Big D

Big D Charters rents small inflatable boats to visitors who would rather explore the Maltese coast at their own pace than follow a tour group. Some of the boats in the fleet need no licence, which makes self-drive boating realistic for a UK holidaymaker with no sailing qualifications, and the team will talk you through the boat and the route before you leave.

The charter side belongs to Big D Ltd, an inflatable boat specialist with a workshop in Naxxar that also repairs, builds and sells rigid inflatable boats (RHIBs) and supplies fenders and covers to superyachts. You can compare other options in our directory of boat charter in Malta.

The charter fleet

The charter range runs from compact models to larger family boats. The BSC at 4.8 metres, the Lomac at 5 metres and the Capelli at 6.3 metres are marked as needing no licence. The fleet also includes an Arkos, a 7 metre LED and an 8.5 metre Ranieri, and a 10 metre BWA. Seating is four on the BSC, six on the Arkos and the Capelli, eight on the LED and five on the Ranieri, so choose the boat to match your group.

Boats are inflatables, which are light, stable and easy to beach, and the fleet is carefully maintained and fitted with the necessary safety equipment. Every boat complies with Transport Malta rules for hire, and charters are skippered in line with the law. Rental periods are flexible, from a half day to a full week, and rates are kept affordable, although the website does not print a price list.

Where you can go and how to behave on the water

The team suggests the Blue Lagoon, Gozo, Comino, the Crystal Lagoon, the Blue Grotto and St Paul's Bay, and offers navigational tips and ideas for quiet coves and secluded beaches. Our guides to the Blue Lagoon on Comino, the Blue Grotto and Gozo and its coast show what each stop offers, and the best beaches in Malta are a useful companion for planning where to anchor and swim.

Big D asks all charter guests to follow a few simple rules: keep rubbish on board and dispose of it ashore, never throw cigarette ends into the sea, look after everyone aboard, and respect speed limits and distances out of common sense as well as law. Safety comes first. If the waves are too strong the team will say so, and the charter can move to another day. Always check the forecast, and our Malta weather guide shows what to expect month by month.

Before you sail, the team goes through how to operate the boat and the safety guidelines, so first-time boaters can feel confident and comfortable from the very start of the trip.

Repairs for inflatable boats and dinghies

The wider business started with inflatables, and repair remains central. Big D repairs Hypalon and PVC dinghies and RHIBs for local and overseas clients and offers a free inspection. The head of the inflatables department moved to Malta from Milan in 2013 and trained under a mentor with 36 years on dinghies.

Services include cut and hole repair, fouling removal, replacement bumpers, valve repair, rebuilding the stern cone, mildew removal and full retubing, where a dinghy is given new fabric. Repairs to cuts and holes carry a one year warranty, while retubing comes with two years on labour and five years on the fabric. Big D has also patented a planing triangle design that covers both sides of the tube.

If you own a boat in Malta or arrive with an inflatable that needs attention, this is a good place to ask about a quote. Valve work is supported by stock of common parts and by 3D printing in the in-house workshop, and fouling removal uses chemicals that meet EU REACH rules. Upholstery is cut, sewn and fitted to the client's colours and materials, including vinyl, leather and foam, with delivery dates that are respected.

Superyacht services, fenders and covers

Since 2017 Big D has served yacht owners, captains, chandleries and brokers. Its D-FEND inflatable fenders are made in Hypalon and certified by RINA, the Italian classification society, and it also makes platform fenders, covers in Sunbrella and other heavy-duty fabrics, and custom marine upholstery. Water toy repair covers slides, paddleboard platforms, kayaks and inflatable climbing walls.

Big D repairs Yokohama rubber fenders, the large air-filled fenders used in ship-to-ship and ship-to-quay operations, with repairs completed in 24 hours and a five year warranty. It will travel to the client, and a stand-up paddleboard repair service also deals with seams, fins and customisation. A 3D development arm designs and prototypes new products, working with a designer based in Tunisia, and the SUP service stresses prompt repair because water can soak into a board's foam core. For superyacht crews arriving in the capital, our Valletta guide and hotels in Valletta cover the shore side.

History, credentials and materials

Big D began in Malta as a design and prototype studio for new types of vessel, and the island's sea and sun led it towards 3D applications and Hypalon prototypes. By 2013 it had helped several RHIB companies, with three patented designs and a first 3D configurator to its name. In 2015 it acquired a workshop in Turin where inflatables are designed, prototyped and produced, and in 2016 it was selected for innovation awards on the island as an emerging innovator and for innovation and technology.

The company holds Transport Malta certification as a boat builder and is an official partner of ORCA by Pennel et Flipò, a leading supplier of Hypalon fabric. Its RINA certifications cover its processes and its fenders, and two designs, the planing triangle and the platform fender, are registered. Its skilled manufacturers are in northern Italy, which is also the only place it buys materials.

Retubing is offered with genuine ORCA Hypalon fabric only, in grades including a military specification, with options for double bumpers, custom handles and custom colours. The platform fenders use carbon fibre composites and closed-cell foam to cut weight by more than half against standard fenders, and the heavy-duty covers use Hypalon, Sunbrella or high-density neoprene, which can carry embroidered logos.

The shop, the team and how to get in touch

The D-Store sells new and second-hand RHIBs and engines and three types of glue, all chosen as reliable options for Maltese conditions, and it lists a range of makes including Arkos, Capelli, Solemar and Nautica. Printed prices include a BSC 4.8 with a Suzuki 50hp engine at €14,250, and Hypalon glue at €25 for half a kilo or €37 for a kilo. New boats carry up to five years of warranty and second-hand boats at least one year.

The people behind Big D are a group of friends who share a passion for the sea: a head of the inflatables department, a technician, an electrician, an upholsterer and an Italian division of father and son specialists in Hypalon, supported by web and 3D partners. The company address is Sqaq Habel Zwejra in Naxxar. The website does not give a boat collection point or opening hours, so mention your dates, group size and any licence in your message. Use the VisitMalta.co.uk enquiry form on this page and we will pass it to Big D. If you need a hotel for the trip, see hotels in Sliema.