Hiring a catamaran in Malta with friends: stag do, hen do or birthday
Hiring a catamaran in Malta with friends means having the boat to your group alone, with a skipper at the helm. For a stag do, a hen do or a birthday, Malta Explorers hires out eight private catamarans and sailing boats, for 10 to 45 people, from Roland Marina in Ta' Xbiex, near Sliema. Here are the two trip types, the capacities, the 2026 prices and how to carry on with a night out.
A private catamaran, just for your group
The idea: you book the whole boat, not seats. The skipper and fuel are included, and all ages are welcome on board.
All eight boats leave from Roland Marina in Ta' Xbiex, a small town in north-east Malta, next to Gżira and Msida, near Sliema. Booking is through Malta Explorers: our water activities page links to its catamaran page.
Sunset or a full day
There are two formats. The sunset trip lasts 2 to 4 hours: it's the shorter one, and it leaves your evening free. The full day runs from about 10am to 6pm, with the boat back in the late afternoon.
With both formats, extras can be added to the price of the boat: barbecue, platters, buffet or transfer. Choose them when you book, depending on the length of the trip and the number of guests.
How many people, and what music
Depending on the boat, capacity ranges from 10 to 45 people. For a big group, the Party catamaran takes up to 45.
If you want a DJ, look at the Lagoon 450 (25 people) and the Sailing catamaran (20): both have a generator for a DJ. Ask when you book what's provided and what you need to bring.
The Bali 4.0 (22 people), on the other hand, doesn't allow parties or amplified music. It suits a quiet trip, not a stag do.
2026 prices
In 2026, hire started at €520 per boat, for a sailing boat at sunset. The 45-person Party catamaran cost €1,560 at sunset and €2,860 for the day.
The price is for the boat, split between you: with 45 on board, the sunset trip on the Party catamaran came to under €35 each in 2026, and the full day to under €64, extras not included.
Malta Explorers runs its catamarans all year round, but bookings for the 2026 season are closed: they reopen in 2027.
Stag do, hen do or birthday: a day at sea
For a stag or hen do, the catamaran solves the venue question: just your group on board, music if the boat allows it, and a skipper to sail it. Count your guests before you choose: each boat has a maximum capacity.
For a birthday, all ages are welcome: parents, children and friends come aboard together. Our stag and hen page covers the rest, on the party side: the dates to book together, the VIP table and the ID to bring.
Then the night: from catamaran to club
A sunset trip leads nicely into a night out: 2 to 4 hours at sea, dinner, and in Paceville, St Julian's, the clubs open at 11pm. To get to Paceville from the marina, Bolt, Uber and eCabs all operate in Malta, and a transfer is one of the catamaran extras.
To stay together all night, request a VIP table: tell us the party, the date and how many of you there'll be, we'll ask the club and reply on WhatsApp. The table doesn't include entry: everyone also needs their own ticket.
Private catamaran or boat party?
A boat party is the opposite: one ticket each on a big shared boat. In summer 2026, the Mega Boat Party and the White Boat Party sailed from Sliema Ferries from 7pm to 11:30pm, open bar included, with tickets from €69 in 2026. They return in summer 2027, on dates not yet announced.
Do the maths: with ten of you on the sailing boat at sunset, €520 came to €52 each in 2026, extras not included, while the boat party ticket included the open bar. In return, the boat, the departure time and the music are all yours.