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Miami Yacht Charter

A Miami yacht charter is a private, crewed day on the water: a USCG-licensed captain and crew run the boat, you and your guests are passengers, and the yacht carries nobody but your group. Charters run 4, 6 or 8 hours — long enough for a skyline run, a sandbar stop and a meal at anchor — and start from $650 for 4 hours. Captain, crew, local fuel, ice, water, Bluetooth sound and the required safety gear are included. Most yachts seat up to 13 guests, and larger certified vessels take bigger groups. Charters board on the Miami River, at Miami Beach Marina or at Haulover.

Captained chartersUp to 13 guests4, 6 or 8-hour optionsMiami, FL
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Charter or rental — what actually changes

In Miami both words describe the same legal product: a private vessel with a licensed captain aboard, and no boating license needed from you.

What changes is the shape of the day. A rental is usually the short answer to "how much, and what is open Saturday" — two to four hours, the smallest suitable boat, straight out and back. A charter is the planned version: you pick the hours around an occasion, the captain builds the itinerary around your group instead of the clock, and the crew handles boarding, the swim platform, the coolers and the clean-up while you stay with your guests. If you are price-shopping an afternoon on the water, start on the Miami yacht rental page. If the day has a reason behind it — a birthday, a client dinner, a proposal, a group flying in for the weekend — this is the page for it.

Yacht charter on Biscayne Bay in Miami

What a crewed charter day looks like

Boarding takes about fifteen minutes: the crew meets you at the slip, loads what you brought aboard, runs the safety briefing and gets you underway.

A 4-hour charter typically runs Government Cut, the Star Island and Palm and Hibiscus homes, then anchors at the Key Biscayne sandbar for swim time before heading back. Six hours adds Stiltsville or a longer stretch at anchor with lunch aboard. Eight hours is the full day — the homes route, a long sandbar stop, a meal at anchor and a golden-hour return under the lit causeways. The captain makes trip-day route decisions based on the vessel, local conditions and the booked itinerary, so say at booking what the day is for and the route gets built around that.

Charter lengths and what each one buys you

Live starting prices on the smallest yachts in the fleet: 4 hours from $650, 6 hours from $950, 8 hours from $1,300.

Four hours is the shortest charter worth planning an occasion around — it covers one real stop without anybody watching the clock. Six hours is the most common event length: two stops, a meal at anchor, and no time pressure during the part people remember. Eight hours suits groups flying in for a weekend, bachelorette and birthday weekends, and corporate days where the yacht is the venue rather than the transport. Shorter two and three-hour slots exist and are listed on the yacht rental page; they work for a sunset run or a photo shoot, less well for an event. Each yacht's listing shows its own price for every duration, and prices climb with length, age and finish across the 25'–135' fleet.

On deck aboard a Miami charter yacht

Sunset and sunset-to-night charters

The late slot is the one charter buyers ask for by name.

A sunset charter leaves in the late afternoon, runs the bay while the light drops, and comes home past a lit skyline. Push the same window later and it becomes a night charter: Brickell and downtown seen from the water, the causeway bridges lit, and far less traffic on the bay. Both work best at 4 hours or more, because the hour before sunset is when groups want to be at anchor rather than running between stops. The sunset cruise page covers the shorter version; ask about a sunset-to-night window if the group wants dinner aboard and a late return.

Charters for events and larger groups

Most yachts in the fleet seat up to 13 guests, the limit for a standard charter yacht.

Above that the options are a larger certified vessel or two yachts tied up together at anchor, which is how most 20 to 30-person sandbar days actually run. Occasion charters each have their own page with the detail that matters for them: corporate yacht charters for client dinners and offsites, wedding charters for ceremonies and receptions on the water, bachelorette charters, birthday charters and proposal charters. Every listing shows its exact guest limit, and the booking flow prices décor, catering, a photographer, jet skis and water toys before you pay.

Catering, crew and what gets paid where

Charter food goes one of two ways and both are normal: you bring it and the crew handles the coolers, ice and water, or you add catering at checkout and it is delivered to the slip before boarding.

