Sailboat, catamaran or motorboat: which boat suits your group?

The first decision in any booking is not the region but the boat. A sailboat, a catamaran and a motorboat can be the same length and still feel completely different. This guide helps you answer the question for your group – not for the brochure.

On every Go2Boat boat page, cabins and berths come first. We show the maximum number of people only when the provider states it. There is a reason: the number of people allowed says how many may be on board during the day, not how many sleep well there.

Rules of thumb for a week:

• Couples usually want their own cabin with a double bed. A boat with three cabins suits three couples – snug, but fine.
• Families with children manage with saloon berths; children like sleeping in the bow.
• Groups of friends almost always underestimate space: count one cabin per two people, not the last emergency berth in the saloon.
• Bathrooms count more than you think. From six people on, more than one is worth a lot.

For a day trip it is different: the number of people allowed is what counts, and cabins hardly matter.

The sailboat is the classic choice for anyone who wants to sail – not just arrive. It usually costs less than a catamaran of the same size, sails better upwind and finds harbour berths more easily. In return it heels (leans to one side), and there is less space on deck and in the saloon.

Suits: couples and groups with sailing experience or a skipper who enjoy wind. Areas such as Croatia and Greece are ideal.

A catamaran has two hulls. That brings three advantages that win over many guests: lots of space (a large saloon level with the cockpit, often four cabins with their own bathroom), hardly any heel and a shallow draught that gets it closer to beaches in shallow bays. People prone to seasickness often feel better on a catamaran too.

The downside: it costs more, needs a wider berth in harbour – scarce and more expensive in high summer – and is often the first to be booked in high season.

Suits: families, groups with mixed experience, guests who anchor and swim more than they sail.

A motorboat takes you quickly from bay to bay. For day trips it is unbeatable; for a week you need a motor yacht with cabins, usually with a skipper. Factor in fuel: on motorboats it is often not included and is charged by consumption; how is shown in the boat's extras.

Suits: day trips, guests who want to see a lot, and areas with many bays close together such as the Costa Smeralda or the Amalfi Coast.

With a skipper almost any boat becomes the right choice, even without experience. Then allow a berth or cabin for the skipper if they sleep on board – it is shown on the boat.