Alboran Charter Yacht Charter — 27 Boats in the Balearics

Alboran Charter: 27 boats listed in the Balearics

Alboran Charter is one of the longest-running names in Balearic chartering. Per the operator's own site, the company traces back to 1982, when it began sailing clients from Barcelona to Mallorca aboard a single boat named Alboran. That original boat's name became the house naming convention still visible across the fleet today - Alboran Limoncello, Alboran Jerez, Alboran Whisky and more than a dozen others all carry the prefix, a small but genuine piece of company history rather than a marketing flourish. It's the sort of detail that tends to matter to charterers who've dealt with newer, more anonymous outfits: a boat's name here is a thread back to a company that was already chartering out of Barcelona before most of today's production yachts existed.

More than four decades on, Alboran Charter has grown into an international operation running 40-plus boats across bases in Mallorca, Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Cuba, Cape Verde, Brazil and the Azores. That spread says something about the company's staying power - a business doesn't expand from one boat in Barcelona to seven bases across three continents without a fairly disciplined approach to fleet management, maintenance and customer service, all of which tend to be invisible to a first-time visitor but matter enormously once you're actually aboard. The slice relevant to this directory is the Mallorca base, where 27 sailing yachts and catamarans currently sit in the live MMK listings, ranging 41 to 54ft - one of the largest single-operator fleets covered on this site. For anyone comparing operators, a fleet of this size usually means more availability at short notice, more flexibility if a preferred boat is already booked, and a broader spread of ages and price points than a smaller, boutique charter company can offer.

See also: alboran-charter.com.

Alboran Charter’s base & getting there

The Mallorca fleet operates from Muelle de la Lonja, in the heart of Palma's old harbour, directly opposite the historic old town with its restaurants, bars and the Llotja building itself. It is a genuinely central base rather than an out-of-town marina, and every boat in the current Mallorca listings uses it as the embarkation point per the operator's own boat pages. That central position is worth dwelling on: many charter fleets in Mallorca operate from marinas some distance outside Palma, which is perfectly workable but adds a taxi or transfer leg at both ends of the trip. Basing at the Lonja removes that extra step - guests can walk from a harbourside hotel or apartment straight to the boat, and equally can walk back into the old town for dinner on the first or last night without needing transport at all.

Getting there from Palma Airport (PMI) is short - the harbour is only around 6.7 miles away, putting it at roughly a 10-minute taxi ride for about EUR 25-30, or a similar drive time if you've hired a car. The EMT Palma bus network also covers the route at around 15-minute intervals for a low fare. Because the transfer is so quick, most guests find a taxi straight from arrivals the simplest option, especially with charter luggage and provisions in tow. Being based right at the Lonja also puts Palma's cathedral (La Seu) and the Passeig des Born within an easy pre-charter evening stroll. Groups flying in the night before departure - generally a sensible precaution against delayed flights - have a genuine choice of places to stay within a few minutes' walk of the boat, and provisioning for the week is straightforward too, with supermarkets and speciality food shops scattered through the surrounding streets rather than clustered miles away at an out-of-town retail park.

The fleet, boat by boat

The fleet's backbone is Beneteau Oceanis and Jeanneau Sun Odyssey monohulls - 24 of the 27 boats - spanning several distinct size and era groups. At the value end sit the oldest boats: two Elan 434 Impressions (2005 and 2006) and two early-2000s Oceanis 43s, all offering 8-10 berths at the fleet's lowest weekly rates. Boats of this vintage won't have the latest electronics or the very newest interior finishes, but the underlying designs from Elan and Beneteau were solid, well-proven cruising hulls in their day, and two decades of Balearic charter use tends to mean any early teething issues have long since been identified and fixed. A pair of compact, newer Sun Odyssey 410/419s (2019-2024) sit just above that band, offering a simpler 41-42ft layout with 8 berths for guests who don't need maximum cabin count - a sensible option for a smaller group or a couple of families who'd rather have a newer boat than the largest possible one.

The mid-size group is the fleet's largest cluster: three Oceanis 45-4s (2014-2016) and four Sun Odyssey 440/440*/490s (2019-2023), all in the 44-47ft range with 10 berths, representing the newest general-purpose family monohulls in the fleet. This is the size range most charter groups gravitate towards by default, since it comfortably sleeps an extended family or two couples with children while still being manageable for a bareboat skipper with moderate experience. Above that sit five Sun Odyssey 519s (2016-2019), each a 52ft, 12-berth classic design that has anchored the fleet's higher-capacity end for years, followed by four Oceanis 51.1s (2023-2025) - the newest large monohulls, also 12 berths but with a more modern hull and interior. Having both an established 519 line and a brand-new 51.1 line at a similar size and capacity gives charterers a genuine choice between a proven, well-run design and the latest thing off the production line, rather than only one option at the top end.

