3 Yachts You Can Buy in Hawaii for Less Than a Condo
Here's a number that stops people cold: the median condominium on Oahu sold for about $528,000 in mid-2026. For that money you get a box in the sky, a monthly maintenance fee, and a parking stall you'll fight over. Or — for less — you could own a bluewater yacht, wake up to the water instead of your neighbor's lanai, and cast off whenever you feel like it. Right now Hawaii Yacht Group has three boats in Honolulu that cost less than that median condo. Here they are.
The comparison nobody runs
Everyone accepts that a home costs a fortune in Hawaii. Fewer people realize that a genuinely capable cruising yacht — 45 to 50 feet, set up to sail the islands and beyond — can be had here for a third to a half of what a mid-range condo costs. You won't build equity the way real estate does (more on that below), but you also won't be paying half a million dollars for four walls and a view you can't move. If the dream is time on the water, the math is friendlier than you think.
1. 1998 Tayana 48 Center Cockpit — "Easy Day" · $148,888
The Tayana 48 is a legend among bluewater sailors — a heavy, sea-kindly cutter built to cross oceans and bring you home. Easy Day is a center-cockpit layout, which means a private aft cabin and the kind of protected helm you'll appreciate when the trades pipe up in the channels. At $148,888 she's less than a third of the median Oahu condo, and she'll take you to the neighbor islands — or a great deal farther.
2. 2000 Farr 50 — "BB" · $148,888
If your taste runs faster, the Farr 50 is a different animal — a sleek, performance-oriented sloop with a serious sailing pedigree and four staterooms below. She's the boat from our walkthrough video that's racked up more than 79,000 views, so you can study her in detail before you ever step aboard. Fifty feet of sailboat for the price of a small condo, and a lot more fun on a breezy afternoon off Diamond Head.
3. 2008 Hunter 45 Deck Salon — "Praha" · $200,000
The newest of the three, the Hunter 45 Deck Salon trades some offshore heritage for light, space and easy sailing. The deck-salon design raises the main cabin for walk-around windows and a bright, open interior — the closest of the three to condo-style living, minus the HOA. At $200,000 she's still well under half the median Oahu condo, and she's set up to be sailed shorthanded.
"But a condo is an investment — isn't a boat just a money pit?"
Fair question, and here's the straight answer: a boat is not a home-equity play. Real estate on Oahu tends to appreciate; a boat generally doesn't, and it costs money to keep — slip fees, insurance, haul-outs and maintenance all add up. We break the real numbers down in our guide on the cost of owning a boat on Oahu. So no, don't buy a yacht as a retirement account. Buy it because you want the life — the sunsets off Waikiki, the weekend run to Lanai, the slip that feels like home. On that ledger, these three win easily.
How to actually make the jump
If one of these speaks to you, the path is simpler than buying a house. Start with our guide on how to buy a boat in Hawaii — an independent survey, a sea trial and a clean DOBOR title transfer are the key steps. Financing exists for boats too; here's how boat financing works in Hawaii. And if the plan is to actually live aboard, read the liveaboard rules on Oahu first — permitted liveaboard slips are limited and worth understanding before you buy. Then call us.
Want first dibs on the next one?
Tell us which boat caught your eye and we'll set up a viewing — or tell us your budget and how you'll use it, and we'll match you with the right vessel. Straight answers, no runaround. We pick up. We follow through.
Hawaii Yacht Group is Oahu's boat & yacht brokerage, based in Honolulu. Ready to look? Email contact@hawaiiyachtgroup.com.