You Can Charter A Yacht From TV’s ‘Below Deck.’ Here’s What It Costs

How about some dreamy, aspirational travel news? Imagine: You can dine on whatever you desire, served by your private chef; whisk down a slide off a grand yacht into a warm sea; picnic on a private beach served by a doting staff; party hard in a hot tub on a deck under the stars — just like lucky guests on Below Deck, the binge-worthy TV show on Bravo and Peacock.

The series chronicles the lives of crew members who live and work aboard luxury super yachts during the charter season, serving (over-serving?) privileged new guests each episode.

I’m a super fan, and have dreamed of what it must be like to live huge on the water. Now Tropicalboat Luxury Yacht Charters & Rentals has revealed how much it would cost to either charter or buy any of the yachts featured on Below Deck, including this newest season.

“Below Deck has brought much attention to the yachting industry over the years, highlighting the luxury lifestyles and holidays that those who charter yachts enjoy,” said Kate Kalamaga, owner of Tropicalboat.

“A truly luxurious yacht holiday is made possible at the earliest stages of curation by charter brokers, with every detail down to the number of guests per cabin on board, the number of guests-to-crew ratios and of, course, the recreational features and interiors making the difference.”

It’s possible to live the life — for a huge price. Dream on. Read on.

It’s just been announced that season 11 of Below Deck is due to set sail on February 5, 2024, and St David is the yacht of choice again — the biggest, most luxurious and most expensive ever on Below Deck. Season 10’s and now 11’s St David costs $325,000 to charter for a week, excluding expenses (or $23,646,000 to purchase!).

Guests usually tip the crew anywhere between 10 to 15 percent of the charter rate. So, expect to add a maximum cost of $48,750 to the weekly charter rate of St David.

The running costs of a yacht will add to your initial investment with operating costs estimated to be 20 percent or more of the initial value. St David would incur its owner a cost of at least $4,729,000 annually to run.

This luxury super yacht is 196 feet hosting 12 guests in its six guest cabins, who can expect to enjoy first-class service from a total of 14 crew members. It features include an indoor jacuzzi, a luxury spa, an outdoor deck jacuzzi, a gym and a dance floor, alongside a Rolls Royce Limo Tender for shore trips and a multitude of recreational water toys and activities. Guests can go fishing and scuba diving or take to the waters skiing, wakeboarding, or riding jet skis.

Coming in as the second most expensive superyacht on Below Deck is My Seanna, now Starship, featured on the show’s sixth, eighth and ninth seasons.

This 185-foot luxury yacht boasts 22-carat gold brushed fittings. A finalist in The World Superyacht Awards 2012, it features two jacuzzies, a beach club, a helipad, a movie theatre and a sundeck sauna and gym. Accents of real gold and royal blue are set throughout the yacht’s interior.

The yacht hosts 12 guests in six cabins, with 11 crew members to tend to their every need. For a week on Starship, it would cost $275,000, excluding expenses, or $22,900,000 to purchase. Expect to pay approximately £41,250 in crew tips or incur around $4,580,000 in annual running costs as the owner.

The least expensive yacht to charter (a relative bargain!) is season five’s Valor, now BG, costing $146,500 per week. BG hosts 12 guests in its six cabins with a dedicated crew of 10 members. Fans will remember how season 10’s shocking discovery of concealed unregistered drugs on board resulted in the immediate dismissal of a crew member.

BG will set you back $16,000,000 to buy and is the second smallest yacht to feature on the show, measuring 153.87 feet.

Interestingly, Ohana (real name Star Diamond) is the least expensive yacht to buy, but not the smallest nor cheapest to charter, costing $160,000 per week. The yacht sleeps 10 guests in 5 staterooms, and has a crew of eight, which might explain the higher charter rate, despite its lower sale price.

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Here’s an overview of yachts of the past few seasons, from most expensive to least. To view the full findings, see here.

Season/ Yacht/ Real Name/ Length/ Weekly Charter (Low) /Buy rate

11 St David/ St David/ 196’/ $325,000/ $23,646,000

10 St David/ St David / 196’/ $325,000/ $23,646.000

9 My Seanna/ Starship/ 185’/ $275,000/ $22,900,000

8 My Seanna/ Starship/ 185’/ $275,000/ $22,900,000

6 My Seanna/ Starship/ 185’/ $275.000/ $22,900,000

3 Eros/ Stay Salty/ 161’/ $175,000/ $17,900,000

1 Honor/ Barents/ 164’/ $164,000/ $15,000,000

2 Ohana/ Star Diamond/ 154’/ $160,000/ $9,995,000

7 Valor/ BG/ 153’/ $146,500/ $16,000,000

5 Valor/ BG/ 153’/ $146,500/ $16,000,000

4 Valor/ BG/ 153’/ $146,500/ $16,000,000

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Check out my award-winning travel podcast, Places I Remember with Lea Lane, wherever you get podcasts.