Three catamarans round out the fleet: a Leopard 44 and Leopard 48 (both 2015, 10-11 berths) offering the stability multihull sailors look for, and a smaller Voyage 420ST (2010, 6 berths) for groups who want catamaran comfort without the largest footprint. Catamarans of this type tend to suit charterers less concerned with outright sailing performance and more interested in flat decks, wide social spaces and a stable platform at anchor - a common priority for families with young children or older guests who find a heeling monohull less comfortable. At the very top is the fleet's flagship, a 2018 Oceanis 55.1 named EXPLORER - 54ft with 8+2 berths, the single largest and most expensive boat on the roster, and the natural pick for a group wanting genuine superyacht-adjacent space without stepping outside the sailing yacht category altogether.

See also: deposit and insurance · licence guide · fuel costs.

Who Alboran Charter suits

With 27 boats spanning budget-friendly 2005-built monohulls up to a brand-new 2025 Oceanis 51.1, Alboran Charter suits an unusually wide range of charterers on one operator page. Budget-conscious groups or first-time charterers can look at the Elan 434s or older Oceanis 43s, which still deliver a proper week's sailing without the premium attached to a newer boat. Families wanting a modern, mid-size boat have four fresh Sun Odyssey/Oceanis options to choose between, each recent enough to offer contemporary systems and finishes without stretching to flagship pricing. Larger groups or those wanting maximum cabin count gravitate to the 12-berth Sun Odyssey 519 or Oceanis 51.1 lines, which suit multi-family charters, milestone celebrations or groups of friends who want everyone aboard one boat rather than splitting across two smaller ones. Anyone prioritising catamaran stability has three multihulls to pick from, including a genuinely large 48-footer, which particularly suits charterers who care more about comfortable social space and a level deck than outright sailing performance. The Oceanis 55.1 flagship is the obvious choice for a bigger group wanting the most boat on the page - a milestone anniversary, a large family reunion or a corporate charter where budget is less of a constraint than space and presence.

Because the fleet covers such a wide spread of sizes, ages and price points, it also rewards a little planning before booking. A group that knows roughly how many berths it needs and what era of boat it's comfortable with can move straight to the relevant cluster above, rather than working through all 27 listings individually - a useful shortcut given how much choice is on offer here compared with smaller, single-boat operators elsewhere in the Balearics. It also helps to think ahead about who is actually sailing the boat: a bareboat-qualified friend within the group changes the calculus entirely compared with a group that will need a skipper, and it is worth settling that question before comparing specific boats rather than after.

Booking guidance

Bareboat charter on any of these boats requires a recognised sailing qualification under Spanish rules; Alboran Charter also offers skippered charter for guests who'd rather not hold that qualification themselves. Skippered charter is often the more relaxed option for anyone unfamiliar with local waters, anchorages and prevailing conditions around Mallorca, since it removes the navigation and mooring workload from the group entirely and leaves everyone free to enjoy the trip rather than manage it. Bareboat, by contrast, suits confident, qualified sailors who want full control over the itinerary and pace of the week.

Because the fleet spans two decades of builds and a wide price range, it's worth deciding on a rough budget and group size first, then narrowing to the relevant size band above rather than browsing all 27 boats individually. It's also worth thinking in advance about what matters most for the group - a newer interior, maximum berths, a catamaran's stability or simply the lowest available rate - since that single decision does most of the work of narrowing a 27-boat fleet down to a shortlist of two or three realistic options.

One further option worth knowing about: Alboran Charter runs discounted one-way positioning trips from Mallorca toward its Canary Islands, Cuba and Cape Verde bases - a different kind of trip from a standard round-trip Balearic charter, and worth asking about if a longer, one-directional passage appeals, even though it sits outside this site's Balearics-only scope. These positioning trips exist because a boat occasionally needs to move between bases anyway, and operators typically offer them at a reduced rate to fill what would otherwise be an empty repositioning voyage - useful to know for anyone with the time and experience for a longer ocean passage rather than a standard week around the islands. It is a reminder, too, that Alboran Charter's Mallorca fleet, large as it is, is only one part of a considerably bigger international operation, and that scale can occasionally translate into flexibility elsewhere in the network for guests who are open to it. As with any operator, exact pricing moves with season, boat and demand rather than being fixed per boat, so it's always worth requesting a current quote for specific dates rather than relying on a general rate guide.

See also: charter planning library.

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