A charter yacht video is a short narrated tour of one yacht offered for charter, built from its own listing photos and particulars: yacht name, base or cruising area, guests and cabins, crew or skipper options, water toys, layout, and the weekly rate with its season and terms, worded as listed. Crewed and bareboat yachts need separate scene sets. Videngine renders a captioned vertical and landscape cut for each yacht, in one batch at the start of each season, and every video is reviewed before release.
How a charter yacht video differs from a sale video
A charter yacht video helps a guest decide whether a week aboard suits their party; a sale video helps a buyer decide whether to own the boat, so almost every scene answers a different question.
What any boat video shows, how names are said and the per-listing workflow are in the boat listing video guide; this page goes deeper for charter fleets, charter management companies and charter agencies. Selling boats rather than weeks? See yacht broker video.
| Decision | What a charter guest decides on | What a buyer decides on |
|---|---|---|
| Who fits aboard | Number of guests, cabins and how they are made up (double, twin, bunk), and heads | Cabins and berths as a layout for the owner's own use |
| Who runs the yacht | Crewed: crew size and roles. Bareboat: whether a skipper can be added, and the qualification the fleet asks for, as listed | Nobody yet; crew becomes a running cost after the sale |
| Where | Cruising area and base for that season | Where she lies for a viewing |
| Water toys | Tender and toys included in the rate, and any that cost extra | Tender and toys included in the sale |
| Layout | Deck spaces, shade, where guests eat and gather | Layout version, condition and refit history |
| Price | Weekly rate for the season and what it includes, as listed | Asking price and tax status |
| Mechanical | Bareboat: guest-facing equipment such as a generator or watermaker, as listed | Engine hours, survey and service records |
| Next step | Check availability for their dates | Arrange a viewing or sea trial |
The engine room, which earns its place in a sale video, drops out of a crewed charter video. Its seconds go to cabins, deck and toys.
Crewed and bareboat charter video: two scene sets
Crewed and bareboat yachts are chosen on different facts, so give each its own scene set, with its own facts card, scene order and closing card.
| Scene | Crewed charter video | Bareboat charter video |
|---|---|---|
| Opening | Yacht name, length and guests over the profile photo | Yacht name, model and year over the profile photo |
| Facts card | Guests, cabins, crew, cruising area, season | Cabins, berths, heads, base, year |
| Deck | Sun deck, aft deck, shaded dining | Cockpit, helm, bimini and deck gear as listed |
| Interior | Saloon and dining, then each cabin by type | Saloon, galley, cabins and heads |
| People | Crew photos and roles, with consent | None; a skipper option on a text card if listed |
| Toys | Tender and water toys | Dinghy, outboard and any paddleboards as listed |
| Equipment | Only what the listing presents as a guest feature | Generator, watermaker, air conditioning, solar, as listed |
| Rate | Weekly rate, season and terms, as listed | Weekly rate by season period and what it includes, as listed |
| Close | Charter manager or agency, yacht reference, check availability | Fleet, base, yacht reference, check availability |
A skippered charter uses the bareboat set, with the skipper shown as an option where the listing offers one. Put each yacht's name, base and island names in the brand's pronunciation lexicon, so a yacht named in Greek or Croatian is said the same way in every cut.
Telling sister ships apart in a charter fleet
A bareboat fleet may run several yachts of one model from one base, so each video must be unmistakably about one yacht.
- Name first, then model, year and base: "Kalliope, a 2023 12-metre catamaran based in Lefkada" (illustrative, a fictional yacht).
- Its own photos only. Sister ships differ in upholstery, electronics and solar panels. Reject another hull's picture with the photo defect code; a yacht without its own photos waits until it has them.
- Its own differences. Say where it differs from its sisters, such as three cabins or four, or air conditioning, as listed.
- Its own reference. Name files by yacht reference, for example CAT-LEF-07_16x9_v1.mp4 (illustrative), so the right video goes with the right yacht.
Rates, terms and crew: say what the listing says
State the weekly rate and terms exactly as the listing does, with the season beside them, and show crew only with each person's consent.
Weekly rates and terms
- The rate with its season. Show the season on screen next to the rate, so a video still circulating next year dates itself.
- Terms worded as listed. If the listing says "plus APA and VAT", so does the video. Read what the rate includes as listed, nothing more.
- Keep offers out. A discount with an end date belongs in a separate video, retired when the offer ends.
- Or leave the rate out and send viewers to the listing for the current figure.
For crewed yachts on MYBA terms, leave contract detail to the broker. MYBA's guidelines for retail charter brokers and charter managers say the only valid MYBA Charter Agreement is now the 2017 version, and ask brokers to explain the usual extra costs, including a crew gratuity, and how the APA (advance provisioning allowance) works. The video only needs to say "plus APA" where the listing does. Add "all-inclusive" and "guaranteed availability" to each brand's banned phrases.
Crew photos and names, with consent
A crewed charter video may show the captain, chef and crew, but only with each person's written consent, and only while they are aboard.
- Ask first. Tell each person where the video will appear (website, YouTube, agency listings) and keep their consent with the yacht's file.
- Roles without names. If someone declines, or the crew rotates often, show roles only, such as "a crew of five, including a chef", as listed.
