Gulet, Catamaran or Motor Yacht? Choosing the Right Boat

The most important decision in chartering is not the date; it is the boat type. The same budget buys two completely different holidays, and the right hull for your group makes the difference between "perfect" and "we should have taken the other one". Here is the comparison without the makeup.

Gulet: the floating home

Bodrum's native type, the wooden gulet, is the boat of bigger groups: 20 to 30 metres, 4 to 8 cabins, a crew of captain, chef and deckhand doing everything. Its strengths are comfort and the table; the blue cruise chose the gulet for a reason. It is not fast, but nobody on a blue cruise is in a hurry. Weekly charters start around 8,000 to 12,000 Euro in the standard class; the fleet lives on our Bodrum gulet charter page.

Catamaran: the boat that does not roll

The twin-hull catamaran's trump card is stability: it barely rolls and sits flat even at anchor, which makes it the obvious choice for seasickness-prone guests and families with small children. Its second card is space, with roughly twice the interior volume of a monohull the same length. One thing to know: Bodrum's catamaran fleet is smaller than Fethiye's or Gocek's, so book the one you like early.

Motor yacht: speed and modern luxury

More bays per day, contemporary interiors and pace: that is the motor yacht. It offers clearly more living space than a sailing yacht of equal length and suns generously across multiple decks. The bill arrives in two lines: charter rate and fuel. At equal capacity the rough order runs sailing yacht cheapest, gulet and catamaran in the middle, motor yacht on top.

Sailing yacht: the sea itself

Nothing matches making way under sail, engine off, fuel cost near zero. In exchange the interior is tighter and the boat heels under sail; sailors love that lean, sensitive stomachs less so. With a licence you can go bareboat; without one, skippered charters work beautifully.

The decision table

• Big family or friend group, full-board comfort: gulet.
• Seasickness worries, small children, living space: catamaran.
• Speed, modern design, many bays a day: motor yacht.
• Sailing at heart, budget care, a romantic pair: sailing yacht.

Still torn? Send your dates and group through the Bodrum yacht charter page and we will shortlist two or three boats and walk you through the differences. For budgets, the price guide shows each type's starting figure.