Why choose a monohull
A monohull is a sailing boat in the fullest sense. It heels to the wind, it points high, it accelerates in a gust and settles into a groove on a reach — and it tells you, through the helm and the sheets, exactly what the wind and sea are doing. If the reason you are chartering is to sail rather than to be carried, this is the boat. It is also the classic choice for a proper passage: Barcelona to Mallorca overnight, or Ibiza to Menorca in a day, are monohull passages first and foremost.
There is a practical case too. A monohull is the best value on the water — typically 40 to 60 percent less than a catamaran of the same length — and its narrow beam finds a berth in busy marinas and tucks into small calas that a wide catamaran cannot enter. Our monohull fleet runs from 36 to 56 feet: Grand Soleil, Beneteau Oceanis, Dufour and Jeanneau Sun Odyssey among them, sleeping six to ten across three to five cabins, from €700 per day.
Who monohulls suit
Monohull or catamaran?
The most common question we are asked, and the honest answer is that they are different boats for different holidays. Here is how we put it to crews:
| Monohull | Catamaran | |
|---|---|---|
| Sailing feel | Better — heels, points high, responsive helm | Flat and stable, less feedback |
| Space aboard | Compact; cabins forward and aft | Much more — wide saloon, trampolines, four equal cabins |
| At anchor | Some roll in swell | Very stable — the family favourite |
| Price | 40–60% less for similar length | Higher; more to charter, berth and fuel |
| Marinas & calas | Easy — narrow beam fits anywhere | Wide beam: fewer berths, higher fees, some calas off-limits |
| Speed to windward | Faster and higher | Slower; often motors upwind |
| Speed off the wind | Good | Often faster in a breeze |
| Best for | Sailors, couples, passages, value | Families, groups of eight-plus, non-sailors, entertaining |
Not sure? Tell us who is aboard and what you want from the week; we will steer you honestly — sometimes towards a catamaran.
Where our monohulls sail
Everywhere we operate. Bareboat and skippered monohulls run out of Palma, Ibiza Town (for Formentera), Mahón and Ciutadella, and Marina Port Vell in Barcelona for the city, Sitges and the Costa Brava. For a first monohull charter we usually suggest a week around Mallorca’s south and east or Ibiza and Formentera; for sailors who want miles, the two-week Grand Balearic Circuit or a Barcelona–Balearics passage.
Practical notes
- Price: From €700 per day for a 36–40 ft yacht in shoulder season, rising with length and in July–August. Weekly rates, skipper, chef, provisioning and end cleaning are quoted separately — ask for an all-in figure for your dates.
- Season: April to October; peak July–August, Saturday to Saturday. May, June and September give the best sailing breeze with quieter anchorages.
- Licence: Bareboat requires an ICC, RYA Day Skipper, PER or equivalent and appropriate experience. No licence? A Local Skipper joins you and the sailing is still yours.
- Sizes: 36–45 ft for two to six people; 45–56 ft for six to ten, or for crews who want a skipper cabin and a fully crewed set-up.
- Handover: A full briefing at the pontoon, passage plan and anchorage notes in your charter pack, and our duty skipper on the phone throughout.
