What should you ask before choosing between a skippered bareboat and a crewed yacht?

Before choosing between a skippered bareboat and a crewed yacht, ask six questions: who cooks, who shops, who pays for fuel and moorings, where the skipper sleeps, what the quoted price leaves out, and what the gratuity custom is. On a skippered boat every answer points back at the guests. They provision, cook, pay fuel, mooring balls and park fees, and give up one cabin to a skipper who is fed from the galley too. The $250 to $330 nightly skipper fee is only the first line. On a crewed catamaran the weekly Caribbean rate typically carries the captain, the chef, all meals, the bar, fuel and water toys, with a 15 to 20 percent crew gratuity on top. Then ask what the week is for. Guests who want to sail with help hire a skipper. Guests who want to be looked after book crew. All-inclusive charter vs bareboat pricing lays both ledgers side by side.