Boats and yachts in Malta Living: from a €9,000 luzzu to a superyacht

You can now buy a boat in a life sim that's all about the island: Malta Living, the free game you play in your browser. Five boats are on sale, from a painted luzzu to a superyacht with a helipad. You name her, pick where she's berthed, and she sits in your net worth from the moment she's yours.

The five boats

Boats live in the Cars app, under the Boats chip, next to cars and bikes. Each card says what the boat is good for, how many people come aboard, where she's berthed, her price in the game and, small beside it, about what one costs on the island. Game prices sit at about a fifth of the real ones, so the scale feels real but reachable.

• Luzzu, €9,000. The colourful fishing boat with its painted eye. Four aboard; fishing and coves.
• RIB, €18,000. Grey tubes and a console. Six aboard; fast to Comino.
• Sailboat, €160,000. A mast and two sails. Eight aboard; sunsets, and later, a night aboard.
• Motor yacht, €550,000. Two decks. Twelve aboard; parties and Gozo.
• Superyacht, €3,500,000. Three decks and a helipad. Thirty aboard, with crew.

You pay from your wallet, as you do for a car or a home. A skipper takes every boat out for now; boat licences come later.

Name her

Tap a boat, then See the boat. The sheet that opens is all about her name. The chips start with Lady @you (your own name after the @), then the island's favourites: Saħħa Bae, Champagne Problems, Il-Ħolma, Knot on Call, Sea-renity, Prosecco Pirate and Qalbi Tiegħi. Prefer your own? Tap ✏️ My own and type it: 2 to 30 letters. Every name goes through the same filter as club names, and the card on top shows how it'll look on her side.

Pick her berth

Boats berth by size, at real marinas:

• Msida Marina takes a luzzu, a RIB or a sailboat.
• Portomaso in St Julian's takes the motor yachts.
• The Grand Harbour, at Birgu, takes the superyachts.
• Mġarr, Gozo takes any boat.

A berth that doesn't take your boat's size says so on its tile. Then tap Buy. If your connection drops and you tap again, the game sends the same request, so you never pay twice.

What she costs to keep

Every boat costs 0.3% of her price a week for her berth, insurance and service. It's paid every Saturday at 18:00, with your cars' insurance and road licence, one line in the Bank for each boat:

• a luzzu €27 a week, a RIB €54;
• a sailboat €480, a motor yacht €1,650;
• a superyacht €10,500.

Short of money on a Saturday? Nothing is taken. The week waits on her as owed, and she stays docked until you pay it, in Cars → Boats, or the next Saturday takes it with that week's. You're told once, and she's never taken from you.

Selling, and your net worth

A boat sells like a car: she's worth 15% less as you take her, then 1% less each full day, down to 40% of what you paid. Sell is on every boat under Your boats, with her price and a check first; anything she owes comes out of the sale.

Your boats count in your net worth at what they'd sell for now, less anything owed. So buying a superyacht doesn't make you look €3.5 million poorer: the Bank shows her on your balance sheet, next to your homes and businesses.

What's coming

This is the first step. Next come the marinas you can walk into at Msida and Portomaso, your boat at a seafront home's jetty, going out on the water (the Blue Lagoon, the sunset off Sliema, fishing off Marsaxlokk on a luzzu), boat parties with friends, and a superyacht anyone can rent for a party of thirty. If you're saving up, a luxury home and a boat make a fine pair. New here? Start with the Malta life simulator guide. On the real island, small craft are registered with Transport Malta.

Questions people ask

Can I buy a boat with euros I bought?

Yes, as for cars and homes. Your wallet pays for her, whichever euros are in it.

Can I own more than one boat?

Yes, as many as you like, each with her own name and berth, and her own week to pay.

What happens if I can't pay her week?

She stays docked until you pay what she owes, in Cars → Boats. She's never taken, and if you sell her, what she owes comes out of the sale.

Can I take her out yet?

Not yet. Going out on the water, with routes and fuel, comes in the next steps, after the marinas open.