The Real Annual Budget for Owning a Catamaran

Owning a catamaran costs, on top of the purchase price, between 5% and 10% of its value every year for routine maintenance alone. Add the marina berth and insurance on top of that, two separate costs that don’t fit inside this range. This article breaks down, cost by cost, what an owner’s real annual budget looks like, with verified ranges and what makes them vary from one boat to another.

How much does it really cost to maintain a catamaran each year?

Routine maintenance on a catamaran (antifouling, engines, onboard electronics) represents between 5% and 10% of the boat’s purchase value every year. This is the range used by Lagoon, for which Sailoé is the exclusive dealer in Brittany and Corsica, to help future owners of new Lagoon catamarans plan their real budget.

This rule has an important limit to keep in mind before adding anything up: it only covers the boat’s own technical maintenance. It excludes the marina berth and insurance, two separate costs that sit on top of it, not inside it. Many future owners mistakenly add these two lines to the 5% to 10% range, which double counts part of the budget and skews their calculations. The next two sections cover each of these costs on its own.

How much does a marina berth cost for a catamaran?

A marina berth for a 40 to 45 foot catamaran costs between €6,000 and €20,000 a year in France, with the higher end concentrated in Mediterranean marinas, where demand far outstrips available supply. This amount varies significantly by region, by marina, and by proximity to the sailing areas owners actually want.

Why a catamaran costs more than a monohull of the same length

A catamaran takes up the width of two standard berths on a pontoon, which justifies a surcharge compared with a monohull of identical length. This width constraint affects every cost linked to keeping the boat moored, not just the annual berth fee: it is also why catamaran berths are scarcer, and why they are often booked months, sometimes years, in advance in the most sought after marinas.

What does catamaran insurance cost?

Comprehensive insurance for a catamaran costs between 0.7% and 1.2% of its insured value each year. For a catamaran worth between €450,000 and €750,000, that works out to roughly €3,000 to €9,000 a year. Marine insurers set the premium within this range based on the boat’s age, its cruising area, and the owner’s experience.

A catamaran sailing year round in the Mediterranean or the Caribbean is not insured at the same rate as a boat that stays moored for most of the season: the cruising area has a direct impact on how the premium is calculated.

Careening, antifouling, engines: what technical maintenance costs

Careening and antifouling on a catamaran cost between €1,000 and €4,000 a year, against €400 to €1,200 a year for a comparable monohull: two hulls to treat instead of one shows up directly on the bill. Servicing both engines, a catamaran specific cost since monohulls run on a single engine, adds roughly €1,000 to €2,500 a year for the pair.

These ranges are not fixed: they vary significantly with destination and climate (a boat sailing year round under tropical sun builds up fouling faster than one used a few weeks a year in Brittany), with the boat’s age, how intensively it’s used, and whether the owner handles maintenance themselves or hires a professional. This is what our teams across our 5 bases see every day while maintaining their own fleet in very different climates: the same expense never weighs the same from one destination to another.

Planning for this budget before you buy is exactly what our advisors are there for: our buying support helps you choose a boat and a destination that match the maintenance budget you’re ready to take on.

Cost item	Range
Routine maintenance (antifouling, engines, electronics)	5% to 10% of the boat’s purchase value, every year
Marina berth (40-45 feet)	€6,000 to €20,000/year
Comprehensive insurance	€3,000 to €9,000/year (boat worth €450,000 to €750,000)
Careening and antifouling	€1,000 to €4,000/year
Servicing both engines	€1,000 to €2,500/year
Winter storage / boat-keeping	€540 to €1,200/year for a 7 to 10 m boat in standard boat-keeping, up to €3,000 to €8,400/year in the Mediterranean for larger units
Rigging	Annual adjustment, in-depth inspection at 5 years, full replacement at 7-10 years
Depreciation over 5 years	18% to 25% of initial value

Sails, rigging, winter storage: the expenses owners forget to budget

A catamaran’s rigging (sails, mast, shrouds) needs an annual adjustment, an in-depth inspection every 5 years, and a full replacement every 7 to 10 years depending on how intensively the boat is used. These are milestones rarely planned for in a first budget, because they don’t come up every year, but they weigh heavily the year they do.

Winter storage or boat-keeping costs between €45 and €100 a month for a 7 to 10 metre boat in standard boat-keeping, or €540 to €1,200 a year. A 40 to 45 foot cruising catamaran, larger and wider than this reference boat, sits necessarily above this range, even though no figure specific to this size is available. For larger units in the Mediterranean, a supervised berth in the water can run up to €250 to €700 a month, or roughly €3,000 to €8,400 a year. This cost depends directly on the destination chosen and the type of off-season mooring.

How much value does a catamaran lose each year?

A catamaran typically keeps 75% to 82% of its initial value after 5 years, a depreciation of 18% to 25% over the period, well below the average for the used boat market. This is a budget item that gets overlooked because it isn’t paid as a yearly invoice, but it weighs just as much on the real cost of ownership as maintenance or the marina berth.

This stronger value retention partly explains why choose Lagoon remains a reassuring choice at resale, and why the market for used catamarans in this range stays active: a well maintained boat with a clear history resells on good terms rather than taking the average market markdown.

What if your catamaran financed part of its own budget?

Faced with this annual budget, some owners choose to charter their catamaran out part of the year to help cover these costs. The idea is to hand the boat over to an operator who manages bookings, charter related maintenance, and the guest relationship, while the owner keeps sailing during the periods they reserve for themselves.

This solution doesn’t suit every owner and deserves a closer look on its own: it depends on the destination, the type of boat, and how much time the owner genuinely wants to spend on board each year.

Planning a purchase and want to work out your exact annual budget before committing? Contact our advisors to talk through your project, your destination, and the boat best suited to how you’ll use it.