Aquila Sunrise - Aquila 44 Power Catamaran

No licence is required to hire Aquila Sunrise as a bareboat charter. As a power catamaran, she's straightforward to handle, and before you depart you'll receive a full vessel briefing from our team covering everything you need to know. The person nominally in charge of the vessel does need to be 18 or over, but beyond that, no formal qualifications are needed. Just confidence, common sense, and a sense of adventure. Our team will taxi you in and out of the marina so you don't need to stress about navigating that.

Genuinely, yes. Aquila Sunrise is designed to be accessible for first-time bareboat hirers. She's a power cat, so there's no rigging, no sails, and no complex sailing knowledge required — you're essentially driving a very comfortable floating home. Our pre-departure briefing walks you through everything: navigation, anchoring, the onboard systems, and what to do if you're unsure. We'll also send you pre-briefing videos before you even arrive so that you can start familiarising yourself with the vessel. Our skippering team are contactable throughout your charter if anything comes up.

Your hire includes linen and towels, a dinghy / inflatable tender for getting ashore, kitchen basics (oil, condiments and the essentials), all required safety equipment, and a Bluetooth audio system. You'll need to bring your own food, drinks, and anything personal. Fuel and gas are charged separately at the end of your charter via the fuel bowser when you return - this is the one variable cost to factor into your planning, and it will depend on how much ground you cover.

Here's an honest way to look at it. A 5-night low season charter runs $1,650 per night for the entire vessel. Split that across six guests and you're looking at $275 per person per night — or as little as $206 each if you fill all eight berths. For that you get a private three-cabin, three-ensuite power catamaran with a covered flybridge, full kitchen, linen, a dinghy, and access to one of Australia's most extraordinary waterways. Compare that to booking six hotel rooms, adding meals, activities, and transport separately, and a bareboat charter starts to look like exceptional value, particularly when you factor in that the whole experience is yours, completely private, on your own schedule. The longer your stay, the better the per-night rate gets too, with 8–10 night charters offering the lowest nightly rate across all seasons.

Bareboating simply means hiring a boat without a skipper or crew - the vessel is yours to captain yourselves. You set your own itinerary, travel at your own pace, anchor where you like, and spend your days exactly as you choose. It's the ultimate self-guided holiday on the water. Before you leave the marina, our team will give you a thorough briefing on the vessel and the waterways so you feel confident and prepared. No prior boating experience is required to hire Aquila Sunrise, just a sense of adventure and a willingness to embrace something a little different.

The Great Sandy Strait offers something genuinely different. The waters here are calmer and more forgiving, making the Fraser Coast one of the best bareboat destinations in Australia for first-timers or those who want a relaxed, confidence-building experience rather than a white-knuckle sailing trip.

You'll share the water with dolphins, dugongs, turtles, and humpback whales in season (without the crowds). And with K'gari (Fraser Island) as your backdrop, a UNESCO World Heritage listed island right on your doorstep, the scenery is world-class.

On a practical level, a bareboat charter on the Fraser Coast is also significantly more affordable than comparable destinations. The region is also easily accessible with a 3.5 hour drive from Brisbane alongside direct flights into Hervey Bay from Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne.

Fraser Island Boat Charters is a local, family-run operation. We know these waterways intimately, and that knowledge makes a real difference to your charter experience. Scott has spent years on the Great Sandy Strait and brings that expertise to every pre-departure briefing, every vessel recommendation, and every piece of advice we offer our guests. We're not a booking platform or a broker sitting somewhere else - we're on the ground, genuinely invested in making your charter exceptional. When you book with us, you get honest advice and reliable support.