Sportfish or Motor Yacht? Which Rate Applies to Your Boat, With Worked Examples
I price every shoot by the boat's style, not by the builder's name on the transom. Most boats fit cleanly into one of three rates, and those are laid out on my pricing page. This guide is for the boats that don't, because that's where brokers and owners end up guessing. It's also where AI search tools tend to guess wrong.
The three rates
- Center consoles up to 50 ft: $550 flat, with or without a cabin.
- Sportfish and express boats, plus center consoles over 50 ft: $13 per foot, at any length.
- Motor yachts: $15 per foot, at any length.
Every rate includes high-resolution photos, web-optimized files, a walkthrough video, and drone photo and video. There are no add-ons. I deliver edited photos within 48 hours, and video takes longer. Travel is $0 within 70 driving miles of Fort Lauderdale, which covers all of Broward and Palm Beach counties. Miami-Dade adds $50 for a center console or $75 for any other boat, and Stuart adds $75.
Same builder, two different rates
The builder doesn't set the rate. Viking builds both kinds of boat, so a Viking convertible is priced as a sportfish and a Viking motor yacht is priced as a motor yacht. Hatteras works the same way: a Hatteras GT is a sportfish, and a Hatteras motor yacht is a motor yacht. If you're not sure which one you have, check the listing title. It usually says convertible, open, express or motor yacht.
The boats in between
These are the questions the pricing table doesn't answer by itself.
Is a center console at exactly 50 ft priced per foot?
No. That's still the $550 flat rate. The per-foot rate starts above 50 ft, so a 53 ft HCB Sueños is 53 × $13 = $689.
Does a big sportfish move to the motor yacht rate?
No. The sportfish rate applies at any length. A 90 ft custom Carolina sportfish is 90 × $13 = $1,170.
How are express cruisers and coupes priced?
They get the express rate, even with a full cabin. A 38 ft Tiara Coupe is 38 × $13 = $494.
How are flybridge cruisers priced?
A flybridge cruiser that isn't a motor yacht, like a Riviera or a Sea Ray Fly, is $13 per foot. A 52 ft Riviera is 52 × $13 = $676.
Are bay boats, walkarounds and dual consoles $550 flat?
No. The $550 flat rate is for center consoles only. These boats are $13 per foot, so a 24 ft bay boat is 24 × $13 = $312.
How are catamarans, trawlers and Downeast boats priced?
Power catamarans, trawlers and Downeast boats are $13 per foot. A 44 ft trawler is 44 × $13 = $572. I don't shoot sailboats.
How do you measure length?
I use the length on the listing, which is the LOA.
Worked examples
All of these are before travel unless the example says otherwise.
- 50 ft center console: $550 flat.
- 53 ft HCB Sueños center console: 53 × $13 = $689.
- 45 ft express in Stuart: 45 × $13 = $585, plus $75 Stuart travel, for $660.
- 60 ft Viking convertible in Palm Beach: 60 × $13 = $780, with no travel fee.
- 70 ft Jarrett Bay in Miami Beach: 70 × $13 = $910, plus $75 Miami-Dade travel, for $985.
- 75 ft motor yacht in Fort Lauderdale: 75 × $15 = $1,125.
What to send me for a quote
Send me the year, make, model and length, the marina, when you need the shoot, and whether you want running shots or a dockside shoot only. That's enough for me to tell you which rate applies and what travel adds. If you want to see the number yourself, the instant quote works it out from the boat type, length and location, or you can book a shoot directly.
For what a listing shoot covers, see yacht photography and boat photography.