Boston Whaler 420 Outrage42' 6"
View Specs & ReviewProtected inside water, berths to 200 feet, and seven feet at low tide
Yachting in The Abacos
A Minted Location · The Abacos, The Bahamas
The Abacos are the easiest cruising ground in The Bahamas to plan properly. Marsh Harbour has "200 Boat Slips for up to 200' length vessels", a full seasonal tariff, metered power and water and a standalone fuel dock. Green Turtle Cay has forty slips to 130 feet, a rate grid across three seasons, and — the number that matters most — a controlling depth of 7 feet at mean low tide. Hope Town has fifty slips to 125 feet and moorings capped at 45.
That last set of figures is the whole story. In the Abacos, length is not the constraint. Depth is. A 130-foot berth over seven feet of water is not a 130-foot berth for most 130-footers. The Sea of Abaco is protected, well-marked inside water — and it is thin, and the boat that suits it is the one chosen for draft first.
One more figure worth knowing before you shop rather than after: Marsh Harbour charges catamarans 1.5 times the standard rate. At the peak-season $6.90 per foot that is $10.35 a foot — on a 50-foot cat over a two-week stay, real money.
So treat the Abacos as what they are: the season market. Protected water, three working harbours, a port of entry at Marsh Harbour, and a draft ceiling that quietly selects the boat.
Where to keep a yacht in The Abacos
Marsh Harbour is the market's hub. Abaco Beach Resort & Boat Harbour Marina has "200 Boat Slips for up to 200' length vessels" and is a "designated Bahamas Port of Entry in protected waters", with Customs and Immigration clearance on site. Power is "Single & Three-Phase Power (110V/220V/480V, 50amps, 100amps)", metered; water is metered and potable; and there is a "Standalone Fuel Dock with Diesel (Low Sulphur) & Gasoline." It monitors VHF 16 and works VHF 17.
Its dockage, per foot per day:
| Stay | Mar – Aug 2026 | Sep 2026 – Feb 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| Short term (1–30 days) | $6.90 | $5.50 |
| Monthly (31–60 days) | $5.95 | $4.80 |
| Long term (61–89 days) | $4.95 | $3.60 |
Electricity is $0.80 per kilowatt-hour and water $0.20 per gallon. ⚠️ Catamarans are charged 1.5× the rate — $10.35 a foot at the peak. Price a multihull for the Bahamas before the survey rather than after the first invoice.
Green Turtle Cay is the northern anchor, and it carries the number to plan around. Green Turtle Club & Marina has "40 slip modern facilities, able to accommodate vessels up to 130 feet" with "30/50/100 amp service", water and fuel on site, and — the figure that decides the boat — "The controlling depth at mean low tide is 7′." Office hours are 07:45–17:45, extended in high season; hail on VHF 16; non-resort guests clearing customs pay $50.
Its 2026 rate grid, per foot per day, runs three seasons deep:
| Low (Nov–Feb) | High (Mar–Aug) | Peak (Jun–Jul) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard slip | $2.75 | $3.50 | $4.25 |
| Standard, monthly | $1.75 | $3.00 | — |
| Premium slip | $3.25 | $4.00 | $4.75 |
| Premium, monthly | $2.75 | $3.50 | — |
Tenders not occupying a separate slip are $30 per night, and there is no charge for the complimentary dock or small inflatables.
Hope Town on Elbow Cay is the third harbour, with "50 slip surge free, first class pedestals", dockage "for vessels up to 125 ft", moorings for boats up to 45 ft, "30 / 50 / 100 AMP service" and "Fresh water by reverse osmosis", plus laundry, freezers, showers, ice, Wi-Fi, a pool and restaurants. Rates, fuel and a working channel are settled with the marina — call ahead, and confirm the depth at the slip before you take a deep-draft boat in.
Yard work in the Abacos is a delivery, not an errand. Marsh Harbour Boatyards is the local yard, and lift capacity, beam and dates are agreed with it directly. For anything larger the lift to plan around is Bradford Marine in Freeport, on Grand Bahama, with a 150-ton travelift and a 1,200-ton drydock — so budget the passage legs both ways before you commit to a refit date.
