Boston Whaler 380 Outrage38' 0"
View Specs & ReviewA sportfishing harbour whose selling point is diesel at every slip
Yachting in Montauk
A Minted Location · Montauk, New York
If the boat you are shortlisting has a tower, a bait station and a 4 a.m. departure in it, Montauk is built for exactly that. If it is a displacement motoryacht, read the draft numbers before you fall for the postcard.
The clearest signal in this harbour is a fuel line. Sam's Star Island Yacht Club & Marina puts it in capitals on its own website: "Diesel Fuel at Every Slip — The ONLY Marina in Montauk to Offer This Service." Nobody builds that for a boat that leaves the dock twice a summer. The same operator's ship's store is first and foremost a tackle shop — it calls itself the live bait headquarters in Montauk. Across the lake, Montauk Anglers Club & Marina publishes a big-game weigh station with equipment that can handle fish up to 1,250 lbs, and in the same breath a maximum draft of 6 ft.
That 6 ft is the number that decides things. Montauk Lake Club publishes 8 ft. The deepest dock draft published in the harbour is 12 ft, and it belongs to the one venue here built for motoryachts: Safe Harbor Montauk Yacht Club on Star Island, which lists slips from 12 ft to 300 ft on a maximum beam of 45 ft and describes itself as welcoming everything from day boats to 300-foot superyachts. Treat that 300 ft as the market's luxury exception rather than its character. The same operator also advertises "unrestricted height and draft capacity" alongside that 12 ft figure — plan against 12 ft and confirm anything deeper with the dockmaster before you sail.
And the season is roughly five months. The Star Island resort states plainly that "the resort and marina operate seasonally—from spring through fall," and every yard in the harbour is built on the assumption that the fleet comes out of the water for winter.
Where to keep a yacht in Montauk
Everything is in Lake Montauk, and the lake sorts itself into two shores plus an island.
Star Island carries the market's two largest berths. Safe Harbor Montauk Yacht Club publishes slips from 12 ft to 300 ft with a maximum beam of 45 ft, calls itself the Hamptons' largest marina, and sells the resort around it — pools, a spa and 106 guest rooms. Transient slips and moorings are booked through Dockwa, with a 40 ft minimum charge, and the marina operates seasonally, spring through fall. A few hundred yards away, Sam's Star Island Yacht Club & Marina publishes transient dockage to 170 ft, Shell diesel and gasoline, diesel at every slip, and minimum stays that tell you exactly what kind of weekend this is: two nights Thursday to Saturday, three nights over July 4th and Labor Day.
The West Lake shore is the working side. Montauk Marine Basin calls itself a full-service shipyard, runs 70-ton travel lifts with mechanics on staff, sells ValvTect ultra-low-sulphur diesel and 89 octane gasoline, and publishes seasonal dockage at $185–$225 per foot. Beside it, Uihlein's Marina publishes something you almost never see on a yacht page: an hourly transient tariff — $5.00 per foot up to four hours, $6.00 per foot after four hours, $7.00 per foot overnight, registered at the front desk. That is a day-boat and rental business, and it is a fair description of a good part of this shore. West Lake Marina states approximately 40 fixed dock slips for its larger boats and approximately 60 floating dock slips for smaller ones, with a launching ramp, dry and indoor winter storage, winterisation and shrink wrapping — and an amenity list that reads fish cleaning, bait, tackle, charter booking, rod rentals, ice.
The East Lake shore is Montauk Anglers Club & Marina: maximum LOA 150 ft, maximum draft 6 ft, gasoline and diesel, seasonal and transient moorings, roughly 175 boats in winter storage — and the weigh station rated to 1,250 lbs. Its own pages give the berth count two ways, 155 seasonal slips and 162 berths, so book by telephone rather than by the number. Montauk Lake Club sits on the same water as a private club: 200 ft maximum, or 8 ft of draft, floating docks up to 60 ft, a hi-speed diesel pump and a premium gas pump, 100 amp electric, a fish-cleaning station and a dinghy dock. Seasonal dockage requires membership, and visitors are welcome once per summer for a short stay of up to five days, reciprocal clubs only.
