Stand on the Malecón at ten on a January morning and count the boats heading south toward Los Arcos. Most of them have two hulls. Twenty years ago the bay's charter fleet was sportfishers and a few motor cruisers; today the sailing catamaran is the boat of Puerto Vallarta, the one most visitors will step aboard, and the reason a family of fourteen can spend a day on the water for less than a dinner in the Zona Romántica. This is a feature on why the cat took over Banderas Bay, what the owner-direct catamaran charters in Puerto Vallarta actually look like, and how to pick one from the listings on BYRBO's Puerto Vallarta pages.

How Two Hulls Won the Bay

The catamaran's advantages are physical before they are commercial. Two narrow hulls and a bridge deck between them give a 40 ft boat the flat, usable space of a 55 ft monohull; the wide beam means it does not heel under sail and barely rolls at anchor; the shallow draft lets it nose into coves a keelboat cannot; and the trampoline forward, the shaded cockpit aft and the swim steps on each hull make it a floating beach. Mexican maritime authorities certify capacity by deck area and stability, which is why a Lagoon 38 carries a certificate for 23 and a 45 ft custom party cat for 30, while a 46 ft motor yacht of the same length is rated for 14.

Commercially that arithmetic is decisive. A group of twenty on a cat pays USD 1,290 for four hours on the Lagoon 38 — about 65 dollars a head. The same group needs two motor yachts. Once the first Lagoons arrived in the bay in the 2000s, brought down by cruising couples who found they could charter them three days a week and sail them the other four, the market followed.

The Fleet, Boat by Boat

The owner-direct catamaran listings on the bay in 2026 are a mix of production Lagoons, Leopards and Fountaine Pajots and a few custom party boats:

  • Lagoon 38 "Chase the Sunset", Marina Vallarta — 23 guests, from about USD 1,290 per four hours. The bay's default sunset cat.
  • Lagoon 38 "Sail & Celebrate", Marina Vallarta — 23 guests, three cabins, from about USD 1,545 a day.
  • Lagoon 40 (2019), Marina Vallarta — 18 guests, four cabins, from about USD 1,400 a day.
  • Lagoon 42 "Elevate Your Escape", Marina La Cruz — 20 guests, four cabins, four heads, overnight capable, from about USD 1,600 a day.
  • Lagoon 42 "Tropical Escape Mode", Nuevo Vallarta — 20 guests, from about USD 1,750 per four hours.
  • Lagoon 45 (2020), Marina Vallarta — 20 guests, from about USD 1,825 per four hours.
  • Lagoon 47 "Banderas Bay, Marietas, Yelapa, Sunset Sails", Marina Vallarta — 25 guests, priced by the hour at about MXN 4,000.
  • Leopard 44 (2015) and Leopard 47, Marina Vallarta — 10 guests each, from about USD 2,520 and 2,260 a day.
  • Fountaine Pajot 47 (2020), Nuevo Vallarta — 20 guests, three cabins, from about USD 3,000 a day.
  • 45 ft custom party catamaran with waterslide, Marina Vallarta — 30 guests, from about USD 1,666 per four hours.
  • 45 ft custom "Margarita Days", Marina Vallarta — 35 guests, from about USD 2,350 a day.
  • 43 ft Lagoon power cat with flybridge, Marina Vallarta — 30 guests, from about USD 1,765 a day. The one for people who want the space without the sails.
  • 90 ft custom party catamaran, Nuevo Vallarta — certified for 150, from about USD 3,100 a day. Weddings and corporate.

Every one is listed by its owner with the owner's rate and the certified capacity, which is what makes the list comparable. The wider Puerto Vallarta yacht fleet sits alongside for the groups that want a motor yacht instead.

Aerial view of the 45 ft party catamaran with its waterslide and floating mats deployed off Puerto Vallarta
Photo: BYRBO.

What a Catamaran Day Looks Like

The shape is the same from every dock. Out of the marina at ten, sails up if there is wind, motor if not. Forty minutes to Los Arcos for the first snorkel among the granite arches, with the crew handing out masks and the captain anchoring where the current is slack. Then down the coast to Las Ánimas or Majahuitas, anchor off the beach, and the boat becomes what it was built to be: people on the trampoline, people on the swim steps, the paddleboard going in and out, lunch from the cooler or the galley, music at a volume nobody has to argue about because the boat is yours. Home in the afternoon with the wind behind you, or — on the four-hour version — out at 4:30 to watch the sun go into the Pacific off the bow and come back to the lights of the Malecón.

From La Cruz and Punta Mita the same day points north instead: 45 minutes to the Marietas Islands, two hours anchored off the reserve, lunch, and back along the north-shore beaches. La Cruz yacht charters and Punta Mita yacht charters are where the Marietas cats live.

