Three boats, three completely different days on the water, and the mistake most visitors make is shopping by price instead of by trip. The luxury yacht charters in Cabo that people remember are the ones matched to what the day was actually for: a quiet sunset for two, a long family afternoon with a galley and a jacuzzi, or a fast run out to the fishing grounds. Elevate Yachts runs a six-boat fleet, and three of them carry most of the bookings. Here is how the Aquaholic, the CBS, and the Aplush actually differ, and who each one is for.
Before the specifics, one thing worth saying plainly, because it shapes everything below. The service does not change from boat to boat. The English-speaking crew, the captain who reads the day’s conditions, the chef cooking fresh on board, the car that picks you up at your hotel: that is the same on every charter. What changes between the boats is the space, the speed, and what the day can hold. For a fuller picture of the whole operation, the complete guide to Cabo yacht charters covers the parts that apply to every booking.
The Aquaholic: The Flagship
The Aquaholic is the one founder Edgar Rodriguez names without hesitation as his favorite. “It’s like a house pretty much on the water,” is how he puts it, and the description holds up. There is a jacuzzi on the upper deck, a full galley below, multiple cabins, and several bathrooms, so a group is never sharing one. You can go upstairs for sun, step inside for air conditioning, take a real break between swims, or sit down to a full meal cooked on board.
That combination makes the Aquaholic the right boat for two situations. The first is a long day. When a charter runs six or eight hours, the space and the galley stop being luxuries and start being the reason the day stays comfortable from start to finish. The second is a group that wants room to spread out, whether that is a family who wants the kids to have space or a couple who simply wants the splurge. It is also, quietly, one of the most romantic boats in the fleet for exactly that reason: a sunset with a jacuzzi and a private chef is a different evening than a sunset on a crowded deck.
The Aquaholic rewards more time on the water, which is also where the cost question comes in. Longer charters add a better menu, a premium bar, and the range to go further, and the breakdown of what three, six, and eight hours actually get you is worth reading before you book.
The CBS: The All-Rounder
The CBS is the most popular boat in the fleet, and it earns that the honest way. At around seventy feet it is large enough to feel like a proper yacht and small enough to stay easy and intimate. Couples love it, and most of them book it for sunset. The layout is built for that: an upper deck for the view, an air-conditioned cabin to step into, a sun pad on the bow to lie out on, and a shaded seating area with a table at the back.
It is comfortable for two, ideal for four, and it carries up to about ten without feeling crowded. That range is what makes it the default recommendation when someone is not sure what they need. A couple gets a boat that feels private. A family of six gets room to move. A group of friends gets a deck that fits everyone. If you are weighing the CBS against the others for your specific group, the guide to matching the boat to your group size walks through the trade-offs.
The CBS is the boat to pick when you want the full yacht experience without committing to the size or the cost of the flagship. For most couples and small families, it is the right answer.
The Aplush: The Speedboat
The Aplush is the newest boat in the fleet and the one built for a different kind of day. It is a speedboat, it seats six, and it is fast. It does not have a galley, which means no chef and no full meal service on board, and the trips on it tend to run two to three hours rather than a full day. That is the trade-off, and for the right guest it is the whole point.
What the Aplush gives you is reach and energy. It can run out to the fishing grounds quickly, chase a better stretch of water, or cover distance during whale season when the goal is to find pods further out. It also carries a large towable donut off the back, the kind of thing that turns a couple of hours into the part of the trip the kids talk about for the rest of the year.
Book the Aplush when speed and fun matter more than a long, slow lunch on the water. For families with older kids, for a short high-energy outing, or for a fishing-focused morning, it is the boat. During whale season it has a specific advantage too, which the private versus group whale watching comparison gets into: range matters, and a fast boat covers more water in less time.
How the Fleet Is Chosen
One thing that separates Elevate’s fleet from a row of boats for hire is how the yachts get there in the first place. Owners bring their boats into Elevate’s management rather than the company buying a mixed bag and listing whatever it can get. “They gave me their yachts under management,” Edgar explains, “and fortunately, it’s very luxury yachts in very good conditions.” The result is a curated fleet of well-kept craft rather than a catalog padded with whatever was available.
That curation shows up in the details. Edgar is specific about presentation: the welcome setup, the little touches, the things other companies skip. “I always take care on those little details,” he says, and that standard is applied the same way across every boat in the fleet, from the flagship to the speedboat.
Which One Should You Book?
The short version: match the boat to the day, not the price tag.
Book the Aquaholic for a long day, a group that wants space, or a couple who wants the flagship with a jacuzzi and a chef. Book the CBS for a couple, a small family, or a sunset, when you want the full yacht feel at the most flexible size. Book the Aplush for speed, fishing, water toys, or covering distance fast on a shorter outing.
If you are still deciding, the cost difference between the boats comes down mostly to size and hours, and the pricing breakdown is the fastest way to see what each option includes. You can also see the full fleet, with photos and specs, on the Elevate Yachts charter page.
When you know which boat fits your day, book a charter and the crew will handle the rest, from the car at your hotel to the meal on the water.
Caleb Roberts writes the Cabo Yacht Experiences column for Elevate Yachts. He is the founder of Estudio Creativo, a bilingual digital agency in Los Cabos. Read more posts in the Cabo Yacht Experiences column.