The rest of the harbour runs on the telephone rather than on a tariff, so book it that way. Montauk Sportsman's Dock settles slip size, depth and rate on the call. West Lake Marina and Uihlein's set no maximum length, so give them your LOA when you reserve. Diamond Cove Marina lists a 30- and 40-ton travel lift, 30 and 50 amp service and monitors VHF 19 — confirm capacity and rates with the yard before you plan work around a date.
Marinas
| Name | Where | Max yacht | Slips | Fuel |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Safe Harbor Montauk Yacht ClubThe one venue in Montauk positioned for motoryachts: slips published at 12 ft to 300 ft with a maximum beam of 45 ft, sold as the Hamptons' largest marina and welcoming everything from day boats to 300-foot superyachts, with a resort of pools, spa and 106 guest rooms attached. The operator states a 12 ft maximum draft on one page and "unrestricted height and draft capacity" on another — plan against 12 ft and confirm anything deeper with the dockmaster. Its season statement is unambiguous: "The resort and marina operate seasonally—from spring through fall." | 32 Star Island Road, Star Island — Lake Montauk | 300 ft | — | — |
| Sam's Star Island Yacht Club & MarinaThe clearest statement of what this market is. Diesel at every slip is a feature built for boats that leave at 4 a.m. and burn fuel, and the ship's store is first and foremost a tackle shop — the marina calls itself the live bait headquarters in Montauk. Also runs 50- and 100-ton open-end travel lifts on site. Give them your LOA and draft when you book — slip size and depth are settled on the call. | 59 Star Island Road — Lake Montauk | 170 ft | — | Shell diesel and gasoline — and, in the marina's own capitals, "Diesel Fuel at Every Slip — The ONLY Marina in Montauk to Offer This Service" |
| Montauk Anglers Club & MarinaPublishes a big-game weigh station with weighing equipment that can handle fish up to 1,250 lbs — and a maximum draft of 6 ft, which rules out most displacement motoryachts outright. Those two facts sit on the same site and describe the same customer. Stores approximately 175 boats each winter. Its own pages give the berth count two ways, 155 seasonal slips and 162 berths, so book by telephone rather than by the number. | 467 East Lake Drive — East Lake shore, Lake Montauk | 150 ft | — | Gasoline and diesel |
| West Lake MarinaStates approximately 40 fixed dock slips for its larger boats and approximately 60 floating dock slips for smaller ones. Launching ramp, dry and indoor winter storage, winterisation and shrink wrapping. The amenity list is the tell: fish cleaning, bait, tackle, charter booking, rod rentals and ice. It sets no maximum length, so give them your LOA and draft when you book. | 352 West Lake Drive — West Lake shore, Lake Montauk | — | — | — |
| Uihlein's MarinaPublishes an hourly transient tariff, which makes this a day-boat and rental business rather than a yacht berth — and a fair picture of how a good part of the West Lake shore works. No maximum length is set, so confirm length and depth when you register. | 444 West Lake Drive — West Lake shore, Lake Montauk | — | — | — |
| Montauk Sportsman's DockA working dock on the Lake Montauk shore that runs on the telephone rather than on a tariff: slip size, depth, fuel and rate are all agreed on the call, so ring before you plan around it. | 414 West Lake Drive — West Lake shore, Lake Montauk | — | — | — |
Yacht clubs
| Name | Where | Max yacht | Slips | Fuel |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Montauk Lake ClubPublishes 200 ft maximum, or 8 ft of draft, with floating docks up to 60 ft, electric to 100 amp, a fish-cleaning station and a dinghy dock. It is a private club, so both the length and the depth come with a membership. | Lake Montauk | 200 ft | — | Both — a hi-speed diesel pump and a premium gas pump |
Fuel docks
| Name | Where | Max yacht | Slips | Fuel |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sam's Star Island Yacht Club Fuel DockThe market's defining piece of infrastructure, in the operator's own capitals: "Diesel Fuel at Every Slip — The ONLY Marina in Montauk to Offer This Service." Fuel comes to the boat rather than the boat to the fuel dock. | 59 Star Island Road — inside Sam's Star Island Yacht Club & Marina | — | — | Shell diesel and gasoline |
| Montauk Marine Basin Fuel DockThe West Lake shore's fuel stop, publishing both its fuel brand and its octane. Call the yard for hours before you plan an early departure around it. | West Lake Drive — inside Montauk Marine Basin | — | — | ValvTect Marine Fuel — ultra-low-sulphur diesel and 89 octane gasoline |
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 Montauk
Lake Montauk is the whole cruising story locally: a single dredged entrance from Block Island Sound at the top of the lake, Star Island in the middle with the two big-yacht berths on it, the working yards down the West Lake shore, and the sportfishing marinas on East Lake. Almost everything a visiting boat needs is inside that one basin.