Marinas
| Name | Where | Max yacht | Slips | Fuel |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abaco Beach Resort & Boat Harbour Marina"200 Boat Slips for up to 200' length vessels" and a "designated Bahamas Port of Entry in protected waters", with customs and immigration clearance on site. Metered single and three-phase power (110V/220V/480V, 50 and 100 amp) and metered potable water. Monitors VHF 16, works VHF 17. Electric $0.80/kWh, water $0.20/gallon. Catamarans are charged 1.5× the rate — $10.35 a foot at the peak, so price a multihull for Bahamas use before you buy rather than after the first invoice. | Marsh Harbour — the market's hub | 200 ft | 200 | Standalone fuel dock — low-sulphur diesel and gasoline |
| Green Turtle Club & Marina"40 slip modern facilities, able to accommodate vessels up to 130 feet", with 30/50/100 amp service and water. The number that decides the boat: "The controlling depth at mean low tide is 7′." Office 07:45–17:45, extended in high season; VHF 16. Non-resort guests clearing customs pay $50. Tenders not in a separate slip are $30 per night, and there is no charge for the complimentary dock or small inflatables. | Green Turtle Cay — the northern anchor | 130 ft | 40 | Diesel and fuel on site |
| Hope Town Inn & Marina"50 slip surge free, first class pedestals" with dockage "for vessels up to 125 ft", 30/50/100 amp service and "Fresh water by reverse osmosis", plus laundry, freezers, showers, ice, Wi-Fi, a pool and restaurants. The moorings — capped at 45 feet by the operator — are the practical way into Hope Town for a boat lying off. Rates, fuel and a working channel are settled with the marina, so call ahead and confirm the depth at the slip before you take a deep-draft boat in. | Hope Town, Elbow Cay | 125 ft | 50 | — |
Figures are as each facility publishes them on its own site; blank cells mean the facility doesn't state a number. Confirm slip availability and current rates directly — or ask us to make the calls.
Cruising from The Abacos
Read the depth line first, because it decides the boat. Green Turtle Club publishes 7 feet at mean low tide as its controlling depth. That is the Abacos in a single figure: a market that will berth a 130-footer on paper and float perhaps a seven-foot draft in practice. The protected inside water — the Sea of Abaco, running between the mainland and the barrier cays — is the attraction and the constraint at once.
The Abaco ocean cuts are local-knowledge water. The passages between the Sea of Abaco and the Atlantic run with the sea state rather than to a fixed figure. Treat them as a daylight, settled-conditions decision and take current local advice on the day.
Clearing in. Marsh Harbour is the Abacos' designated port of entry, with Customs and Immigration on site. Green Turtle charges non-resort guests $50 to clear. The country-wide rules apply and are worth restating because they are easy to get wrong:
- Fly the yellow quarantine flag on arrival; only the captain may leave the boat until the vessel is cleared.
- ⚠️ Foreign pleasure vessels over 50 feet must run AIS at all times in Bahamian waters. The stated fine is $1,000.
- The cruising permit covers departure tax for three people; each additional person is $30 per visit.
- A fishing permit is separate — $100 under 50 feet, $300 over — and expires at thirty days even under a twelve-month cruising permit.
- Outbound clearance documents, where required, are $75. Filing is through Click2Clear, with no username or password required.
The 2026 fee schedule, published by the Ministry of Tourism, Investments & Aviation under Regulations 91 and 91B and effective 1 April 2026:
| Permit | ≤30 ft | 30–50 ft | 50–100 ft | Over 100 ft |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30-day (no free re-entry) | $150 | $250 | $350 | $600 |
| 6-month (one free re-entry) | — | $300 | $750 | $2,000 |
| 12-month (two free re-entries) | — | $500 | $1,000 | $3,000 |
Two schedules are in circulation for the same permit. The Bahamas Customs Department's Pleasure Vessels page bands 3-month and 12-month permits at 34, 100, 150 and 200 feet and prices a 60-footer at $300 against the Ministry's $350. Plan against the effective-dated Ministry schedule above, and carry both numbers to the counter.
Anchorage fees are separate and apply only to vessels not docking at a marina: $50 to $200 for thirty days by size, to $1,500 for twelve months over 100 feet. In the Ministry's framing the fee applies "only if a vessel actually anchors" rather than on entering the country — which, in a cruising ground like this one where half the trip is on the hook, is the difference between a rounding error and a real line item.
The season sets the price, and both harbours draw it in nearly the same place. High season starts in March and runs through August; low season picks up from September. Green Turtle adds a June–July peak on top. At Marsh Harbour the swing is $5.50 to $6.90 per foot; at Green Turtle it is $2.75 to $4.25. Plan the trip around those dates and the same berth costs meaningfully less.
- The Sea of Abaco — plan for draft, not for length — Between the mainland and the barrier caysThe attraction and the constraint are the same thing. The Sea of Abaco is protected, well-marked inside water, and Green Turtle's published 7-foot controlling depth at mean low tide is a fair guide to what it will float. The ocean cuts out to the Atlantic run with the sea state — treat those passages as daylight, settled-conditions, local-advice water.
- Anchoring in The Bahamas — the fee, and when it applies — Bahamian waters generallyFrom 1 April 2026 the Regulation 91B anchorage fee is separate from the cruising permit and, in the Ministry's own framing, applies "only if a vessel actually anchors" rather than on entering the country. Thirty days runs $50 not exceeding 30 ft, $100 from 30 to 100 ft and $200 over 100 ft; twelve months runs $200, $350 and $1,500. In a cruising ground where half the trip is on the hook, this is the line item to get right.
