BYOB · 12 Guests · Private

BYOB Yacht Charter in San Diego, Bring What You Actually Want to Drink

Malarky is one of the only yacht charters in San Diego that allows you to bring your own. Beer, wine, champagne, spirits, mixers, snacks, full catering, whatever you'd actually want to drink on the water, you bring. No bar tab. No $13 cocktails. No "we only carry domestic beer." A private 47-foot Voyage catamaran for up to 12 guests, USCG captain available, with food and beverages chosen by you.

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5.0 stars · 412 Google reviews · ✓USCG Certified · USCG Captain · 12-Guest Private
BYOB yacht charter on San Diego Bay aboard Malarky's 47ft catamaran
What BYOB Means Here

What "BYOB" actually means on Malarky.

"BYOB" on Malarky means almost exactly what it sounds like. You bring the beer, the wine, the champagne, the spirits, the cocktail mixers, the non-alcoholic drinks, whatever your group actually wants to drink for the duration of the charter. There's no quantity cap within reason. There's no required minimum. There's no bar staff suggesting you order more.

The reason this works on Malarky and doesn't work on most other San Diego charter boats is structural, not philosophical. Most charter vessels in San Diego hold a liquor license. A liquor license requires the licensed business to be the sole alcohol provider on board, which is what enables the bar-tab model that funds those boats. Malarky doesn't hold a liquor license, we made the structural choice to skip it, and that's what enables you to bring your own.

You also get a fully private yacht charter on San Diego Bay in the bargain. The whole 47-foot catamaran is yours for the charter window, not a section of it. No other groups sharing the deck. No tour guide narrating landmarks. Whatever drinks you brought, you brought for your group alone.

Malarky's aft deck staged for BYOB charters. Yeti cooler, cockpit seating, and indoor lounge beyond
The Two Rules

Two rules: no glass, no red wine.

BYOB on Malarky has exactly two restrictions, each in place for a specific reason.

No drinking from glass on deck. Bring whatever bottles you want, wine, champagne, spirits, sparkling water, kombucha. When you're ready to drink, pour into the plastic cups we provide. Two reasons: safety (glass that breaks on a fiberglass deck is hard to fully clean up, and bare feet are common on a yacht charter); and environmental (a dropped glass bottle goes to the bottom of San Diego Bay and stays there).

No red wine. Red wine permanently stains the white deck and the cream upholstery on Malarky. Pigment soaks into the fiberglass and the fabric within seconds, and even immediate cleaning doesn't fully lift it. White wine, rosé, champagne, prosecco, sparkling rosé, and any other sparkling wine are all welcome. If you must have a bold red at some point in the evening, save it for the post-charter dinner.

Pro tip from regulars: if you'd rather not pour at all, pre-decant at home. Pick up a 12-pack of empty plastic water bottles at the grocery store, decant your bottles before you head to Shelter Island, label the bottles with masking tape, and you'll have everything pour-ready when you board.

The Math

Why BYOB saves real money.

The savings on BYOB compared to a bar-tab charter aren't marginal, they're often the difference between an extra hundred dollars and an extra thousand. Here's the math, by item.

On a typical bar-tab charter (the licensed-bar model used by most yacht-rental boats in San Diego), expect roughly: $8.50 for a domestic draft beer, $10.50 for a mixed drink, $13 for a specialty cocktail, and $70–$90 for a bottle of mid-tier champagne. Those prices are reasonable for a licensed bar, they fund the liquor license, the bartender's wages, and the inventory carry, but they add up quickly across a 12-guest group and a 3-hour window.

The same bottle, two prices. A bottle of champagne that runs about $20 at Costco is $70–$90 on a bar-tab boat. A $25 bottle of premium spirits comes out at $130-plus once it's poured at cocktail rates. A case of beer at retail is about $25; the same drinks ordered one at a time at $8.50 each add up to several times that. Even snacks and water carry a markup. The gap isn't a rounding error, it's the difference between retail pricing and bar pricing.

Realistic savings on a typical charter: $400 to $800 per outing, with the high end at sunset-charter and bachelorette pricing. Whatever your group decides to bring, you're buying it at retail instead of paying the markup.

Guests lounging with BYOB drinks on Malarky's aft deck with San Diego skyline behind
Packing Guide

What to bring, how to pack it.

Coolers and ice. We provide one cooler stocked with ice for every charter, that's the baseline. If your group is bringing a lot of drinks, bring one or two extra coolers and we'll store them on the aft deck, restocking from the boat's ice supply as needed. You don't need to bring your own ice. We have it.

What formats work best. Cans for beer, hard seltzer, mixed drinks, and sparkling water. Plastic bottles or boxed wine for white, rosé, and sparkling (or decanted from glass at the dock). Plastic-decanted spirits if you're bringing liquor. Cartons or plastic bottles for mixers, juice, and soda. Anything in glass gets transferred at the dock, not a problem, just a couple of extra minutes.

How much to bring. That's your group's call, and anything unopened goes home with you at the end of the charter. The one thing we do recommend plenty of: water, at least a 24-pack for a full group on a warm day, plus a good mix of non-alcoholic options like sparkling water, soda, and juice so everyone on board has something they like.

Where to shop. Costco is the consensus pick, pricing on champagne, beer, and snacks is the cleanest in San Diego. Trader Joe's for wine variety. Total Wine for spirits. Vons or Ralphs for last-minute fills. The Costco closest to Shelter Island is the Morena Boulevard location; budget about 45 minutes for a stock-up run including parking and check-out.