Bar service can be arranged for larger event charters. The crew sets up, serves, clears and cleans, so nobody in your group spends the day hosting. Every cost is named before you pay — the charter price, the extras you chose, and applicable tax shown at checkout. The only thing paid on the water is crew gratuity, which goes directly to the crew.

On deck aboard a Miami charter yacht

Booking a charter in Miami

Charter dates behave differently from rental dates.

A Saturday rental can often be found inside a week, but a charter built around a birthday weekend, a wedding date or a conference cannot move, so the yacht has to be held early. Through peak season, December to April, 2 to 4 weeks ahead is safe for a standard Saturday, while holiday weekends and the big event weeks go 6 or more weeks out. September through November is the quietest stretch and the easiest time to get the exact boat you want. NOAA weather information is the external source used here for regional forecasts and marine conditions; it is not a promise that a specific trip will depart. If weather or mechanical issues prevent safe departure, the Perfect Day Guarantee applies — rebook free or take 100% of your money back, on weather and mechanical issues only, under the terms shown at checkout.

How booking works

  1. Choose your yacht

    Browse the fleet and pick the boat that fits your group.

  2. Lock in your date

    Check live availability and reserve online in about a minute.

  3. Step aboard

    Your captain and crew handle the rest from the dock.

See how it works

Where you board

Venetian Marina

1635 N Bayshore Dr, Miami, FL 33132

Charter docks at Miami Beach Marina

Miami Beach Marina

300 Alton Rd, Miami Beach, FL 33139

Bayshore Landing Marina

2550 S Bayshore Dr, Coconut Grove, FL 33133

Grove Harbour Marina

2640 S Bayshore Dr, Coconut Grove, FL 33133

Yachts available for this

Another One

Another One

112'13San Lorenzo
Make Big Happen

Make Big Happen

95'13Ocean Alexander
Archipelago III

Archipelago III

70'13Sunreef
Aqua Life

Aqua Life

92'13Horizon
Yesenia

Yesenia

80'13Azimut
The one

The one

66'13Azimut

Frequently asked

Legally nothing: both are a private vessel with a USCG-licensed captain aboard, and neither asks you for a boating license. In practice "rental" describes the short, price-led version and "charter" the planned, crewed day built around an occasion. Same fleet, same captains, different shape of day.

Live starting prices are $650 for 4 hours, $950 for 6 and $1,300 for 8, on the smallest yachts in the fleet. Larger yachts cost more and each listing shows its own price per duration. Captain, crew and local fuel are included; extras and applicable tax are shown at checkout.

Six hours is the most common event length — two stops, a meal at anchor and no clock pressure. Four hours covers one real stop comfortably. Eight hours suits groups flying in, weekend celebrations, and corporate days where the yacht is the venue.

Most yachts take up to 13 guests, the limit for a standard charter yacht. Larger certified vessels carry more, and two yachts tied up together at the sandbar is the usual answer for 20 to 30 people. Every listing shows its exact guest limit.

Yes. A late-afternoon start runs the bay through sunset and comes home past a lit skyline, and the window can be pushed later for a night run past Brickell and downtown. Ask for the sunset-to-night window at booking so the start time is set around that day's sunset.

Either way works. Bring your own and the crew handles coolers, ice and water, or add catering at checkout and it is delivered to the slip before boarding. Bar service can be arranged for larger event charters.

No. The charter price, the extras you selected and applicable tax are shown at checkout; crew gratuity is the one thing paid on the water, and it goes directly to the crew.

2 to 4 weeks is safe for a standard Saturday in peak season, December through April. Holiday weekends and the big event weeks go 6 or more weeks ahead. September through November is the quietest stretch, with the most open dates and the widest choice of boat.

Most charters board on the Miami River at Regal Marina and River Landing, minutes from downtown and Brickell, at Miami Beach Marina in South Beach, or at Bill Bird Marina in Haulover Park. The exact dock address is on each yacht's listing and in your confirmation.

Related

Sources and fact ownership

Reviewed October 15, 2026 by Vice City Yacht Club

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