Boat Charter: Choosing Group Size and Duration
Two mistakes come up most often: booking a bigger boat than needed, and underestimating the hours. Both become obvious on the day, and both are avoidable. Here is how to decide on size and duration.
What size boat do you need?
A boat’s stated capacity is the legal maximum, not the comfortable one. A practical rule: if you plan to sit down and eat, about 70 per cent of the stated figure is comfortable. Twenty people can stand for cocktails on a twenty-person boat, but twenty cannot sit down to dinner. Choose capacity by what the group will actually do.
2-6 people
Proposals, anniversaries, romantic dinners, small family gatherings. A smaller boat is cheaper and warmer; a few people get lost on a wide deck.
8-20 people
Birthdays, bachelor parties, friends’ gatherings and company dinners. Seating starts to matter here: long table or standing reception?
25 and above
Post-ceremony celebrations, henna nights, corporate events and launches. At this scale the number of heads, catering logistics and boarding time become decisive.
How many hours is enough?
Most people count only the time at sea. But reaching the pier, boarding, disembarking and returning all fall inside the same booking. In practice: two hours for a single purpose (a proposal, a short celebration, a shoot), three to four for a programme with a meal, and a full day for swimming stops or longer routes like the islands.
- 2 hours: proposal, short celebration, sunset cruise, photo shoot.
- 3 hours: classic Bosphorus cruise, dinner programme, birthday.
- 4 hours: large reception, corporate event, henna or post-wedding party.
- Full day: swimming trip, the islands, fishing, team event.
Can you extend on the day?
Usually yes if there is no booking after yours, but it is not guaranteed. At weekends and sunset slots boats run back to back, so extending often is not possible. If your programme looks tight, booking an extra hour upfront is safer than negotiating on the day.
The right boat, the right hours
Tell us how many you are and what you want to do; we will not push a bigger boat than you need. If your programme looks tight, we say so upfront.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, the clock starts when the boat is waiting for you at the pier. Being there on time is what keeps you from losing part of the charter you paid for.
The boat is priced per charter rather than per person, so no. Catering is costed per head, though, so the total drops. The real saving for a small group is choosing a smaller boat.
Check a date
Tell us your date and what the day is for, and we will put together a programme for you.