Catamaran, Sailing Yacht or Speedboat: Which Mallorca Boat Trip Suits You

Hours, prices and access verified by the Mallorca Spain Tours team — last checked 2026-09-06

A sailing yacht under white sail off the Mallorcan coast

The short answer

Ask whether you want to stop or keep moving. Catamarans anchor, stay flat and serve food; sailing yachts are quieter and depend on the wind; RIBs and jet boats cover far more coast in less time. Private charters are a pricing model — check the excluded fuel before comparing.

The question that settles it faster than price

Not "how much" but "do you want to stop, or keep moving?" Everything else follows. A catamaran anchors and stays; a rigid inflatable covers coast; a sailing yacht does a bit of both and depends on the wind. Get that one answer straight and the shortlist writes itself.

✅ Useful tip. Two reviewers on the catamarans make the same point from opposite directions: a boat that anchors in one bay is good company for a couple or a group, and long for somebody travelling alone. If you are on your own, weight the moving boats.

Catamaran — the stable one

A catamaran at anchor in turquoise water beside a small rocky island

Two hulls, so the deck stays close to level. That matters more than it sounds: if anybody in your party worries about seasickness, this is the shape of boat that answers it. Catamarans here run four to five hours, cap between ten and twelve guests on the small-group trips, serve food on board and anchor once or twice for swimming.

Best for: couples, groups, anybody nervous about motion, anybody who wants lunch or tapas included. Least good for: a solo traveller who wants the day to keep moving.

Sailing yacht — the one that depends on the wind

One hull, sails, and a genuine dependence on the weather. One operator says plainly that whether the sails go up at all depends on the wind that day. What you get in exchange is quiet and a proper open bar on several of them: cava, wine, beer and soft drinks are inside the fare on the four-hour Club de Mar trip, and snacks with vegan and vegetarian options come with it.

Best for: people who want the sailing itself, and small groups — these cap at eight to ten. Least good for: anybody who needs a guaranteed programme, because the wind writes part of it.

Speedboat, RIB and jet boat — the ones that cover ground

The opposite trade. Two to three hours, constant movement, and far more coastline per hour than anything with a sail. The Cala Figuera rigid inflatable runs the south-east coves and anchors for forty-five minutes at one with no road to it. The jet boat out of Magaluf is two hours, twelve people, with sea scooters and paddleboards thrown in and no exclusions published at all.

Best for: solo travellers, people short of time, anybody who wants to see rather than sit. Least good for: a long lazy lunch on deck, and anybody with back problems — the jet boat says so explicitly.

Private charter — the pricing model, not the boat

The fourth option is not a hull type at all. Four trips here are priced per group rather than per person, from $236.77 for up to five people to $941.16 for up to eight. Split between six or eight travellers, several land below the equivalent number of seats on a shared boat.

⚠ Read the exclusions before you compare. One charter excludes fuel at roughly €70–80 plus an €80 port and cleaning fee; another excludes fuel and cleaning without pricing them at all. Those are real money and they are not in the headline figure. The private boat tours page sets out what each one actually covers.

The three hull types, side by side

	Catamaran	Sailing yacht	RIB or jet boat
Typical length	4–5 hours	4 hours	2–3 hours
Group cap here	10–12	8–10	11–12
Motion	Flattest	Heels under sail	Fast and bumpy
Food	Tapas or a buffet	Snacks, often an open bar	Refreshments only
Time anchored	Most of the middle	One stop	Short, or none
Coast covered	Least	Some	Most
From	From $68	From $117	From $66

Where it leaves from matters as much as what it is

One thing the hull type will not tell you: whether you can get to the boat. Four of the marinas used here are within a few minutes of Palma's old town, which means no hire car and no early drive. Others leave from Puerto Portals, Magaluf, Santa Ponça, Port d'Andratx or Cala Figuera, and the last of those is about fifty minutes from the city.

If you are staying outside Palma, check the meeting point before you fall for the photograph. The map page lists every one of them against the trips that use it, and planning a trip has the rough drive times from the centre.

The one thing the wind decides

Whichever hull you pick, weather has the final say. Operators here cancel for wind rather than rain, and they refund when they do. A sailing yacht is the most exposed to it, because the sails are the product; a catamaran is the least, because it can motor to a sheltered bay and anchor there anyway.

The practical answer is the same for all three: book your boat day early in the stay rather than on the last afternoon, so a cancellation is a rescheduling instead of a refund. The weather page explains why mornings on the Bay of Palma are usually calmer than afternoons.

So which one

Travelling with someone, want food and a swim: catamaran.
Want the sailing itself: a yacht, and accept the wind.
On your own, or short of time: RIB or jet boat.
Six or eight of you: price a private charter before you buy seats, and add the fuel.
No hire car: anything leaving from a Palma marina.

The boat tours page sets every one of them side by side on price, group cap and what the fare covers, and the highlights page shows which coves you can only reach from the water in the first place.

Once you know whether you want to stop or keep moving, the boat tours in Mallorca Spain sort themselves into a shortlist of two or three.

Every trip named here is compared on price, hours and what the fare covers at Mallorca Spain Tours.

Frequently asked questions

Which boat is best if I get seasick?

A catamaran. Two hulls keep the deck close to level, which is the whole reason people who worry about motion book them.

Is a private charter cheaper than buying seats?

Sometimes, for six or eight people. Add the excluded fuel and any port or cleaning fee first — on one charter that is about €70–80 plus a further €80. Below about six travellers, seats win almost every time.

Do the sails actually go up on a sailing trip?

It depends on the wind, and one operator says so plainly rather than promising either way. If the sailing itself is the point, ask before you book.

What is the cheapest way onto the water?

The Cala Figuera rigid inflatable at $66.30 for nearly three hours. A skipper, fuel, snorkelling gear, insurance and soft drinks are all inside that fare. The catch is the drive: Cala Figuera is about fifty minutes from Palma.

Which boat covers the most coastline?

A RIB or a jet boat. They trade the long anchorage for distance, which is the right trade if you are short of time or travelling alone.

One of each, to compare

Luxury Catamaran Sailing in Mallorca with Tapas and Welcome Drinks

The catamaran case: twelve guests, tapas on board, and a marina you can walk to from the old town.

From $117 per person

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Boat Trip from Cala Figuera to Calo de Moro, S'almonia, Cala Màrmols. Mallorca.

The moving case: nearly three hours of coast and one anchorage where there is no road.

From $66 per person

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Private All-Inclusive Half-Day Sailing Tour in Palma de Mallorca

The private case: the whole boat for up to eight, with lunch and drinks inside one fare.

From $941 per group, up to 8

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Decide whether you are stopping or moving, then let the price sort the shortlist. The boat tours page has every one of them.