Miami · Biscayne Bay
Catamaran rental in Miami means one of two boats: an inspected party catamaran that legally carries up to 65 guests, or a sailing cat built for slow days at the sandbar. We book both — from $900/hour for the party cat, from $330/hour for a sail, captain and fuel always included.
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Straight answer first
Every catamaran charter in Miami is one of two products, and they serve completely different days. Here's how to tell which one you're actually shopping for.
If your group is 14 people or more, you want the party catamaran: a USCG-inspected vessel rated for 40–65 guests, from $900/hour with a 4-hour minimum. It exists because federal law caps every ordinary charter yacht at 12–13 passengers — the party cat is the only boat class in Miami that can legally take a big group. If your group is 12 or fewer and the goal is a relaxed swim-and-sail day rather than a floating dance floor, you want a sailing catamaran: quieter, remarkably stable, and the most kid-friendly hull on Biscayne Bay.
Marketplace sites blur the two into one listing category — how people end up squeezing a 25-person birthday onto a boat that legally carries 13. We'd rather sort it in one message. Tell us your headcount and the vibe; we'll tell you which boat it is, what it costs to the dollar on our Miami prices page, and whether a regular yacht charter would actually fit your group better. If the answer is "full-scale party," the boat party page covers routes, music and BYOB rules in detail.
The two boats
Same twin hulls, opposite jobs. One is built to carry a crowd legally; the other is built to make twelve people forget what day it is.
UP TO 65 GUESTSAn inspected vessel with a Certificate of Inspection — the only legal way past the 13-guest limit. Huge flat deck, DJ-ready sound, restrooms and shaded seating. This is the boat for the 20-to-65-person birthday, corporate day or bachelorette flotilla.
UP TO 12 GUESTSThe slow-day boat: netted trampolines over the water, shaded cockpit, engines off once the sails are up. Priced in the 40–49 ft class, so it costs the same as a mid-size yacht while riding far steadier. Best for families and anyone whose ideal afternoon is a book, a drink and waist-deep water at a sandbar.
Both come with a USCG-licensed captain, fuel, ice, water, bluetooth sound and a cooler — that's standard on every charter in our partner fleet. Both are BYOB. The difference is purely what kind of day you're building.
Why two hulls win
Short answer: catamarans are more stable, roomier and shallower-drafted than any monohull yacht — which on Biscayne Bay translates directly into a better day.
Two hulls set wide apart barely roll. Drinks stay on tables, grandparents walk the deck without grabbing rails, and the guest who "always gets seasick" usually doesn't.
A catamaran's deck is one flat, walkable platform nearly as wide as it is long — no narrow side decks, no climbing over seats. Guest for guest, a cat gives you roughly twice the usable deck of a monohull the same length.
Hardtops and wide biminis cover real seating areas, not a token bench. In Miami sun that's the difference between a 6-hour day everyone enjoys and a crew hiding in the cabin by 2 PM.
Cats draw only a few feet of water, so your captain anchors closer to Haulover or Nixon Beach Sandbar than deeper-keeled yachts can. Shorter swim to the sand, easier wading for kids, better spot in the raft-up.
The party catamaran's Certificate of Inspection is the only route past the federal 13-passenger ceiling. One boat, whole guest list, no splitting your party across three yachts that drift apart by mid-afternoon.
Rates
Party catamarans run from $900/hour, sailing catamarans from $330/hour, both on 4-hour minimums with captain and fuel included. Here's the math next to the alternatives.
| Option | Guests | Rate | Minimum | 4h total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party catamaran | up to 65 | from $900/h | 4h | from $3,600 |
| Sailing catamaran (40–49 ft class) | up to 12 | from $330/h | 4h | from $1,320 |
| Yacht 50–59 ft, for comparison | up to 13 | from $450/h | 4h | from $1,800 |
| Ticketed party cruise, for comparison | per ticket | $59–$109/pp | 3h | — |
Run the per-person math before you flinch at $3,600: with 40 guests aboard the party catamaran, four hours costs about $90 a head — inside the ticket-cruise price range, except the whole boat is yours, the playlist is yours, and it's BYOB instead of a drink line. A 30% deposit holds your date; the balance is due before departure in USD by card or crypto. Gratuity of 15–20% for the crew is customary and not included.
