On Phuket a boat of your own is neither a yacht nor an abstraction: eight hulls on the island are sold whole, and their price is written per boat rather than per person. The cheapest half day is ฿9,900 (≈ $274) on a longtail; a full day starts at ฿16,000 (≈ $443) for a speedboat with fifteen seats and tops out at ฿89,000 (≈ $2,465) on a power catamaran.
After that comes the arithmetic this page exists for: from how many guests a whole hull is cheaper than the same people in group seats, and what is added to the boat price on the day you sail.
The hulls you can take whole
| Boat | Operator | Price per boat | Guests | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 39-foot speedboat | 5 Star Marine | ฿16,000 (≈ $443) | up to 15 | 8 hours |
| 2×250 hp speedboat to Phi Phi | V. Marine Tour | ฿29,000 (≈ $803) | 2–10 | 8 hours |
| Fishing boat to Racha | Nikorn Marine | ฿29,000 (≈ $803) | up to 10 anglers at this rate | 9 hours |
| Luxury longtail, half day to the Kai Islands | Boat and Beyond | from ฿9,900 (≈ $274) | 4 in the price, 8 max | 4 h 30 |
| Fishing cruiser to Racha Yai | Phuket Fishing Charters | from ฿15,900 (≈ $440) | 1–4 anglers at this rate | 9 h 30 |
| Night fishing on Big Tuna | Sabai Tour | ฿18,000 (≈ $499) | up to 11 | 6 hours, 18:00–00:00 |
| Silver Craft 31 yacht, half day | Hartt Voyages | ฿55,000 (≈ $1,524) | up to 6 | 4 hours |
| Shibuli 40ft power catamaran, half day | Tiger Marine Charter | ฿59,000 (≈ $1,634) | 10 in the price, 15 on board | 4 hours |
Two things separate the newer names from the first three. The longtail, the yacht and the catamaran are sold as half days first — four to four and a half hours — with full days quoted on top; and the two fishing boats are the cheapest way to have a hull to yourself, because a fishing day is priced by the boat exactly as a charter is.
5 Star Marine — ฿16,000 for a 39-foot speedboat
The speedboat rental for a day is ฿16,000 (≈ $443) for the hull, up to fifteen guests, eight hours. A captain, a crew of three and a guide come with the boat; on board are snorkelling gear, life jackets, fresh fruit, soft drinks, drinking water, beach mats and insurance, and the crew takes the photos during the trip. The return transfer is included and the boat leaves from the operator's own pier inside Phuket Boat Lagoon.
Cruising at 28 knots with around 400 km of range keeps the far islands inside a single day. The operator rates 4.9 from 737 reviews.
One honest caveat on this hull: the operator does not publish the national park fees for Phi Phi and Phang Nga, so we confirm the amount for your route before you book instead of printing a total here. Meals beyond the fruit and drinks are not included either.
V. Marine Tour — ฿29,000 for a private run to Phi Phi
The private speedboat charter to Phi Phi is ฿29,000 (≈ $803) for a 2×250 hp boat carrying 2 to 10 guests, eight hours, starting from Royal Phuket Marina. A private hotel ↔ marina transfer is included, and you choose the pickup yourself in a 06:00–09:00 window — a group boat offers no such choice at all.
On board: a guide, drinks, seasonal fruit, snorkelling gear with a new mouthpiece and accident insurance. The same hull to Racha instead of Phi Phi is ฿28,000 (≈ $776). TAT licence no. 34/00586, rated 4.8 from 475 reviews.
Left on top: the national park fee of ฿400 (≈ $11) per adult and ฿200 (≈ $6) per child, lunch and alcohol.
Nikorn Marine — ฿29,000 for a fishing day off Racha Yai
Private-boat fishing off Racha Island is ฿29,000 (≈ $803) for nine hours, and up to ten anglers fit inside that price. The day mixes trolling on the move with bottom fishing at anchor over the reefs of Racha Yai, by spinning rod or handline.
Rods, reels and tackle are included in full, as are a buffet lunch on board, morning coffee and tea, soft drinks, fruit, a mask and snorkel, life jackets and accident insurance. The crew can cook your catch on board.
The road transfer to the pier is paid separately and the operator confirms its price when you book. A separate guide is not included either. Up to fifteen anglers fit at the higher rate: ฿35,000 (≈ $970) for eleven to fifteen.
Yacht, catamaran or speedboat: which hull you are chartering
Four types of hull are sold here as "a private boat", and the difference between them is not the level of luxury. The speedboat holds the most and costs the least per seat: 39 feet, up to fifteen guests, ฿16,000 ≈ $443 for eight hours.
The yacht is the dearest hull per guest: the Silver Craft 31 takes six for ฿55,000 ≈ $1,524 for a half day, but lunch, drinks and a transfer from anywhere on the island are already inside, and the price is the same on every route.
The power catamaran is the roomiest: Shibuli, 40 feet, three cabins, a flybridge, ten guests inside ฿59,000 ≈ $1,634 for four hours and fifteen on board. It also carries the largest surcharge: fuel is published by destination, from ฿10,000 ≈ $277 for Phang Nga to ฿38,000 ≈ $1,053 for Racha Noi. The longtail is the slowest and cheapest hull: ฿9,900 ≈ $274 for a half day to the Kai Islands, four guests in the base price.
