With a large group, you choose the boat by its passenger number, not its length. This is how the fleet divides up by group size, and when it pays to split into two boats.
To choose a boat for a group of 20, 36 or 100 people, you start from each boat’s maximum capacity, which is never exceeded. For 36 people there is the 24.1-metre schooner in Puerto Banús; for up to 100, the 23.7-metre catamaran in Málaga, which only goes out as a private event. For 20, the two boats that carry the whole group together are the schooner and the Málaga catamaran.
Below those numbers there is more choice: the Marbella catamaran takes 12 people and the Puerto Banús yachts 12 and 15. Two boats make sense when the group is just over one boat’s capacity, when it wants different plans, or when both boats leave from the same marina, as happens in Puerto Banús with the yachts, the schooner and the fishing boats.
It is the number of passengers that boat can carry, and it is a fixed limit. Each person takes a place, including children and babies, so a group of 37 does not fit on a boat for 36 even if one of them is three years old. On the yachts the figures are for passengers, with the crew on top; on any boat, the exact number is confirmed when booking.
Capacity also changes with use. The 31.7-metre yacht in Puerto Banús takes 15 passengers by day, but overnight it sleeps 8, in two cabins with a double bed and two more cabins for two. If the group is right at the limit, count carefully before calling and confirm the exact number when booking, because on the day there is no way to stretch it.
This is the range with most options. In Puerto Banús there is a 21.7-metre yacht for 12 passengers and a 31.7-metre one for 15, both with crew included, and a 12.2-metre sailing boat for 9 that always goes out with a skipper. In Marbella, next to the old town, there is an 11.5-metre catamaran for 12 people, with cabins, booked by the hour or for half a day.
From Fuengirola, there is a one-hour format for celebrations of up to twelve people, and motor boats with a skipper also go out. For a group of 13 to 15, the smallest boat that takes them all together is the 31.7-metre yacht. From 16 people upwards you need to think about the schooner or two boats.
The 24.1-metre schooner in Puerto Banús, which takes 36 people. It goes out with a full crew, meaning a skipper plus service on board, and because it is over 24 metres it also carries a second deckhand. For a group of 20, the schooner leaves plenty of room to move around the deck, which you appreciate on a trip of several hours.
The alternative for 20 people is to split them between the two Puerto Banús yachts, which add up to 27 places: 12 on one and 15 on the other. That pays off when the group wants two different atmospheres, but it means coordinating two crews, and the group spends the day apart. If the aim is for everyone to be together, the schooner is the answer.
The 23.7-metre catamaran in Málaga, which carries up to 100 passengers. It is the boat with the largest capacity in the fleet, though not the longest: the 31.7-metre yacht is longer and carries 15. The catamaran only goes out as a private event, catering is separate and it is booked weeks in advance, because each date belongs to a single client.
For a group of 50 there is no boat in between: between the 36-person schooner and the 100-person catamaran there is no other boat in the fleet. With 50 people you could combine the schooner and the 31.7-metre yacht, which add up to 51 places, but the Málaga catamaran takes them all at once. Málaga is about 30 kilometres from Fuengirola, and for a hundred people a coach is the most practical transfer.
In three cases. When the group is just over one boat’s capacity and the next one up is too big. When some want to fish and others do not: in Puerto Banús there are three fishing boats, of 10.9, 12.5 and 13.7 metres, which add up to 28 places (8, 10 and 10). And when the group wants different times, for example one trip in the morning and another in the afternoon.
What is not worth doing is splitting the group between different marinas if the idea is to spend the day together. Puerto Banús brings together the yachts, the schooner, the sailing boat and the fishing boats, so that is where two boats are easiest to coordinate. Each boat goes out with its own skipper or crew, and if you want to meet up somewhere along the route, that is arranged when booking.
On every boat, each person’s life jacket, the safety equipment checked before every trip and the boat’s insurance are included. On the yachts the crew is included, while fuel for long routes, catering and berths at other marinas are paid separately, with a written quote before the trip.
On the Málaga catamaran catering is also separate and arranged on its own. Prices are not published: they are given by phone on +34 669 06 27 56, Monday to Friday from 9:00 to 20:00 and at weekends from 10:00 to 18:00. For a large group, it is worth asking for a written quote listing everything that is and is not included.
The Málaga catamaran, weeks ahead. The yachts and the schooner, in July and August, several days at least, and from October to May calling the day before is often enough. Puerto Banús is about 28 kilometres from Fuengirola along the A-7, and in August its paid underground car park fills up, which matters more with a large group.
Large boats have one advantage with the weather: when the wind goes above 20 knots, only the large boats sail. Even so, if the forecast does not allow a safe trip, the date is changed at no cost. With a big group, it is worth having an alternative date in mind from the start and telling everyone that it exists.
If it is not here, call us: two minutes on the phone and it is sorted.
Yes. The 24.1-metre schooner in Puerto Banús takes 36 people and carries a group of 20 with room to spare. The other option is to split the group between the two Puerto Banús yachts, which add up to 27 places.
The 23.7-metre catamaran in Málaga, for up to 100 passengers. It only goes out as a private event and is booked weeks in advance.
No. Every person takes a place, including children and babies, and a boat’s maximum capacity is never exceeded, not even by one person.
Those over 24 metres, such as the 24.1-metre schooner and the 31.7-metre yacht, carry a second deckhand as well as the skipper.
Leave us your number and we will call you. In July and August it is worth booking ahead.
Puerto Deportivo de Fuengirola, local 367. You can drop in and see the boats before you book.
At no charge. Going out to see what happens is never worth it.
Life jackets for everyone on board, included in the price.
