The best yachts for 8 and 10 guests in the Grenadines

Short answer. Eight guests fit comfortably on a 45–52ft four-cabin catamaran. Ten guests need a five-cabin boat of 50ft or more — and once crew are aboard, a boat with dedicated crew quarters. The jump from eight to ten guests is bigger than it sounds, because it changes the boat class, not just the cabin count.

Eight guests

This is the standard charter group and the sweet spot of the whole Grenadines fleet. Four ensuite double cabins, two guests each, everyone with their own heads and shower. A 45–48ft catamaran does this well; a 50–52ft one does it with room to spare.

Bareboat, expect US $8,000–15,000 per week for the yacht — around US $1,000–1,900 per person. Fully crewed with a captain and chef, US $16,000–25,000 plus APA, so roughly US $2,500–4,000 per person for seven nights with every meal included.

The thing to check is cabin parity. Four equal cabins means nobody draws the short straw. Ask specifically whether the forward cabins are the same size as the aft ones — on some 45-footers they are noticeably not.

Ten guests

Ten changes three things at once. You need a fifth cabin, which means a 50ft-plus catamaran. You need the crew somewhere other than a guest cabin, which means dedicated crew quarters. And you need saloon and cockpit seating for ten, which not every five-cabin boat actually has — count the seats around the table before you book.

Realistic options are the Leopard 50 and 53, Lagoon 52 and 55, Bali 5.4 and Fountaine Pajot Samana 59. Crewed, expect US $28,000–48,000 per week plus APA — US $2,800–4,800 per person, which is often no more per head than eight on a smaller boat.

Two boats instead of one

For ten to sixteen guests, two 45ft catamarans sailing together is frequently better value and more fun than one big boat — two crews, two sets of toys, families with their own space, and everyone rafts up or meets ashore for dinner. We arrange these regularly for multi-family groups and extended families. It is also easier to find availability at Christmas.

Practical points for larger groups

Water and power. Ten people use a lot of both. Check the watermaker output and the generator hours the boat is happy to run — this is where bigger, better-equipped yachts earn their money.

Tender size. One dinghy that takes six means two trips ashore for every dinner. On the bigger boats ask for a 3.4m-plus tender.

Dining ashore. Restaurants in Bequia, Mustique and Union will happily take ten but need warning. Your captain radios ahead the day before.

Tell us the group and the dates and we will price one boat and two boats side by side so you can see the difference honestly. See our crewed catamarans and the cost guide for the underlying rates.