Service, refit & supplies
Shipyards & refit
| Name | Where | Max yacht | Dockage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hauling out — Bradford Marine, FreeportYard work in the Abacos is a delivery rather than an errand, and it is worth planning that way from the start. Marsh Harbour Boatyards is the local yard; lift capacity, beam and dates are agreed with it directly. For anything larger the lift to plan around is Bradford Marine in Freeport on Grand Bahama — a 150-ton travelift and a 1,200-ton drydock — so budget the passage legs both ways before you commit to a refit date. | Marsh Harbour and the barrier cays | — | — |
On the The Abacos calendar
The Abacos run a three-tier season, and both major harbours agree on where the line falls.
- Marsh Harbour: high March – August 2026 at $6.90 per foot short-term; low September 2026 – February 2027 at $5.50. Monthly and long-term bands drop to $4.80 and $3.60 in the low season.
- Green Turtle Cay: low November – February, high March – August, and a June–July peak on top. Standard slips run $2.75 → $3.50 → $4.25 per foot.
- Green Turtle marina office: 07:45 – 17:45, extended in high season.
- Green Turtle customs clearance for non-resort guests: $50.
The two harbours do not draw the low season in the same place. Marsh Harbour's low season begins in September; Green Turtle's begins in November — so September and October are low at one harbour and high at the other. On a 60-footer for a fortnight, that gap is worth planning the route around.
Race and regatta dates are set by the organising clubs — confirm them with the organiser. The seasonal rate lines above are the dates that actually change what a trip costs.
Yachts we'd shortlist for The Abacos
Reviewed the same way as everything on this site — specifications verified against the builder's own numbers.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where do you clear customs in the Abacos?
Marsh Harbour is the designated port of entry, and Abaco Beach Resort & Boat Harbour Marina has customs and immigration clearance on site in protected waters. Green Turtle Club also handles clearance, at $50 for non-resort guests. Fly the yellow quarantine flag on arrival and keep everyone but the captain aboard until the vessel is cleared. Note the rule that catches American owners: foreign pleasure vessels over 50 feet must run AIS at all times in Bahamian waters, with a stated $1,000 fine for non-compliance.
What does dockage cost in the Abacos?
Both major harbours run full seasonal tariffs. Abaco Beach Resort & Boat Harbour Marina at Marsh Harbour charges $6.90 per foot per day for stays of 1 to 30 days from March to August 2026, falling to $5.50 from September 2026 to February 2027, with monthly and long-term bands down to $3.60. Green Turtle Club runs three seasons: standard slips at $2.75 per foot low season (November–February), $3.50 high season (March–August) and $4.25 at the June–July peak, with premium slips $0.50 more. Electricity and water are metered separately at Marsh Harbour — $0.80 per kilowatt-hour and $0.20 per gallon.
When is the cheapest time to keep a boat in the Abacos?
Autumn and early winter, but the two main harbours do not define it the same way — and that gap is worth planning around. Marsh Harbour's low season starts in September and runs to February, taking short-term dockage from $6.90 to $5.50 per foot. Green Turtle Club's low season does not start until November, so September and October are low season at one harbour and high season at the other. Green Turtle also adds a June–July peak that Marsh Harbour does not.
How deep is the water in the Abacos?
The number to plan around is Green Turtle Club's published controlling depth of 7 feet at mean low tide. That is the honest ceiling for the Sea of Abaco, and it is why length is not the binding constraint in this market. Marsh Harbour berths vessels up to 200 feet and Green Turtle up to 130, but a 130-foot berth over seven feet of water is not a 130-foot berth for most boats that size. Choose the boat for draft first. The ocean cuts out to the Atlantic run with the sea state, so treat those passages as daylight, settled-conditions water and take local advice on the day.
Do marinas in the Bahamas charge catamarans more?
In the Abacos, yes. Abaco Beach Resort & Boat Harbour Marina at Marsh Harbour charges catamarans 1.5 times the standard rate — which at the peak-season $6.90 per foot works out at $10.35 a foot. That surcharge is Marsh Harbour's own, so confirm the multihull rate with Green Turtle Club when you book there. Either way, factor it in before buying a catamaran for Bahamas use rather than after the first invoice.
Is there dock and dine in the Abacos?
In the form that actually works in this cruising ground, yes — and it runs from the marinas rather than the restaurants. Green Turtle Club makes no charge for its complimentary dock or small inflatables, with tenders not occupying a slip at $30 per night, which amounts to a free dinghy dock. Hope Town Inn & Marina has moorings for boats up to 45 feet and restaurants on the property. Beyond those, the famous barrier-cay beach bars are reached the way they always have been: take a berth or a mooring at one of the three harbours and go in by tender.