lagoon are moving away because living comfort is the clear number one priority. But they also know about the sailing performance."
However, as more and more crews are prioritising comfort, space and bathing fun over sailing characteristics, cats are on the rise. At the moment, it looks as if their large space requirements in the harbour and the higher mooring fees will set a limit at some point. In the Mediterranean and Caribbean, the proportion of very large catamarans travelling with skippers and cabin charters is also increasing rapidly.
Four cabins are the standard in the Mediterranean
The list also makes it clear that the large monohulls are the bread-and-butter ships for many charter companies. This is not only proven by the Bavaria 46 in first place. With the Oceanis 46.1.the Dufour 46o Grand Large and the Sun Odyssey 440 four other large yachts from the four-cabin segment are among the most popular charter yachts. "This is clearly the case in the Mediterranean, but the three-cabin yachts are even more popular in the Baltic than in warmer waters," says Sebastian Kather.
Four compartments plus an enormous amount of volume offer plenty of space, even for larger crews. Although the days of 8 people occupying four compartments as standard are long gone. It is not uncommon for individual men's crews with four people to treat themselves to such yachts. Snoring co-sailors, four solvent co-sailors in men's crews, you simply treat yourself to the space.
It is interesting that no ship in the 50-foot-plus class appears in the list. Many fleets do have such yachts in their booking lists. But the comfort advantage is no longer such a huge leap from 45/46 feet. The fifth cabin that these boats sometimes have is often a bunk bed cabin. This can be a heat torture in the Mediterranean in summer or can be annoying with berths that are too short or too narrow. And in the narrow Mediterranean harbours of some areas, a 52 is also a thing in itself for mooring manoeuvres.
Ships for average crews are not dying out
Meanwhile, it is pleasing to see that the three-cabin ships around 40 feet or just under are still well represented: Bavaria 37 and 41 Cruiser, Oceanis 38.1 and Sun Odyssey 410. The boats for average crews are therefore not dying out. They are the first choice for families, two-couple crews or even the typical men's tour in a small group. They are particularly popular with families, as children, especially those of adolescent age, are not always prepared to share a cabin. In this case, you need a three-cabin for parents plus two kids.
How long a boat has been on the market also plays a role: In the charter market, the right number of units must be sold before a yacht can become a bestseller, as can be seen from the long-running favourite Bavaria 46which has been on the market for almost 10 years. The Cruiser series is well represented anyway. However, it is striking that the C-series has not made it onto the list. The higher purchase price and therefore weekly price could play a role.
Charter yachts: Customers struggle with fleet trends
1a Yachtcharter has adjusted the list to include exotic boats, some of which achieve high booking figures in their agencies. "When something special appears in a fleet that appeals to sporty sailors, such as an X-Yacht, First, Pogo or similar, there is a huge rush and the boats are well booked. We then have a lot of contracts, but only with a single boat, which distorts things a little.
In general, sailing performance and, above all, sailing fun are an issue: "We have more and more customers who are struggling with self-tacking jibs. At first they were only used on a few yachts, but now they are becoming more and more common, even in the catamaran sector. This is a knock-out criterion for some of our customers. They want the crew to still have something to do when manoeuvring," says Sebastian Kather. It is also becoming increasingly difficult for such customers to find larger ships with a fully battened main. However, some customers simply don't like furling mainsails. They no longer have much choice in some sailing areas.
