KNOW YOUR LENGTHS

Superyacht vs yacht vs boat, size categories explained

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Walk along the pontoons in Cannes and you will hear the words boat, yacht, superyacht and even megayacht used almost interchangeably. In reality, they hint at very different things, from the size of the vessel to the rules it must follow and the crew it needs. None of these labels has a single official definition, but the industry broadly agrees on where the lines fall. Understanding them will help you read the show, talk to brokers and compare what is on display.

Why size labels matter on the pontoons

Length is the first thing brokers and shipyards mention, because it drives almost everything else, including price, running costs, crew, berthing and the regulations that apply. At the Cannes Yachting Festival, the 2026 line-up ranged from 5-metre tenders to 55-metre yachts, so you will meet every category in a single day. As a rough guide, the industry uses the following bands, although the exact boundaries vary between builders, brokers and countries. Feet are still widely used in the industry, especially by American and British brokers, so it helps to remember that ten metres is roughly 33 feet.

  • Boat or day boat, usually under 12 metres and used for day trips
  • Yacht, typically from around 12 to 24 metres, with cabins for overnight cruising
  • Superyacht, from 24 metres, normally run by a professional crew
  • Megayacht, an informal term for yachts from roughly 60 metres
  • Gigayacht, reserved for the rare yachts of around 100 metres or more

From day boat to cruising yacht

Below 24 metres, most vessels are designed to be handled by their owner, sometimes with the help of a skipper or a single crew member. This is the busiest part of the market, and the one where most visitors to Cannes will find a boat that matches both their plans and their budget.

Day boat cruising at speed across a blue sea

Day boats and RIBs

Fast, open and easy to handle, they are built for swimming stops and lunch in a bay rather than long passages. At Port Canto, a dedicated area shows motorboats of up to around 12 metres.

Modern motor yacht moored at a quay

Motor yachts

From around 12 metres, motor yachts add proper cabins, a galley and often a flybridge. The Vieux Port displays more than 350 boats from 12 to 45 metres, with many of the season’s premieres.

Sailing yachts moored in a marina under a blue sky

Sailing yachts and catamarans

Sailing monohulls and multihulls fill the Port Canto pontoons. Catamarans have become hugely popular for their space and stability, with 95 sail and power catamarans on show in 2026.

The 24-metre line that changes everything

If one number matters, it is 24 metres, or roughly 79 feet. In Europe, new recreational craft between 2.5 and 24 metres fall under the Recreational Craft Directive, which requires CE marking and a design category from A to D. Category A boats are designed for ocean conditions with winds above Beaufort force 8 and waves over four metres, while category D is limited to sheltered waters. Before buying, it is worth checking which category a boat holds, as it says a lot about where it can safely go.

Above 24 metres, the logic changes. Large yachts used commercially, for example for charter, are typically built and operated under specific codes, such as the Red Ensign Group Yacht Code, the successor to the UK’s Large Yacht Code, which covers yachts of 24 metres and over in load line length carrying no more than 12 passengers. This is also the point at which professional crew, formal safety management and international labour standards come into play. That is why most people in the industry use 24 metres as the threshold for the word superyacht.

Large superyacht moored in a harbour

Superyacht, megayacht and gigayacht

Superyachts

A superyacht is generally any yacht of 24 metres or more, crewed by professionals rather than run by the owner. Smaller superyachts may have a crew of around six, including a captain, an engineer, deckhands and interior staff, while yachts around 50 to 60 metres often need double that. Interiors can rival boutique hotels, with several guest cabins, a beach club at the stern and a tender garage. Around 10,000 superyachts over 24 metres were estimated to exist worldwide in 2016, most of them motor yachts.

Megayachts and gigayachts

These terms are informal labels with no global standard. Megayacht is commonly used from roughly 60 metres, where vessels gain multiple decks, helipads and large tenders. Gigayacht usually describes the handful of yachts of around 100 metres and beyond, with crews that can exceed 50 people and a truly global cruising range. Such giants rarely appear at in-water shows like Cannes, and the largest yachts are more often seen at anchor in the bay or at the Monaco Yacht Show later in September.

What you will actually see in Cannes

Several superyachts lined up along a quay

A full spectrum in one show

The festival covers almost every category, from tenders and RIBs at the start of the range to superyachts at the top, with the largest boats on display reaching around 55 metres in 2026. The Vieux Port focuses on motor yachts, while Port Canto presents sailing yachts, smaller motorboats and the brokerage section. Walking from one pontoon to the next is the quickest way to grasp how much space, volume and complexity each extra metre adds.

Brokerage and appointments

The brokerage area at Port Canto shows pre-owned yachts from 25 metres, and visits aboard the larger boats are usually arranged by appointment with a broker. Our guide on how to plan your yacht viewings explains how to secure those slots before the show begins. Some of the largest yachts are moored at anchor in the bay rather than on the quays, and visits are then organised by tender, usually for confirmed clients.

Reading a specification sheet like a broker

Every yacht on show comes with a specification sheet, and a few terms are worth knowing. Length overall, often written LOA, is the full length from bow to stern, including fixed fittings. Load line or waterline length is shorter and is the figure that matters for many regulations. Beam is the maximum width, which has a big influence on interior volume, and draught is the depth below the waterline, which determines which anchorages and harbours you can use.

Gross tonnage, or GT, measures internal volume rather than weight, and it explains why two yachts of the same length can feel very different on board. A wide, high-volume 30-metre yacht may offer far more space than a slender one of the same length. When comparing models, ask about range, cruising speed, fuel consumption and crew accommodation as well. Our insider tips for first-timers suggest a few more questions to ask on board.

Bow and teak foredeck of a yacht seen from above

Frequently asked questions