The federal channel is what makes that basin usable. The authorised channel into Lake Montauk Harbor is 12 ft deep at MLLW and 150 ft wide, running from the 12-ft contour in Block Island Sound to the same depth in the yacht basin east of Star Island, with a 2026 dredging contract deepening it further. Lake Montauk is also the harbour of refuge on this stretch of coast — the only one for roughly fifty miles for large fishing and recreational vessels caught out in heavy weather. Confirm the current controlling depth with the Army Corps or the Town before you bring a deep-draft boat in on a falling tide, and take the entrance sea state from the marina you are booked into: no venue here publishes bar or swell guidance.
The constraint that governs the market is dock draft, and it is published. Safe Harbor Montauk Yacht Club states 12 ft, Montauk Lake Club 8 ft, Montauk Anglers Club 6 ft. Read them in that order and the market explains itself: a 6 ft limit rules out most displacement motoryachts outright, while a centre console with outboards fits every venue in the harbour without a second thought.
Anchoring inside the lake is on a clock. The Town Code bars a vessel from lying anchored unoccupied for more than twelve hours without the Harbormaster's permission — so if the plan is to leave the boat on the hook and spend the day ashore, make that call first. The Harbormaster is also the person to ask about holding and depths inside the lake.
Sag Harbor and Shelter Island, on the far side of the South Fork, are a genuinely different boating culture — a walk-off village waterfront with a very different fleet, covered on their own page. It is a mistake to read the two as one Hamptons market.
- Lake Montauk anchoring — Lake Montauk — Town of East Hampton watersAnchoring inside the lake is on a clock: the Town Code bars a vessel from lying anchored unoccupied for more than twelve hours without the Town Harbormaster's permission. If the plan is to leave the boat on the hook and spend the day ashore, call the Harbormaster first — and ask about holding, depths and where inside the lake to lie while you have him.
Service, refit & supplies
Shipyards & refit
| Name | Where | Max yacht | Dockage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Montauk Marine BasinCalls itself a full-service shipyard, with 70-ton travel lifts and mechanics on staff, and publishes seasonal dockage at $185–$225 per foot. Between this yard and the 50- and 100-ton lifts at Star Island, Montauk can haul its own fleet — which is the point, because every yard here assumes the boats come out for winter. Give them your LOA and draft when you book a berth or a lift. | West Lake Drive — West Lake shore, Lake Montauk | — | Booked through Dockwa; hourly dockage at $20.00 per hour to 30 ft and $25.00 per hour at 31 ft and over, $30 minimum |
| Diamond Cove MarinaPublishes a 30- and 40-ton travel lift, 30 amp and 50 amp electric service and monitors VHF 19. Confirm lift capacity, length, beam and rates with the yard directly before you plan work around a date. | 364 West Lake Drive — West Lake shore, Lake Montauk | — | — |
Chandleries & specialty suppliers
- Star Island Ship's Store — Star Island — inside Sam's Star Island Yacht Club & MarinaCarries marine cleaners, electrical connectors, hardware, plumbing fittings, line, fenders, lubricants and fuel filters — alongside tackle, which is the half of the inventory that tells you what this harbour is for.
- Montauk Marine Basin Ship Store — West Lake Drive — inside Montauk Marine BasinFoul weather gear, stainless hardware and Interlux bottom paint alongside inshore and offshore tackle and bait — half chandlery, half tackle shop, which is the shape of the harbour it serves.
