By Ni Luh Ariani — Charter Desk Editor, Baruna Boat Co
**For a small-group private day charter in Bali, match the boat to your headcount: four to six guests ride comfortably on a 12-13m speedboat, seven to ten suit a mid-size monohull day-cruiser, and twelve to fifteen need a semi-yacht or catamaran. Whole-boat day rates run roughly IDR 8,000,000 to IDR 44,500,000 — about USD 500 to 2,500 — as of 2026.**
A private charter in Bali is sold per boat, not per seat. That single fact changes how you shop. Instead of hunting for the cheapest ticket, you are picking a hull big enough to seat your group with shade, dry bags and room to move — but not so big you rent deck space nobody uses. Bali Premium Trip, which operates our trips, sizes every booking this way: capacity and comfort first, headline price second.
Why does the boat size matter more than the headcount?
Ten people fit on paper across a dozen different vessels, but they will not feel the same. A 12-metre speedboat crossing from Sanur to Nusa Penida in 30 to 45 minutes moves fast and rides firm; a heavier monohull day-cruiser trades a few minutes of speed for a steadier deck and a shaded cabin. The gap matters most when the sea is choppy, when you are carrying young kids or older parents, or when you want a real lunch table rather than a lap. That is why we treat every small group charter boat as a capacity-and-comfort question first, and a price question second.
What size boat fits four to six guests?
A 12-metre speedboat is the sweet spot for two to six people. Sanur Water Activities (trading as Heaven’s Corner) lists its 12m speedboat from IDR 8,000,000 for a private day, fitted with a Bluetooth speaker and a sun deck with bean bags, as of 2026. Step up to its 13m semi-yacht from IDR 9,000,000 and you add an air-conditioned cabin, karaoke and a flat TV — worth it if anyone in the group wilts in the sun or wants to linger between snorkel stops. Both depart from the Sanur counter, and both leave plenty of open deck for four to six guests.
What about seven to ten guests?
This is where mid-size monohull day-cruisers earn their keep. Parahu.com’s 2026 per-boat pricelist puts the Monohull 39 (eight guests) at IDR 19,800,000 and the Queen 10 (ten guests) at IDR 18,000,000 for a full Nusa Penida day. If your group of eight travels light, the Monohull RS carries up to twelve from IDR 16,500,000 — a bigger deck without paying a premium for it. For seven to ten, the priority is a fixed shaded seating area and a proper swim platform for the manta and reef stops.
Which boats suit twelve to fifteen guests?
Above a dozen guests you are choosing between a large monohull, a semi-yacht and a catamaran. Parahu.com’s 2026 list shows the Monohull SW3 (fifteen guests) at IDR 11,900,000, the Queen 18 (fifteen guests) at IDR 28,000,000, and the Catamaran JEM (fourteen guests) at IDR 34,500,000. The spread is wide because a catamaran gives you two hulls of shade and a broad, stable deck — the calmest ride for mixed-age groups — while a plain monohull at the low end simply moves fifteen people from A to B. Twelve-guest options such as the Mironia (IDR 21,500,000) and the DBL Lux (IDR 25,000,000) sit in between.
What does the sizing table look like?
| Group size | Recommended class & length | Typical capacity | Example vessel (2026) | Whole-boat day rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2-4 | Speedboat, ~12m | up to 8-12 | 12m speedboat, Sanur Water Activities | from IDR 8,000,000 |
| 5-6 | Speedboat / semi-yacht, 12-13m | up to 12 | 13m semi-yacht, Sanur Water Activities | from IDR 9,000,000 |
| 7-8 | Mid monohull | 8 | Monohull 39, Parahu.com | IDR 19,800,000 |
| 9-10 | Monohull day-cruiser | 10 | Queen 10, Parahu.com | IDR 18,000,000 |
| 11-12 | Larger monohull | 12 | Mironia / DBL Lux, Parahu.com | IDR 21,500,000-25,000,000 |
| 13-15 | Semi-yacht / catamaran | 14-15 | Monohull SW3 / Catamaran JEM, Parahu.com | IDR 11,900,000-34,500,000 |
Rates above are stated as fixed “start from” figures and are subject to change.
How does cost-per-head actually work?
Because you rent the whole boat, your cost per head falls with every seat you fill. Take a IDR 18,000,000 day-cruiser: split four ways it is IDR 4,500,000 a person, but split ten ways it drops to IDR 1,800,000. That is the core arithmetic of per-boat pricing, and it is why a half-empty charter feels expensive.
| Guests aboard | Per-boat rate | Cost per head |
|---|---|---|
| 4 | IDR 18,000,000 | IDR 4,500,000 |
| 6 | IDR 18,000,000 | IDR 3,000,000 |
| 8 | IDR 18,000,000 | IDR 2,250,000 |
| 10 | IDR 18,000,000 | IDR 1,800,000 |
For very small groups on a tight budget, a shared or per-person tour can undercut a private boat outright — a Viator Nusa Penida premium day, for example, lists from USD 73.62 per person with private hotel pickup at IDR 300,000 per car each way for up to five people, as of 2026. You trade privacy, timing and the whole deck for that saving. Once your group reaches six or more, a whole-boat charter usually wins on both value and comfort.
Does a bigger boat always mean a better day?
No. An oversized boat costs more, sits higher, and can feel empty with a small group — you are paying for deck you will not use. The comfort that matters on a Bali day charter is specific:
- Shade: a fixed canopy or cabin, not just bean bags, for the midday hours
- A swim platform or low ladder for easy re-boarding at Manta Bay and Crystal Bay
- Dry storage for phones and cameras on the crossing
- A real table if you want lunch aboard rather than at a beach club
- Air-conditioning if anyone in the group struggles with heat
Blue Marlin Bali, for reference, advertises its Accura 39 from USD 750 for a four-hour sunset or coastal cruise and USD 950 for an eight-hour full day to Nusa Penida, carrying up to seventeen guests, as of 2026 — a useful benchmark for what a larger, better-appointed hull runs.
How do your departure point and itinerary change the pick?
Baruna Boat Co runs departures from Sanur, Serangan and Benoa, and the route shapes the boat. A fast Sanur-to-Penida hop for snorkelling Manta Point, Crystal Bay and Toyapakeh rewards a nimble speedboat. A slower south-Bali coastal day past Uluwatu, Jimbaran Bay, Tanjung Benoa and Nusa Dua, or an island-hop adding Nusa Lembongan’s Yellow Bridge and mangroves, suits a roomier day-cruiser you will live on for eight hours. Bluuu Tours lists private Nusa Penida yacht tours from IDR 13,000,000 — around USD 750 — per boat as of 2026, in the same mid-tier band our charter desk works within.
Start with your headcount, add one or two seats of breathing room, then let the itinerary decide between speed and shade. Our reservations team can quote a specific hull against your group size, date and departure point, so you pay for the boat you need — and not a metre more.