You cannot hire one boat in Ibiza for twenty people. Spanish law caps a private day charter at twelve guests whatever the yacht’s size, so a group of twenty takes two boats. Two of ours that pair well come to €3,899 for the pair in low season — about €195 each for a full eight-hour day, skipper and VAT included.
This is the question we are asked more than any other by group organisers, and the answer disappoints people for about ninety seconds. Then they see the numbers and the shape of the day, and it usually turns out to be the better arrangement anyway. Here is how it actually works.
Why there is no twenty-person boat
The limit is regulatory, not physical. Once a vessel carries more than twelve guests commercially it moves into the category that ferries and licensed passenger boats sit in, with heavier survey, safety and crewing requirements. Charter yachts are not certified for it. So the thirty-metre Leopard 107 takes twelve, and so does the twenty-metre Sunseeker 64. Length buys you space, not seats. We set the whole rule out in the twelve-person rule, explained.
If you find a listing offering twenty guests on one hull, it is one of three things: a shared trip where you buy seats alongside strangers, a licensed passenger vessel running a fixed route and a fixed timetable, or a boat that never leaves its berth at all. All three are legitimate products. None of them is a private charter, and the price difference is not the bargain it looks like.
What two boats actually costs
Low season, eight hours, skipper, insurance and Spanish VAT at 21% in every figure. Fuel is charged on the day and is not in these numbers.
| Pair | Takes | Low season, both boats | Per person at 20 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chiara 37 + Von Dutch 40 | 20 | €3,899 | €195 |
| Chiara 37 + Bambina 44 | 22 | €4,790 | €240 |
| Sunseeker 64 + Pardo 39 | 20 | €6,889 | €344 |
| Sunseeker 64 + Riva Venere 75 | 24 | €10,890 | €454 |
The first line is worth sitting with. Twenty people, a whole day on the water, two skippers, drinks already aboard, and it lands near two hundred euros a head. That is a restaurant dinner in Ibiza Town in August, and it lasts eight hours instead of two.
What a two-boat day looks like
The two boats leave the marina together and run the same route. At the first anchorage they raft up — tied alongside each other, fenders between them — and the two decks become one space. People cross from boat to boat, swim off whichever platform they are nearest, and lunch happens across both. For the middle six hours of the day it does not feel like two boats at all.
Each group goes back aboard its own hull for the passage back. The only real difference from a single charter is the twenty minutes at the start when somebody has to decide who travels on which boat, and that is a job for the organiser rather than for the crew.
Pair on cruising speed, not on length
This is the one thing groups get wrong. Two boats travelling together move at the pace of the slower one, so a fast boat paired with a slow one spends the day throttled back. The Chiara 37 at 35 knots and the Bambina 44 at 34 are a natural pair; they arrive together and neither is waiting. Pair the same Chiara with a boat that cruises ten knots slower and the crossing to Formentera takes noticeably longer for everybody.
It matters most if you want a long run in the day. If you are anchoring off the south coast and staying there, it barely matters at all, and the cheaper pairing is the right call. Tell us the route you have in mind and we will pair the boats around it.
Thirteen, fifteen, twenty-four: where the bands fall
- Up to 12 — one boat, and the whole of our fleet is open to you. Start with the boat rental fleet.
- 13 to 16 — two smaller boats. This is the band where two boats can genuinely cost less than one large one, because you are pairing two eight-guest hulls rather than chartering a twelve-guest yacht and a second boat on top.
- 17 to 22 — an eleven and a nine, or two elevens. The pairs in the table above.
- 23 to 24 — two twelve-guest yachts. The Sunseeker 64 and Riva Venere 75 together carry twenty-four with seven crew between them.
- Above 24 — three boats, and it needs a conversation rather than a table.
Do children count towards the twelve?
Assume yes. Guests on a charter licence are counted by head and not by age, so twelve adults and two children is a group of fourteen and needs two boats. If you are near the line, give us the exact composition when you enquire rather than finding out at the pontoon.
Getting a real number
The prices above are low-season from-prices for the boats; your figure depends on the date, the pair and the route. Send us the group size and the date and we will come back with two boats that suit each other. If the day is a celebration rather than a cruise, the private boat party page covers what the two-boat version looks like, and what a charter costs per person explains the arithmetic behind every figure here.
Common questions
Can one boat in Ibiza take 20 people?
No. A private day charter in Spain is capped at twelve guests regardless of the yacht's size, so a group of twenty always means two boats. Crew are counted separately and do not use up guest places.
How much does it cost to hire a boat in Ibiza for 20 people?
From €3,899 in low season for the pair — the Chiara 37 and the Von Dutch 40 together take twenty, which works out at about €195 each for a full eight-hour day with two skippers and Spanish VAT included. In July and August the same pair is €6,099.
Do the two boats stay together all day?
Yes. They leave the marina together, run the same route, and raft up side by side at anchor so the two decks become one space for swimming and lunch. Everyone returns to their own boat for the run home.
What if there are 24 of us?
Two twelve-guest yachts. The Sunseeker 64 and the Riva Venere 75 together carry twenty-four with seven crew between them, at €10,890 for the pair in low season, or about €454 each.
Do children count towards the twelve?
Assume yes. Guests on a charter licence are counted by head and not by age, so twelve adults and two children is a group of fourteen and needs two boats. Tell us the exact composition when you enquire and we will confirm it.
Is two boats more expensive than one large yacht?
Often it is less. Two eleven-guest boats at €2,100 and €2,690 come to €4,790 in low season and carry twenty-two people. A single twelve-guest yacht such as the Riva Venere 75 is €5,700 and carries twelve.
