Choosing the yacht
Gulets and traditional junks in Phuket
What is a gulet and is it worth chartering one in Thailand?
The short answer
What is a gulet and is it worth chartering one in Thailand?
A gulet is a heavy wooden motor-sailer, originally a Turkish type, with a broad beam, a lot of deck and typically six cabins for twelve guests. In Phuket they charter from around twenty-four thousand dollars a week fully crewed, which makes them the cheapest way to put a group of twelve on a private yacht with a chef. They do not really sail, they are slower than anything else in the fleet, and the appeal is space and shade rather than performance. For a large family group on a Phang Nga itinerary that is a good trade.
What you get
- Six cabins, twelve guests, five crew, all under one price that is a fraction of an equivalent modern yacht.
- An enormous amount of shaded deck, which in 32 degrees with high humidity is the space everyone actually lives in.
- A slow, steady, heavy hull that barely moves at anchor.
What you give up
- Speed. A gulet cruises at eight or nine knots, which rules out the Similans on anything under ten days.
- Sailing. The rig is there and it is not the point.
- Modern systems. Air conditioning, water production and electrics are generally simpler than on a new charter yacht, and worth asking about specifically.
Thailand also has a small number of converted traditional junks in charter. They are beautiful, they photograph extraordinarily well, and the same speed and systems questions apply.
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Last checked 6 September 2026. Rates, fees and regulations in this market change every season, so figures on this page are correct as at that date and not afterwards. How the figures are gathered.