French Polynesia yacht & catamaran charter: prices, season and licence

• French Polynesia: €5,009 to €10,592 per week (cheapest month January, most expensive July) (12 Knots, checked 27 Oct 2026)
• Catamarans listed: 77 in French Polynesia on 12 Knots (bareboat or crewed)
• In detail: Catamaran cost by month, all-in and per person

Source: 12 Knots: Catamaran charter in French Polynesia (Tahiti), checked 27 Oct 2026. 12 Knots calculates each monthly figure from all qualifying weekly price records (53 unique boats in French Polynesia) for departures in the current and following calendar year. Asking prices before discounts and extras.

Catamarans are our flagship, and the only type with a monthly public price series. For the others we show what we can verify and say so when we can't.

• Catamaran (bareboat or crewed): see the monthly table above.
• Sailing yacht / monohull: We have not yet found a public, dated monohull average for French Polynesia that we can verify, so we don't show one. Monohulls are generally cheaper than catamarans of similar length; see catamaran vs monohull.
• Motor yacht: we have no verified price average for French Polynesia. What we can source is the cost structure: Helm puts the APA at around 35–40% of the charter fee for motor yachts (Helm, checked 27 Oct 2026). See catamaran vs monohull vs motor yacht.
• Gulet: we have no verified price average for French Polynesia. Ask operators for a fully inclusive quote.
• Skippered: add a skipper at roughly €150–300 per day depending on destination (The Globe Sailor, checked 28 Oct 2026), i.e. about €1,050–€2,100 for 7 days, plus the skipper's meals. See bareboat vs skippered.
• Crewed (skipper + cook/host): usually quoted with an Advance Provisioning Allowance (APA) of around 25–35% of the charter fee for sailing yachts and catamarans (Helm, checked 27 Oct 2026), and a customary crew gratuity of 10–20% (Worth Avenue Yachts, checked 27 Oct 2026).

Tahiti Tourisme describes a dry season from May to October and a wet season from November to April (Tahiti Tourisme, checked 27 Oct 2026). Charter prices track this: highest in July–September, lowest in January. Monthly figures are 12 Knots' published "average weekly cost" for catamarans in French Polynesia. They mix bareboat and crewed listings and all boat sizes, and they are asking prices, not final transaction prices.

Cheapest months to go: January, February, December. Compare every destination month by month: where to sail by month.

Sources differ. Anchor says no licence is required by law in French Polynesia, only a sailing résumé (Anchor (formerly Helm), checked 27 Oct 2026), while The Moorings lists Tahiti among regions requiring formal certification (The Moorings, checked 27 Oct 2026). Ask your operator.

Full comparison: sailing licence requirements by country.

The Globe Sailor's September 2026 figures for a catamaran in French Polynesia (The Globe Sailor, checked 28 Oct 2026):

The source's table does not state a period for every column: fuel per week and port fee per night are our reading, based on the article text. Plug these into the cost calculator to get a full weekly budget.