Sailing multihulls have rapidly gained popularity in recent years, especially in charter venues such as the Caribbean. They offer wide, stable platforms for crews to enjoy their holidays, and the combination of space and stability makes them attractive to guests who may be uncomfortable in the narrow confines of a monohull, which will heel as it sails into a strong wind.

The spacious main saloon of the Eleuthera 60, a sailing catamaran built by Fountaine-Pajot

Multihulls can be built with two hulls (catamarans) or three (trimarans), but the vast majority of charter yachts are of the two-hull variety. These have separated cabins in their two hulls, plus a wide bridgedeck saloon between the hulls, which also often contains the galley. With roller-furling headsails and twin engines, widely separated, one in each hull, they are often easier to maneouvre than monohulls.

Boat over about 47 feet in length are often captained by a professional, as the size of the boats and the loads on the sailing equipment scale up quickly at that point. Space increases quickly with length, as well, and a yacht charter aboard a 50-plus-foot model can be quite luxurious.