Can I exceed the capacity of a yacht?

Can I exceed the capacity of a yacht – This is a question we get asked regularly and I will hereby declare for now and always that it is not possible.

It happens that customers call us and indicate the number of people they want to rent a yacht with. For example 12 people (then you need at least 6 cabins) and then they ask for a yacht for 10 people (5 cabins). It is often thought that a yacht with fewer cabins is cheaper, but this is not necessarily the case. The price of a yacht is determined by completely different factors (see previous blog).

Can I exceed the capacity of a yacht

It is a legal offense to take more passengers on board than the real capacity of the yacht. So if a yacht is registered with 6 cabins and a capacity of 12 people, then no 13 passengers can ever get on board, not even 12.5! Not even if the 13th person is a small child, because this one is also seen as compassionate. So how many people you come with in total is very important because depending on that number we look at the suitable boat in terms of number of cabins.

And don’t think that a larger boat is more expensive in terms of the number of cabins than a yacht with fewer cabins, because that is absolutely not the case. Some boat owners may exceed capacity, but if you are stopped by the harbor police during your holiday at sea and the passenger lists do not match the legal papers of the yacht, your holiday is over. This is important information that you should not forget.