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Bali Boat Charter Private

Bali charter boats: catamaran, sport yacht or phinisi

The vessel matters more than the route, the menu or the date. The right boat for a Crystal Bay snorkel is not the right boat for a Tanah Lot anniversary. These are the three types we charter, with honest trade-offs.

Aerial view of a sport yacht cutting a white wake through deep blue water

Four questions that pick the boat

Answer these first and the vessel almost picks itself.

Group size and ages
Children like the trampoline and a shaded saloon. Older guests prefer air-conditioning and fewer steps.
Motion sensitivity
If anyone gets queasy in a car, choose catamaran stability over monohull roll.
Route
Penida needs speed and range. Lembongan suits any boat. Tanah Lot rewards a slow one.
Photographs
A teak-deck phinisi looks very different in photos from a white fibreglass yacht.

The three vessel types

What each one is, why you would pick it, and when it is the wrong choice.

A white sport yacht underway on calm water with an island on the horizon

Sport yacht

Modern fibreglass motor yachts with a planing hull, an air-conditioned saloon, two to four cabins and a hydraulic swim platform.

Length
38–72 ft
Cruise
22–26 knots
Makes
Princess, Sunseeker, Azimut, Sea Ray, Beneteau Monte Carlo

Why pick it

  • Fast enough for Penida and back with time to spare
  • Air-conditioning through the humid November–March months
  • Private cabins for naps or a split group
  • Hot freshwater shower after snorkelling

When it is the wrong choice

  • Monohull roll in the Penida channel is hard on sensitive guests
  • A 50 ft yacht suits about 10 guests; a catamaran the same length takes 12–14
  • White fibreglass rather than heritage wood in photos

Ask about sport yachts

A sailing catamaran under full sail at sunset

Catamaran

Twin-hull sail or power boats with a wide bridge deck: saloon and galley on top, cabins down each hull, a trampoline at the bow.

Length
45–60 ft
Cruise
9–14 knots
Makes
Lagoon, Bali Catamarans, Sunreef, Leopard, Fountaine Pajot

Why pick it

  • The steadiest ride in beam-sea chop
  • One shared deck keeps the group together
  • A wider galley for plated menus for up to 14
  • Shallow draft anchors closer to the beach at Mushroom Bay

When it is the wrong choice

  • About 30 minutes slower each way to Penida
  • Narrower hull cabins
  • Feels breezy and beachy rather than hotel-suite

Ask about catamarans

A phinisi schooner under full sail on calm water

Phinisi schooner

Two-masted wooden schooners built in Sulawesi as trading vessels and converted for guests, with a teak deck and traditional rigging.

Length
60–100 ft
Cruise
6–9 knots
Makes
Sulawesi-built, teak or ironwood hull

Why pick it

  • The boat itself is the experience
  • Wood, sails and rigging photograph beautifully
  • An 80 ft phinisi seats 14–16 at one aft table
  • A slower day: sail, anchor, swim, eat, sail home

When it is the wrong choice

  • Too slow for a comfortable Penida day; Lembongan and Tanah Lot suit it
  • Air-conditioning is often in the cabins only
  • Older boats have basic plumbing and limited fresh water

Ask about phinisi

Guests on the flybridge of a motor yacht under way
Sport yacht: speed and shade
A phinisi under sail at dusk
Phinisi: the slow way home

Benoa to Crystal Bay, one way

Hull speed decides how much of a nine-hour day you spend at the destination rather than in transit.

Sport yacht at 24 knots
60 min
Catamaran at 11 knots
130 min
Phinisi at 7 knots
200 min

Double it for the round trip. For phinisi guests the boat is the point, so this is rarely a problem; for anyone who chose a phinisi expecting a Penida day, it is.

Quick match

Six common briefs and the boat we would usually suggest.

Couple, Penida snorkel, modern style50 ft sport yacht
Family of 8 with a motion-sensitive grandparent, Lembongan50 ft catamaran
12 friends, an anniversary, Tanah Lot sunset80 ft phinisi
Honeymoon, full day with a chef, unsettled forecast55 ft catamaran
Corporate group of 16, Lembongan beach landing90 ft phinisi
Mixed-age family of 14, Penida and back in a day72 ft sport yacht

Check these before you book

Worth asking any operator, whichever boat you choose.

A made double bed in a sport yacht cabin

Cabins and bathrooms

A 50 ft sport yacht usually has two queen cabins with ensuites and air-conditioning. Catamarans have more cabins, but narrower. Phinisi built before 2018 may have two or three small cabins with shared heads, so ask for the build year.

A motor yacht moored at a marina pontoon

The captain’s licence

Every passenger vessel in Indonesian waters needs a captain with a valid Indonesian nautical licence, displayed on the bridge. Walk away from an operator who will not show it.

The aft deck and swim platform of a sport yacht

Insurance

Legitimate operators carry hull and machinery cover plus passenger liability, typically IDR 50 million (about USD 3,200) per guest. If you buy extra travel cover, check it covers chartered private vessels by name.

Not sure which boat? Brief us

You do not need to know the vessel. Tell us the group, the date and the feel of the day, and we come back with two or three boats and their trade-offs.

Get a vessel shortlist

WhatsApp
+62 811 2859 0000
Email
[email protected]
Departures
Benoa Marina · Serangan · Sanur