The 20–25 m open is how the Riviera actually does lunch: out of the berth mid-morning, a swim off the anchor, the table at Club 55 or La Guérite held for 1:30, back by sunset. Crewed, fuelled and provisioned — you step on and off.
High-season guide: €5,000–9,000 a day plus fuel and APA. Berthing, fuel and crew gratuity are quoted clearly before you commit.
See all yacht classes or the charter guide. Arrive by helicopter where the road is the bottleneck.
An open yacht keeps the guest space on one main deck under a hardtop. There is a long sun deck aft and a cabin level below. There is no flybridge. The point is speed, sunlight and an easy step down to the water.
The Pershing 8X marks the top of this size band at 25.5 metres. Its hull and superstructure are carbon fibre, which keeps it light.
It cruises at 41 knots and can reach 48 with the optional engines. Its draught at full load is only 1.4 metres. Below deck there are four cabins for eight, and space for four crew.
Speed has a cost. The range at 38 knots is about 320 nautical miles, which is ample for a day and short for a week.
Most boats in this class are under 24 metres. That line matters in France.
Yachts over 24 metres face specific anchoring bans on Posidonia seagrass and fixed zones off Pampelonne. A smaller open boat has more choice of sand patches close to the beach, though seagrass is protected for every vessel.
The shallow draught helps too. The boat can sit nearer the beach clubs, so the tender run to La Guérite or Club 55 is short.
It suits a group of up to ten for one long day, back at the berth by evening. There is no real shade beyond the hardtop, so it is less kind to young children in August.
For sleeping aboard, the sport flybridge is the next step up.