- A crew change means a re-render. A new captain or chef makes the old video wrong. MYBA's information for charter yacht captains and crew asks the captain or crew to tell the central agent of changes to the vessel's specification, most importantly the crew profile. Treat that notice as the trigger to rebuild.
- Consent withdrawn. Re-render without them and retire the old cut.
- No guests. Photos from past charters can show guests, and the same MYBA document tells crew not to disclose information or photos to any third party without prior written permission. Leave them out.
A charter video batch at the start of each season
Render the fleet in one batch once the new season's rates and bases are on the listings, then re-render only when a listing changes.
- Update the listings first. Rates, base, crew and toys. A stale listing makes a stale video.
- Pick the fleet. Have the studio read your website's sitemap and select the yacht pages, or export a CSV from your booking system (batch runs from CSV or JSON start on Growth; see bulk video creation from a CSV).
- Run the batch. One yacht becomes one video, with both cuts named by the yacht reference.
- Review every yacht. Check the season on the rate card, the base, the crew against current consent and the photos against the hull. A wrong rate is a specification defect; a sister ship's picture, a photo defect. A workspace can require that the approver is not the builder: marketing builds, the charter manager approves.
- Publish and retire. The new season's cut is saved as _v2 beside last season's. Replace last season's cut everywhere it was published; the video ledger keeps the record and exports to CSV.
Availability does not belong in the video. Calendars change daily, and a video saying a week is free may be wrong by the time it is watched. End on "check availability" and the yacht reference.
Mid-season, re-render when the listing changes: a rate correction, a crew change, a base move, a toy added or removed. Re-rendering the same video in the same month is free. On the Custom plan, from 1,500 videos a month, each yacht reference can have one stable link that plays only an approved cut and switches when the new season's rebuild is approved.
Where charter yacht videos go
Put each yacht's video where guests and agents choose yachts: the yacht's page on your website, charter agency listings, the first reply to an enquiry and YouTube.
| Place | Cut | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| The yacht's page on the fleet website | Landscape, with transcript and captions | If the site is static HTML built from a GitHub repository, Videngine can publish the approved video into the page with a player, transcript, captions, VideoObject markup and a video sitemap entry |
| Charter agency listings and booking systems | Usually a link to the landscape cut | Each sets its own rules. Booking Manager's help centre, for example, lets a fleet add a video link of the yacht as extra info visible to agents, and suggests uploading to YouTube and pasting the URL |
| First reply to an enquiry | Landscape link, one per yacht on the shortlist | Three yachts on the shortlist, three videos |
| Partner agencies | Both cuts in a Google Drive folder you own, with a sheet linking every yacht to both (Growth, rolling out) | Partners link to the current season's cut, not last season's |
| YouTube | Landscape on the channel, vertical as a Short | A playlist per base or yacht type; titles, descriptions and tags written per cut (Scale, rolling out) |
For agencies that send your yachts to their own clients, a second brand with a neutral closing card gives a cut without your contact details; Growth includes three brands. A developer can use the read-only API (Growth) to look up a yacht's approved video by its reference. Videngine does not connect to your booking system; a CSV export is the bridge.
When Videngine is the wrong tool for charter yacht video
Videngine builds a narrated video from a yacht's existing photos and particulars; it does not film guests, fly a drone or tell the story of a place.
| Job | Why Videngine does not fit | Better fit |
|---|---|---|
| A lifestyle film with guests on board | It films nothing and has no presenters, and real charter photos raise guest privacy | A production company shooting with models or consenting guests, with signed releases |
| Drone footage of the yacht at anchor | It does not fly or capture aerial footage | A drone operator, flying within local rules and with permission |
| A destination film for a cruising area | It moves across stills of one yacht, not a coastline | A destination videographer, or footage licensed for your use |
| Live availability or a quote for dates | Videos are rendered and reviewed; calendars change daily | Your booking system's calendar and quote |
| Narration in the guest's language | Narration is in English only | A translated, locally voiced version made elsewhere |
Use both: film where it pays, and give every yacht in the fleet a listing video.
Questions charter fleets ask about charter yacht video
What should a charter yacht video include?
The yacht's name, base or cruising area, guests and cabins, crew or skipper options, deck spaces, water toys and the weekly rate with its season and terms, as the listing states them. End on the yacht reference and how to check availability.
Should a charter yacht video show the weekly rate?
Either state it exactly as the listing does, with the season and terms such as "plus APA" beside it, and re-render when the season changes, or leave it out and send viewers to the listing for the current rate.
How often should charter yacht videos be updated?
Once at the start of each season, when the new rates and bases are on the listings, and again whenever a listing changes mid-season: a crew change, a base move or a rate correction. A change in availability alone is no reason to re-render.
Can a crewed charter video show the crew?
Yes, with each crew member's written consent, kept with the yacht's file. If someone declines, show roles without names or photos. When the crew changes, re-render the video and retire the old cut.
Can I add charter yacht videos to agency listings and booking systems?
Check each one's own rules. Booking Manager's help centre, for example, lets a fleet add a video link of the yacht as extra info visible to agents, and suggests hosting the video on YouTube. Your own website and YouTube channel are always open to you.
Choose your next step
Go back to the single-boat guide, or see the sales side of the same fleet.
Start with one crewed and one bareboat yacht.
Bring one listing of each, their photos and next season's rates. Agree two scene sets, a pronunciation list and a rate policy, then run the whole fleet in one batch.
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