Planning to charter a yacht in the Solent or looking for boat hire on the South Coast? Choosing the right charter company and preparing properly can transform your sailing experience. As a local, independent, family-run yacht charter company based at Hamble Point Marina, we offer a personal, flexible, and friendly approach to ensure every trip is smooth, safe, and memorable.
Whether you’re a first-time sailor or an experienced skipper, here are the top five tips for chartering a boat — for anyone searching for expert advice before booking a yacht charter in the UK.
Selecting the right yacht is key to an enjoyable and comfortable trip. At Hamble Point Yacht Charters, we offer a diverse fleet of professionally maintained sailing and motor yachts perfect for Solent cruising and South Coast adventures.
As a family-run and pet-friendly charter company, we take the time to understand your needs and help you choose a yacht that suits your group size, experience, and planned itinerary. We’re always happy to advise on berths, layouts, and the best boats for families or first-time charterers.
✔ Tailored recommendations
✔ Pet-friendly charters
✔ Ideal for couples, families, or groups
One of the biggest advantages of chartering with a local company is benefiting from our extensive knowledge of the Solent, Southampton Water, and surrounding sailing areas.
We can assist with:
Passage planning
Tide and weather considerations
Recommended anchorages and harbours
Family-friendly destinations
Quiet bays and hidden local gems
Whether you want a structured plan or a flexible cruise, our local insight ensures you get the very best out of your charter.
When researching yacht charter companies in the UK, it’s important to choose one known for safety, reliability, and personal service.
As a long-standing independent business, we pride ourselves on:
✔ Friendly, personable support
✔ Exceptional yacht maintenance
✔ Safety-first approach
To make your start stress-free, we offer both:
We walk you through all onboard systems at your own pace.
Ideal for pre-trip familiarisation and quick reference while sailing.
This combination provides reassurance, confidence, and convenience — something our guests regularly praise.
When comparing yacht charter prices in the Solent, clarity is crucial. Hidden fees can be frustrating, so we ensure every quote is fully transparent.
At Hamble Point Yacht Charters, your quote includes:
Clear breakdown of charter fees
Details of any optional extras
No unexpected charges
We also offer flexibility, so if your plans change, we will do our best to accommodate you.
When chartering a boat, safety should be your top priority. Our yachts are fully equipped and meticulously maintained, and we provide a complete safety briefing before you depart.
If you prefer a more relaxed experience, you can book one of our friendly, professional skippers — ideal for newcomers to yacht chartering or those unfamiliar with the Solent.
✔ Clear safety briefings
✔ Local advice throughout your trip
✔ Option for a skippered charter
Safety, support, and confidence are at the heart of every Hamble Point Yacht Charters booking.
Chartering a yacht is an unforgettable way to explore the water — and choosing the right charter partner makes all the difference. As a local, independent, family-run, pet-friendly charter company, we pride ourselves on offering a warm, personable service that big operators can’t match.
With flexible timings, transparent pricing, detailed handovers, local expertise, and a friendly team that genuinely cares, we make chartering a yacht in the Solent easy, enjoyable, and completely stress-free.
Don't just take our word for it - hear from the thousands of happy customers who've sailed with us.
Had a great day out, keeping up on my sailing skills with expert assistance from our skipper.
London, UK
Skippered Charter
Have been chartering with HPYC for 25 years. They were the first company I chartered from after taking my Day Skipper and I keep coming back. The ownership has changed but the service and friendliness has endured. They have a great fleet of privately owned boats that come with all the home comforts.
London, UK
Skippered Charter
Great communication from start to finish. All questions answered, Hand over was very smooth and Andy was super helpful
We all enjoyed our charter the boat was great clean and reliable.
London, UK
Skippered Charter
Hired a yacht yesterday. Skippered by Andy. Superb day out. Sailed to Beaulieu. Had lunch and then sailed back. Can't wait until next time.
London, UK
Skippered Charter
Once again, excellent service from start to finish.
I booked early to secure my boat of choice, and it was, again, very well presented and in excellent order.
The staff are very friendly and well informed, and nothing is too much trouble to ensure you have an enjoyable, trouble-free charter.
Looking forward to planning our 2026 trip 😁
London, UK
Skippered Charter
Once again, excellent service from start to finish.
I booked early to get my boat of choice, and she was, again, very well presented and in excellent order.
The staff are very friendly and well informed, nothing is too much trouble to ensure you have an enjoyable trouble free charter.
Looking forward to planning our 2026 trip!
London, UK
Skippered Charter
We had a great time and with Loxley B a fantastic boat! Many thanks to Hamble Point Yacht Charters - very much impressed with the boat handover handling, and you are a very friendly and supportive team 🙌 … many thanks for everything 🙏
London, UK
Skippered Charter
My crew and I would like to sincerely thank you for allowing us to charter such a great and well-maintained boat this past weekend. We truly had a fantastic time on the water.
We're already discussing plans for another weekend trip and hope to charter from you again.
London, UK
Skippered Charter
We chartered Sandpiper for a weekend and had a brilliant time (April 25). Thanks to Alex for all her help and proficiency!
London, UK
Skippered Charter
Another excellent charter on Mischief of Hamble this time. The boat was great, and the Hamble Point charter team friendly, helpful and efficient as ever.
London, UK
Skippered Charter
Charted a Bavaria 36 for a weekend trip. Last minute booking and super impressed with how we managed to sort thing out so quickly and easily after just a couple of e-mails and phone calls. Arrived late Friday after office was closed but check in pack had been left for us to pick up and overnight onboard. Boat very nicely kitted out and left Sat morning to ride Westerly tide to Lymington. Great local knowledge given during the morning walk through about where to moor and get dinner. Nice sail back on Sunday. Weather turned foul but she handled really well under full sail. Everyone on board enjoyed themselves and it's exactly what I'd hoped for from the weekend. This was first time sailing from Hamble and it's a great location to get quickly into the Solent. Definitely will be back once weather warms up and days get longer to try some longer trips. Thank you Hamble Point Charters for a great weekend !
London, UK
Skippered Charter
This is truly a 5 * service. The team really looked after us both ashore on arrival and also while at sea. We were a relatively inexperienced crew but always felt the team ashore had our backs. Thoroughly recommended.
London, UK
Skippered Charter
I just wanted to say Thank-you very much for the weekend charter. It was exactly what we were after (albeit cold!) plus Andy was an awesome teacher and great company. We’ll definitely be keen to book again soon!
London, UK
Skippered Charter
We had a fabulous four days. Marina is ideally placed for the Solent, boat was in great condition, well equipped and a joy to sail. We were well briefed and the shore side team including the dog very friendly.
London, UK
Skippered Charter
We charted one of the sailing yachts for a fantastic weekend cruise in the Solent. The boat was in superb condition and well equipped, the staff was very helpful explaining how things work on the yacht and there was also a video available with all the important information. 10/10 would recommend!
London, UK
Skippered Charter