From how many guests does the hull beat the seat?
The price per boat does not move with the number of people, so the whole question is division. Here it is, with no rounding in our favour.
| Guests | 5 Star Marine, ฿16,000 | V. Marine Tour, ฿29,000 |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | ฿8,000 (≈ $222) | ฿14,500 (≈ $402) |
| 4 | ฿4,000 (≈ $111) | ฿7,250 (≈ $201) |
| 6 | ฿2,667 (≈ $74) | ฿4,833 (≈ $134) |
| 8 | ฿2,000 (≈ $55) | ฿3,625 (≈ $100) |
| 10 | ฿1,600 (≈ $44) | ฿2,900 (≈ $80) |
| 15 | ฿1,067 (≈ $30) | — |
Now hold that against the group seats to the same islands: Coral Island and Racha at ฿2,500 (≈ $69) per person, Phi Phi at ฿3,900 (≈ $108) plus the ฿400 park fee, so ฿4,300 (≈ $119) all-in, and the small-group sunrise trip at ฿5,310 (≈ $147) with fees inside.
- Against the cheapest seat on the water (฿2,500). ฿16,000 ÷ ฿2,500 = 6.4 — the 5 Star Marine hull becomes cheaper from the seventh guest.
- Against Phi Phi all-in (฿4,300). ฿16,000 ÷ ฿4,300 = 3.7 — at four people your own hull already costs less than four seats.
- Against the sunrise trip (฿5,310). ฿29,000 ÷ ฿5,310 = 5.5 — the V. Marine Tour hull overtakes premium seats from the sixth guest.
The comparison is only honest inside one column. 5 Star Marine does not publish its park fees while the group seats do, so the line «฿2,667 against ฿2,500» is not yet the final answer: we name the fee total for your route before you book, and only with it does the comparison close.
Where does a hull of your own actually go?
The difference between private and group starts with the route, not the deck. 5 Star Marine writes the choice out plainly: Phi Phi, James Bond and Phang Nga Bay, Racha, the Khai islands, Hong in Krabi province — or a combination of them in one day. V. Marine Tour has two directions at two prices: Phi Phi at ฿29,000 (≈ $803) and Racha at ฿28,000 (≈ $776). Hartt Voyages charges the same for every route — Phi Phi, Phang Nga Bay, Hong in Krabi, Mai Ton or Racha Yai — while Tiger Marine Charter publishes a separate fuel surcharge for each destination.
A group boat gives you none of that: route and hours are set in advance. On your own hull you choose the order of the stops and the hour you leave — with V. Marine Tour you set the pickup yourself between 06:00 and 09:00, and it is exactly that hour which decides whether you catch Maya Bay before the day boats.
What stays the same for everyone: Maya Bay is closed every August and September, and the Similans open only from 15 October to 15 May — a private boat cancels neither closure.
What is added to the boat price?
- 5 Star Marine — national park fees for Phi Phi and Phang Nga (we confirm the amount before you book), meals beyond the fruit and drinks, personal expenses and gratuities. The return transfer, guide, crew, gear and insurance are already inside.
- V. Marine Tour — the national park fee of ฿400 (≈ $11) per adult and ฿200 (≈ $6) per child, lunch, alcohol and tips. The hotel ↔ marina transfer, guide, drinks, fruit and gear are included.
- Nikorn Marine — the road transfer to the pier (price confirmed at booking) and a separate guide. The boat, tackle, buffet lunch, drinks, life jackets and insurance are included.
- Boat and Beyond — the hotel car to Yamu Pier, ฿1,500 (≈ $42) round trip, booked separately. The boat, its crew and the route are in the price.
- Hartt Voyages and Tiger Marine Charter — nothing on top at Hartt Voyages, where lunch, drinks and the island-wide transfer sit inside the ฿55,000 (≈ $1,524); at Tiger Marine Charter a fuel surcharge published per destination, and ฿2,000 (≈ $55) for each guest above ten.
- Phuket Fishing Charters and Sabai Tour — ฿4,000 (≈ $111) for fuel if you fish Racha Noi instead of Racha Yai; on the night boat the gear, bait, ice, insurance, dinner and soft drinks are already inside.
Private or group — the short answer
People take the whole boat for three things: their own schedule, their own company on deck and their own route. Saving money only follows from that, and only from a certain number of guests: for two, a private day is ฿8,000 (≈ $222) each against ฿2,500 (≈ $69) for a Coral Island seat, and no arithmetic turns that around.
The threshold is simple: roughly from four guests if you compare with Phi Phi all-in, and from seven if you compare with the cheapest island seat. Below those numbers the group boat wins on money, and the decision stops being about price and starts being about how much you mind sharing a deck.
How do you book a whole boat on Phuket?
Tell us in WhatsApp how many of you there are, which date and which route you want: those three answers decide both the hull and the fee total we quote before you pay. We book direct with the operator at the operator's price. The live options are on the Phuket boat rental page, and the group departures you are comparing against are on the boat tours page.