Snack-side packing. Pre-packaged charcuterie boards, sliced fruit, chips and dip, and a few sweet options travel well and require zero on-boat prep. Skip anything that needs heating or refrigeration beyond the cooler.

Couple lounging with BYOB drinks on Malarky's aft deck with San Diego skyline behind
BYOF Too

Bring your own food, or we can arrange catering.

The same logic that drives BYOB drives BYOF. You bring the food. Most groups bring takeout from a favorite spot in town, sushi platters, sandwich trays, charcuterie boards, taco spreads, pizza, or grocery-store assemblies that travel well. We don't cook onboard, but our crew is happy to plate, serve, and clean up whatever you bring. Hot food in non-glass containers is fine; just plan on eating it within the first hour or two before it cools.

If you'd rather not handle the food side at all, we partner with a roster of local San Diego caterers who can deliver to the dock or board with your group. Options range from light bites and charcuterie to fully plated multi-course meals, with menu and pricing varied by group size and dietary needs. Mention catering when you book and we'll send options. See the homepage FAQ on catering for the short version.

The same beverage rules apply to anything you bring food-side, no drinking from glass (pour into plastic), and no red wine in any food-pairing form.

When BYOB Wins

Five occasions BYOB is the right call.

Birthdays

Champagne toasts on the bow, a couple of bottles of your birthday person's actual favorite (not whatever the bar carries), and a small cake from the bakery you trust. Reserve a private birthday yacht on Malarky.

Bachelorettes

Everyone's favorite drinks. The exact rosé you've been planning around. None of the "we only carry one champagne" surprises. See the intimate bachelorette charter on Malarky.

Couples Sunset

A single bottle of champagne instead of a $25 glass each, sunset light, two people on a 47-foot catamaran. Anniversaries, date nights, low-key romance. Plan an anniversary charter on Malarky.

Family Day

Mocktails and juice boxes for the kids, beer and wine for the adults, no minimum-spend pressure to keep ordering. Family-friendly without the family-restaurant bill.

Executive Small Groups

Bring the premium spirits without the on-tab markup. Top-shelf scotch or wine for client entertaining at retail prices, not bar prices. Book a small executive charter for your team.

Safety Boundary

Captain & crew, where the line is.

BYOB on Malarky is permissive with what you bring. It's not permissive with what happens after you've had too much of it. The line is clearly drawn and the captain is the one drawing it.

Captain has full authority on safety. In rare cases, we mean rare, maybe once a season, the captain will refuse a clearly intoxicated guest at the dock before departure. We never embarrass anyone, we never make a scene, but if someone can't safely board, they don't board. The rest of the group sails. The vast majority of charters never see this come up.

The no-glass-overboard rule is strictly enforced. If you've decanted glass to plastic and we still see a glass container on board, it goes back to the dock. Same for anything that ends up overboard, we don't move past it; we recover what we can and we don't accept the line of "it was an accident." A few minutes of care from everyone keeps the bay clean.

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Frequently Asked

BYOB questions, answered.

Yes. Malarky is one of the only yacht charters in San Diego that allows BYOB. You can bring beer, wine, champagne, spirits, mixers, and non-alcoholic drinks. Two rules: no drinking from glass (pour into the plastic cups we provide) and no red wine (it permanently stains the deck and cushions).
Most San Diego yacht charters hold liquor licenses and operate on a bar-tab model, the bar tab is a major part of how they make money. Malarky doesn't hold a liquor license, which is what allows us to let guests bring their own. It's a structural difference in how the business is set up, not just a policy choice.
Realistic savings on a typical 3-hour charter for 12 guests: $400 to $800. A bottle of champagne at Costco runs about $20; the same bottle on a bar-tab charter runs $80 or more. A case of beer is around $25 at retail vs roughly $200 of draft tabs across the same group. The savings compound by guest and by hour.
Red wine permanently stains the white deck and cushions on Malarky, even with immediate cleaning, the pigment soaks in. White wine, rosé, champagne, and sparkling are all welcome. If you must have red, we recommend bringing it to a post-charter dinner instead.
Two reasons. Safety: glass that breaks on a boat deck is hard to fully clean up and creates injury risk for guests in bare feet. Environmental: a dropped glass bottle goes to the bottom of San Diego Bay and stays there. Bring whatever bottles you want, pour into the plastic cups we provide when you're ready to drink.
We provide one cooler with ice. If you're bringing a lot of drinks for a larger group, bring an extra cooler, we'll store it on the aft deck. You don't need to bring your own ice; we have it.
Yes. BYOF is allowed and encouraged. Most groups bring takeout, sandwiches, charcuterie boards, or grocery-store assemblies. We don't cook onboard but our crew will plate, serve, and clean up. If you'd rather have catering arranged, we partner with local San Diego caterers, mention it when you book.
Captain has full authority for safety. We're permissive with quantity; not permissive with anyone who can't board safely. In rare cases the captain will refuse a clearly intoxicated guest at the dock, before departure. Once underway, the captain's call on the boat is final. The vast majority of charters never see this come up.

For more, see our full frequently asked questions.

Reserve Your Day

BYOB yacht charter. Bring what you actually want.

Twelve guests. USCG captain available. The whole 47-foot catamaran. Pick a date and we'll handle the rest.

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Or call us at (844) 724-5787, we usually respond within an hour during business hours. For pricing details, see yacht charter pricing or browse current charter deals.