The inspected-vessel rule, in one paragraph: under USCG regulations, an uninspected charter vessel may carry a maximum of 12–13 passengers — regardless of the boat's size or price. Any charter in Miami with 14 or more guests must run on an inspected vessel holding a Certificate of Inspection (COI). Party catamarans are exactly that: COI-inspected vessels rated for 40–65 guests, which makes them the only legal way to put a big group on one boat in Miami. Anyone offering you a "yacht for 25" is offering a boat that can be shut down at the dock.
The route
Here's the standard 4-hour day our captains run on the sailing cat — unhurried on purpose, adjustable on the day.
Load coolers, stow bags in the shaded cockpit, quick safety brief, kids into their life jackets. The captain motors out of the marina, then kills the engines and raises sail once you're clear — the moment the boat goes quiet is the moment the day starts.
A lazy reach along the celebrity-home corridor between MacArthur Causeway and Miami Beach, skyline on one side, mansions on the other. Claim a trampoline, watch the hulls slice flat water, let the captain talk you through taking the helm if you're curious.
South of Key Biscayne, Nixon Beach is the bay's calm, family-vibe sandbar — and the cat's shallow draft parks you close to the sand. Wade, float, break out lunch on the deck, throw the paddleboard in. This stop runs as long as you want it to.
The return leg points you straight at downtown Miami's towers. Last swim off the stern steps, last round from the cooler, dock at 3:00 PM. Want golden hour instead? Book the afternoon slot or extend to 6 hours and come home with the sunset cruise crowd.
Do the math
Big boats read as expensive until you divide. Four hours on the 65-guest party catamaran is $3,600 — slide to your headcount and watch it turn into a per-person number smaller than a night out.
At 40 guests, the whole-boat price lands around $90 per person for four hours of private catamaran — with drinks you bought at store prices, since every charter is BYOB. The same 40 people on ticketed cruises would pay $2,360–$4,360 to share a boat with a few hundred strangers. From about 25 guests up, the private cat beats tickets on price and it isn't close on experience.
Conditions
Miami is a year-round boating town: peak demand runs January–April, November–December brings the flattest water, and summer's brief rain cells are why weather reschedules are free with 48+ hours' notice — the captain makes the call.
Catamarans shrug off chop that makes monohulls uncomfortable, so a breezy day that would cancel a small boat rental is often just a faster sail on the cat. If conditions turn after you book, your deposit moves to a new date instead of disappearing.
Questions
Capacity and certification. A private yacht in Miami legally tops out at 12–13 passengers under USCG rules, no matter how big or expensive the yacht is. A party catamaran is an inspected vessel holding a Certificate of Inspection, which is what allows it to carry 40–65 guests. If your group is 14 or more, the catamaran isn't just the better choice — it's the only legal one.
Our party catamarans carry up to 65 guests with room left to dance, from $900 per hour with a 4-hour minimum. Sailing catamarans take up to 12 guests, the same ceiling as other private yachts. Between 14 and 65 people, the party catamaran is the only vessel class that can legally put your whole group on one boat.
Yes — they're the most stable option on the bay. Two hulls spread the boat's footprint wide, so a catamaran barely rolls compared to a single-hull yacht. Most charters also stay inside Biscayne Bay, which is protected, flat water. Guests who feel queasy on monohulls usually do fine on a cat.
Absolutely. Private catamaran charters welcome all ages, and cats are the most kid-friendly boats we book: stable, level decks, netted trampolines to lounge on, and shallow sandbar stops where the water is 2–4 feet deep over sand. Child-size life jackets are aboard — tell us ages when you book so the captain has the right sizes ready.
Yes. Every private charter is BYOB — bring beer, wine, seltzers or liquor, and we supply ice, water and coolers. Drinking age on the water is 21, same as on land, and captains check. No glass on open decks; cans and plastic only.
No. Every catamaran rental comes with a USCG-licensed captain who handles the boat, the sails and the anchoring — included in the hourly rate along with fuel. You're guests, not crew. If you'd like to take the helm or trim a sail on a sailing cat, most captains are happy to let you try in open water.
Party catamarans for up to 65 guests run from $900 per hour with a 4-hour minimum — from $3,600 for the whole boat, which is about $90 per person with 40 aboard. Sailing catamarans for up to 12 guests start at $330 per hour, also 4-hour minimum. Captain and fuel are included, and a 30% deposit holds your date.
One message gets you the right catamaran, an exact all-in quote and real availability. No prepayment online; a 30% deposit holds your date once you approve it.
Keep exploring
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Meanwhile — the full price list or the sandbar guide.