Miami Group Booking Guides
Can 13+ People Charter a Yacht in Miami?
US law caps most Miami charter boats at 12 passengers — no matter how big the boat. Here’s the rule, the two legal ways to take 13–30 guests, and the red flags of an illegal charter.
The short answer
Usually no — federal law caps uninspected charter boats at 12 passengers, regardless of the boat’s size. Groups of 13 or more have two legal options: a Coast Guard-inspected vessel rated for more passengers, or two boats chartered together. On bareboat charters of 7–12 guests, the captain must also be hired and paid separately by your group.
The rule, by group size
| Group size | Your legal options | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| 1–6 guests | Any licensed captained charter (a “6-pack” boat) or a bareboat charter | The easy case — everything on the market is legal at this size |
| 7–12 guests | A bareboat charter, where your group hires the captain separately — or an inspected vessel | A boat sold as “captained, all-in” for 12 may be operating illegally |
| 13–30+ guests | A Coast Guard-inspected (COI) vessel — or two boats chartered together | There is no legal way to put 13+ passengers on one uninspected boat, whatever its length |
The 12 comes from federal passenger-vessel law, not from the boat’s capacity plate. A vessel carrying more than 12 passengers for hire stops being an “uninspected” vessel and must hold a Coast Guard Certificate of Inspection — a standard almost no Miami charter yacht carries. A 60-foot yacht and a 30-foot cruiser play by exactly the same rule.
Why “the boat fits 15” isn’t a loophole
Illegal charters all sound the same: the owner bundles boat and captain at one price for 13+ guests, or suggests “the extra people can just tip the crew.” Both make it an uninspected passenger-for-hire operation. Miami is one of the most enforced harbors in the country — the Coast Guard boards charters around Haulover Sandbar and Biscayne Bay on busy weekends. When a charter is caught over capacity, the voyage is terminated on the spot and the operator faces fines that run into the tens of thousands of dollars. Your group is back at the dock, out the money, with the afternoon gone.
The two legal ways to take 13–30 people
Option one: an inspected vessel — a boat holding a Certificate of Inspection rated above 12 passengers. They’re rarer and pricier than standard charter yachts, and the good ones book first for holidays and event weeks. Option two: two boats. Two 12-passenger charters rafted together at the sandbar is the classic Miami move — often the same total price as one larger inspected boat, and honestly the better party: two swim platforms, two sound systems, one anchorage.
How OuiPool keeps your group legal
Pool size filters inventory by legal capacity: a pool of 15 only sees inspected vessels and paired-boat options — never a 12-passenger bareboat. On bareboat charters, the captain’s fee is a separate line folded into each guest’s share and paid to the captain directly, exactly as the rule requires. And because each guest authorizes their own share, the final headcount is real before anyone is charged.
Split it, don’t front it
Say oui — cards are only charged when the pool fills.
See charters sized for your groupFAQ
- Why is the limit 12 passengers?
- Twelve is the federal threshold: a vessel carrying more than 12 passengers for hire must meet Coast Guard inspection standards (a Certificate of Inspection) covering construction, crew, and safety equipment. Charter yachts are built and registered as uninspected vessels, so 12 is their legal ceiling — it has nothing to do with the boat’s physical size.
- Does the captain count toward the 12?
- No — licensed crew aren’t passengers. On a bareboat charter the 12 are your guests; the captain and any crew are on top of that.
- What happens if 13 people show up to a 12-passenger charter?
- A legal operator refuses to depart over capacity — someone stays at the dock. If a captain takes the extra guests anyway and the Coast Guard boards the boat, the trip is terminated immediately, the operator is fined, and your group is back on land with no refund.
- Is the 12-passenger rule actually enforced in Miami?
- Yes — Sector Miami is one of the Coast Guard’s most active charter-enforcement areas, with boardings concentrated around Haulover Sandbar and Biscayne Bay on weekends and holidays. Illegal-charter penalties run into the tens of thousands of dollars per voyage.
- Who pays the captain on a bareboat charter?
- Your group does — bareboat rules require the charterer to hire and pay the captain separately from the boat (typically $50–$100/hour in Miami). On OuiPool the captain’s fee is calculated into each guest’s share and paid to the captain directly, so the split covers everything.
- What is a COI vessel?
- A vessel holding a Coast Guard Certificate of Inspection — inspected and rated to carry more than 12 passengers for hire, with requirements for crew, safety gear, and construction. In Miami these are usually larger event boats and a small number of inspected yachts, and they book out early for holidays and event weeks.