What It Costs, and What Is Included

Low season, four to eight hours, a 35–45 ft catamaran runs about USD 900–1,800 owner-direct; December to April adds 20–35 percent; May, June, September and October are the value months. Fuel for the standard route, captain and crew, ice, water and snorkel gear are included on nearly every listing, and many add paddleboards or a lily pad. Provisioning and alcohol are extra or offered as a per-head package; the crew tip is 10–15 percent. Per head, on the bay, nothing beats it. The private boat rentals in Puerto Vallarta page lets you filter by capacity, which for a catamaran is the number that matters.

When the Catamaran Is the Wrong Boat

Honesty is due. A cat is slower than a motor yacht — forty minutes to Los Arcos against twenty-five, and the Marietas from Marina Vallarta are a full day rather than six hours. It has no air-conditioned salon, so a July afternoon out of the water is hot. It does not fish. For a Yelapa run in four hours you want a Puerto Vallarta yacht charter with two engines; for a day that is half fishing, the 60 ft Mikelson sportfishing yacht in Marina Vallarta is the boat that does both, and the rest of the fishing charters in Puerto Vallarta are the specialists.

The foredeck sun pads of the 43 ft Lagoon power catamaran with the Puerto Vallarta coast behind
Photo: BYRBO.

The Owners Behind the Boats

Talk to the people who list these catamarans and a pattern appears. A surprising number are couples who sailed down from California or British Columbia a decade ago, meant to keep going to the South Pacific, and never left the bay. The Lagoon that was going to cross an ocean now does Los Arcos three times a week, and the owner is the captain, or is standing on the dock when you arrive. This is why owner-direct listings work so well for catamarans in particular: the boat is somebody's home as well as their business, the photographs are of their cockpit, the certified capacity is on a certificate they had to earn, and the price is one they set knowing exactly what a day of fuel, crew and cleaning costs. When you message about a catamaran charter in Puerto Vallarta and the reply comes back in twenty minutes with a question about whether anyone in your group is a nervous swimmer, that is who you are talking to.

Whales, Wind and the Winter Season

The catamaran's best month is any month between December and April, and its best fortnight is inside the whale window that runs from December 8 to March 23. A cat under sail approaches a humpback almost silently, with low freeboard and everybody at water level, and the whales — curious animals that dive away from engine noise — will surface beside a quiet boat in a way they will not beside a tour boat. Add the dry-season afternoon breeze, which fills in reliably around one o'clock, and the winter sunset sail is the single best-value experience on the bay.

Booking One Direct

Choose the dock nearest your bed, match the certified capacity to your headcount with a margin, read the "included" line, and message the owner with the date and the plan. On the bay the owner is usually the captain and replies the same day. Spanish speakers in the group can use the renta de yates en Puerto Vallarta pages. For the lay of the whole bay read our boat tours and yacht charters field guide, and for the islands themselves our Punta Mita guide.

Reading a Catamaran Listing

Four numbers tell you almost everything. Length, which sets the price band. Certified capacity, which is the legal maximum and the number to divide the rate by. Cabins and heads, which matter for a long day with children or for an overnight, and which is why a Lagoon 42 with four of each is a different proposition from a party cat with two. And the home marina, which sets the transit time to wherever you are going. Then the included line: fuel for the standard route, crew, ice, water and snorkel gear are the baseline; paddleboards, a lily pad, a sound system and a food-and-drink package are the extras that separate one Lagoon from another at the same price. Owner-direct listings put all of it on one page because the owner filled in the same form as everyone else, which is what makes a Lagoon 38 in Marina Vallarta and a Lagoon 42 in La Cruz comparable in the same five minutes.

Sources for this article. The prices, hours and details quoted above come directly from these BYRBO pages:

FAQ

Why are catamarans so popular in Puerto Vallarta?

Space, stability and capacity: a 40 ft cat is certified for 18–30 guests, does not heel and barely rolls, which makes it the cheapest boat per head and the easiest for families and parties.

How much is a catamaran charter in Puerto Vallarta?

Owner-direct catamaran charters in Puerto Vallarta run about USD 900–1,800 for 4–8 hours in low season on a 35–45 ft cat; 20–35 percent more December–April. Examples: Lagoon 38 from USD 1,290 per four hours, Lagoon 42 from USD 1,600 a day.

How many people fit?

18–30 on most sailing cats; 35 on the custom "Margarita Days"; 150 on the 90 ft party cat in Nuevo Vallarta. Listings show certified capacity.

Can we reach the Marietas on a catamaran?

Easily from La Cruz or Punta Mita in a six-hour charter; from Marina Vallarta it is a full day.

Is it good for seasickness?

The best boat on the bay for it.

Can we sail, or is it motoring?

Both; crews sail when there is wind, usually in the afternoon.

Are catamarans good for whale watching?

Excellent — quiet under sail, low to the water, December 8 to March 23.

What is not included?

Food and alcohol (often available as a package), long-range fuel, non-home dock fees and the crew tip. Every Puerto Vallarta boat rental listing states its own included line.

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