MOTOR YACHT

Deck Space
More external space than on a monohull but less than on a catamaran.

Personal Space
Cabins and beds tend to be 20 to 40 percent larger than on sailboats, and feel more like hotel accommodations. Typically, there's more room overall than on sailboats, because motor yacht hulls are taller and have additional interior and exterior levels.

Stability
No heeling, but motor yachts can pitch dramatically in sea swells unless they have stabilizers.

Maneuverability
Very easy to drive; most power yachts have twin engines and some have bow thrusters.

Cost
Typically the priciest choice.

Unique Advantage
Arrive more quickly, cover more territory, and reach the mooring balls before other sailors do.

Overall Comfort
Most comfortable of the three boat types, except for the noise of the engine.

Best For
Privacy and luxury seekers and those not interested in sailing.

Points of Sail
Resources for vacations at sea

charterwave.com
Provides a list of reputable charter brokers worldwide.

ed-hamilton.com
This Maine-based charter broker's site lists more than 1,000 power and sailing yachts worldwide; search by price or by location.

internationalyachtchartergroup.com
A Florida-based company with an online inventory of more than 1,200 power and sailing yachts worldwide that range in size from 30 to 400 feet.

leboat.com
A U.S.-based agent who specializes in booking hotel barges and self-drive boats in Belgium, France, Germany, Holland, Italy, and the United Kingdom.

moorings.com, sunsail.com
The two largest bareboat charter companies, they offer both skippered and crewed boats and have charter bases in Australia, Belize, the Canary Islands, the Caribbean, the Mediterranean, New Zealand, the Pacific Northwest, the Seychelles, Thailand, the United Kingdom, and Vietnam.

yachtstore.com
This Connecticut-based company has power and sailing yachts ranging from 70 to 200 feet.

Alaska By Ferry
Hop-on, hop-off cruising

For her summer vacation several years ago, Virginia elementary school teacher Lou Ann Aepelbacher wanted to explore Alaska but wasn't interested in what she calls "the canned experience" offered by major cruise lines. Instead, for two weeks Aepelbacher and a friend sailed the Inside Passage on the ferries of the Alaska Marine Highway System (dot.state.ak.us/amhs). They spent days watching whales, sea otters, and coastal scenery from the ship observatories, and nights sleeping in cabins on board or in hotels during brief visits to cities including Juneau and Petersburg. "It was down-to-earth and just beautiful," Aepelbacher says of her trip.