On the Montauk calendar
Montauk's calendar is a fishing calendar, and two events publish real terms.
Star Island Yacht Club runs "5 Days of Fishing," Monday to Saturday, June 1st–6th, 2026, with no entry fee — but read the qualifier, because it changes who it is for: the event is open to Star Island Yacht Club seasonal dockage holders only, not the open public shark tournament many people still remember.
Montauk Marine Basin publishes terms for its Shark Tag Tournament: entry at $1,250, including four dinner tickets, with tournament dockage at $5.00 per foot plus $35.00 per day for utilities. Dates are set by the organiser each year — confirm them directly before you plan a passage around the tournament.
What the season looks like around all of it: about five months. The Star Island resort marina states that it operates seasonally, spring through fall. Every yard in the harbour is built around the fleet coming out: West Lake Marina sells winterisation and shrink wrapping, Montauk Marine Basin sells winter storage, and Montauk Anglers Club stores approximately 175 boats each winter. If you are buying a boat to keep here, you are also buying five months of use and a haul-out.
Yachts we'd shortlist for Montauk
Reviewed the same way as everything on this site — specifications verified against the builder's own numbers.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where can you buy fuel and haul out in Montauk?
Sam's Star Island Yacht Club & Marina sells Shell diesel and gasoline and publishes the market's defining line in capitals — diesel fuel at every slip, the only marina in Montauk to offer the service. Montauk Marine Basin sells ValvTect ultra-low-sulphur diesel and 89 octane gasoline, and Montauk Anglers Club and Montauk Lake Club both publish gas and diesel pumps. For haul-out, Star Island runs 50- and 100-ton open-end travel lifts, Montauk Marine Basin runs 70-ton travel lifts with mechanics on staff, and Diamond Cove publishes a 30- and 40-ton lift — confirm capacity, length and beam with the yard before you plan work around a date.
How long is the Montauk boating season?
About five months, spring through fall, and the venues say so themselves. The Star Island resort marina states plainly that the resort and marina operate seasonally, from spring through fall. Every yard in the harbour is built on the fleet coming out of the water afterwards: West Lake Marina sells winterisation and shrink wrapping, Montauk Marine Basin sells winter storage, and Montauk Anglers Club stores approximately 175 boats each winter. If you keep a boat here, you are buying five months of use plus a haul-out, not a year-round berth.
Is Montauk a good home port for a motoryacht?
For most displacement motoryachts, no — the published dock drafts decide it. Montauk Anglers Club states a maximum draft of 6 ft, Montauk Lake Club 8 ft, and the deepest published figure in the market is the 12 ft at Safe Harbor Montauk Yacht Club, which is also the only venue here built for that kind of boat. That operator also advertises unrestricted height and draft capacity alongside the 12 ft figure, so plan against 12 ft and confirm anything deeper with the dockmaster. Centre consoles and sportfish-adjacent boats fit every venue in the harbour, and that is who Montauk is set up to serve.
Can you dock and dine in Montauk?
At one place, on published terms. Duryea's Montauk on Fort Pond Bay states that docking is for customers only on a first come, first served basis, that there is no overnight dockage or hanging in the slips, and that the largest boat it can accommodate is 140 ft — larger yachts anchor in front of the property and tender in. Everything else in Montauk is a restaurant attached to a marina you are already paying for, arriving on that marina's terms. The famous names out at the inlet keep no guest dock at all, so plan on a slip in the lake and a short ride over.
What is the largest yacht that can dock in Montauk?
Safe Harbor Montauk Yacht Club on Star Island publishes slips from 12 ft to 300 ft with a maximum beam of 45 ft, and describes itself as welcoming everything from day boats to 300-foot superyachts. That is the single luxury exception in the market rather than its character. Below it the ladder drops quickly: Sam's Star Island Yacht Club & Marina publishes transient dockage to 170 ft, Montauk Lake Club 200 ft behind a membership, and Montauk Anglers Club 150 ft. Where a venue sets no published maximum, give them your LOA when you book.