Charter boats Sydney
Charter boats in Sydney, kind by kind
Most people who ask us about charter boats in Sydney have a day in mind before they have a boat in mind. It might be a long lunch with the water under the nets, or an evening with the city lit beyond the rail. The kind of boat decides how that day feels, so one vessel of each kind sits below.
Our boat hire Sydney page is where you book a boat for a birthday or a work day out, so read this one first and move across when you’re ready. Our guide to what to know before you book covers the practical side.
Quick quote
A setting for every occasion
Here are five vessels, one of each kind, each a different way to spend the same harbour. Enigma is our own, and the other four are partner vessels, bookable via Lifestyle Charters.
Enigma
Our own motor yacht, where afternoons start on the warm flybridge as the skyline turns past. Three entertaining areas let a group drift apart and regroup, and she runs full BYO charters with a well stocked bar.
Mon Reve
On the sailing catamaran the seat everyone wants is a trampoline net on the bow, water running underneath. When lunch is ready, two tables wait, one up on the flybridge of this 63-foot Lagoon.
Pegasus
The sailing yacht, a 65-foot Oyster, and her guests feel her heel as the breeze fills the sails. Then comes the quiet part, lunch at the alfresco table in a bay out of the wind.
Oneworld
The superyacht, a 103-foot Majesty, where dinner goes on the rear deck table while the upper deck bar catches the harbour glow. Her three decks hold a whole event, with a no-shoe policy on board.
Coast
The event vessel, with a bar on every deck, so the drinks stay close to the view. Guests walk the full 360 degrees around her, and the saloon seats 60 for dinner.
The kind of boat follows the kind of day
A Sydney charter boat suits the day it was built for. Couples who want to sail rather than motor are already on Pegasus, and thirty friends who plan to swim and eat and swim again belong on the catamaran. Company parties need decks that hold a crowd. Even a birthday starts with a kind of day before a name, so tell us the occasion and who is coming and we’ll suggest the type, then the boat.
Browse every boat on the fleet
Why book through us
Two locals who know every kind of boat
Lifestyle Charters is a family business owned and run by Sam and Dave, lifelong Sydney locals. They own and crew Enigma and Felix. They list partner vessels beside them because a boat charter in Sydney should start with the right kind of boat, not the one a company owns.
Booking a partner vessel with them changes nothing about who you talk to. Sam and Dave take the first call and pick up the phone the week before, and the luxury they’re after is personal rather than showy.
This was the best birthday I have ever had and that was due in a major way to the experience with your company and The Felix.
A huge thank you to Sam and Dave for such a fantastic experience, we will absolutely be booking again and recommending Lifestyle Charters to everyone!
We are already talking about another charter for even longer and to watch the sunset ❤️
Crew were fantastic with all their efforts in getting the wheelchair bound birthday boy on board and comfortable.
Best oysters he’s tasted he said.
Overall a great evening aboard Felix…thank you for the memories.
As the dust has now settled and I am finding time to get back to business as usual after Donal's Birthday Bash aboard your beautiful boat Enigma, I keep thinking just how wonderful the whole experience was and how lucky we were to have worked with you.
Not only was the boat just perfect for our event, we found yourself and your crew so easy and lovely to work with.
You took the time to answer my plethora of questions about the kitchen/self catering and gave us great practical advice for the best outcomes. Basically - setting us up for success!
We really appreciate your efforts and those of your lovely crew, Sam, Bella and Cameron.
So many guests commented the same - talking no end about the party, the food, drinks, crew, boat, beautiful harbour & luckily stunning weather.
It was a smashing day!
Thank you again for everything.
What the day feels like from the deck
The first hour belongs to the city, with the Opera House sails catching the light at eye level and the Bridge passing overhead. Then the harbour widens and the deck you chose comes into its own, a net over the water or a bench in the cockpit. Sam and Dave settle the timing and the meeting point with you beforehand, so the morning is only the walk down to the boat.
Questions about charter boats in Sydney
What people ask once they’ve seen the five kinds. Anything else, raise it when you get in touch.
Is a charter boat different from boat hire?
No, the day on the water is the same either way: a private vessel for your group and the hours yours to fill. A charter boat in Sydney and a hire boat are one thing with two names, so this page sorts the fleet by kind while the boat hire page books one for an occasion.
Motor yacht, catamaran or sailing yacht: how do we choose?
Ask yourself how you want the hours to feel. On our own Enigma the group keeps moving, up to the flybridge for the view and down to the sun bed on the bow. Mon Reve is slower and lower, with guests lying on the trampoline nets until lunch arrives at the two tables. Pegasus suits the small group who want the cockpit and the sails to be the point.
How many guests does each kind of boat take?
The sailing yacht is the intimate one, with Pegasus taking eight guests in one cockpit. Our own Enigma hosts up to 41 and Mon Reve spreads 30 across the nets and the two tables, so both suit a big family lunch. Oneworld is an event boat for up to 100, and Coast carries up to 150 when the guest list outgrows a yacht. Our superyacht hire Sydney page covers the larger yachts.
Which charter boats have cabins for an overnight stay?
Waking up on the harbour with the city quiet is a different charter altogether. Enigma sleeps six in her three cabins, and so does Pegasus in three guest cabins with two ensuites. Oneworld lists overnight charters for up to 12 guests. Mon Reve has cabins and bathroom access but no listed overnight number. Coast, built for events, has none.
Where does a charter boat go on Sydney Harbour?
A charter boat on Sydney Harbour spends its first stretch in the postcard, with the Opera House sails and the Bridge seen from the water. After that the harbour opens into beaches and hidden bays, and the afternoon settles in. Check the Bureau of Meteorology’s Sydney forecast before you choose, because a breezy day suits a saloon and a still one suits an open deck.
How do we narrow it down?
Start with who is coming, because the group size settles the kind. A small group can sail, a big family lunch wants the nets or the flybridge, and a whole company needs an event boat. Then name the occasion, since a seated dinner and a standing party ask different things of a deck. Our fleet comparison goes through the matching, and the charter boats for families guide covers children aboard.
Let’s find your perfect boat
Tell us your guest numbers, the occasion and any vessel that caught your eye. Sam and Dave will recommend suitable options and help shape the experience around you.
Once your booking is confirmed, the balance is invoiced 21 days before your charter and is payable within seven days.
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