Motor Yacht Charter Bahamas
The Bahamas rewards motor yacht charterers with shallow turquoise flats, secluded cays, and short inter-island passages — all within easy reach of the US eastern seaboard and navigable in a single week without rushing.
Motor Yachts Available in Bahamas
Browse our selection of motor yachts available for charter in Bahamas.
Bareboat Motor Yacht Bayliner 35
Bayliner 35 · 2008
From
$3k/week
Crewed Motor Yacht Mangusta 72
Mangusta 72 · 2008
From
$3k/week
Crewed Motor Yacht Boston Whaler
Boston Whaler Zodiak · 2015
From
$5k/week
Crewed Motor Yacht TRANQUILO
Azimut 68S · 2006
From
$6k/week
Crewed Motor Yacht SCARLET
Azimut 26m · 2007
From
$6k/week
Crewed Motor Yacht Sunseeker Predator 64
Sunseeker Predator 64
From
$6k/week
Crewed Motor Yacht CHIP
Lazzara 84 · 2007
From
$7k/week
Crewed Motor Yacht WHY NOT
Sea Ray 54 · 2000
From
$20k/week
Crewed Motor Yacht APOLLONIA
Prestige 70 · 2018
From
$22k/week
Crewed Motor Yacht ALL GOOD
Princess 65 · 2003
From
$23k/week
Crewed Motor Yacht ALMA
Sunseeker 66 · 2011
From
$24k/week
Crewed Motor Yacht HAVEN
Hampton 64 · 2014
From
$25k/week
Motor Yacht MY GIRL
Fairline 62 · 2013
From
$25k/week
Crewed Motor Yacht ELEGANT LADY
Meridian 580 Pilothouse · 2006
From
$27k/week
Luxury Crewed Motor Yacht SILVER LINING
Horizon 74 · 2010
From
$29k/week
Luxury Crewed Motor Yacht TIMELESS 62
Offshore 62 · 2001
From
$30k/week
Luxury Motor Yacht MAXIMUS
motor yacht · 2001
From
$30k/week
Luxury Crewed Motor Yacht LIQUID ASSET
Azimut 66 · 2020
From
$32k/week
Crewed Motor Yacht AZURE
Azimut 80 · 2004
From
$33k/week
Crewed Motor Yacht GIULI
Sunseeker Manhattan 74 · 2000
From
$34k/week
Luxury Crewed Motor Yacht ANDIAMO
Symbol 92 · 2010
From
$35k/week
Luxury Crewed Motor Yacht AMMONITE
Nordhavn Custom 23m · 2009
From
$35k/week
Crewed Motor Yacht GO N HOT
Dutch Craft 56 · 2020
From
$35k/week
Luxury Crewed Motor Yacht MAGIC TUTCH
Hinckley Hunt Ocean 80 · 2016
From
$35k/week
Other Vessel Types in Bahamas
Seven hundred islands and nearly 2,500 cays spread across 100,000 square miles of the Atlantic, yet the Bahamas compresses its finest sailing into a remarkably tight geography. Nassau to the Exumas covers less than 60 nautical miles, and the Abacos chain runs in a near-continuous arc that lets you move between anchorages in an hour or two. For charterers who want variety without transit fatigue, few destinations on earth deliver as efficiently.
The appeal goes well beyond convenience. The Bahamian water column — where depths shift from 3,000 feet to three feet inside a single mile — produces colour gradients that photographers and divers return to repeatedly. The seabed here is largely white sand and coral, which means the light bounces upward and the hull shadow travels beneath you like a second boat. Pair that with consistent south-easterly trades in winter and a benign summer pattern, and the case for a motor yacht charter becomes self-evident.
Why Charter in Motor Yacht charter in Bahamas
The Exumas alone account for most repeat charters out of Nassau. The Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park — 176 square miles of protected reef and mangrove — offers some of the densest marine life in the Atlantic basin, with grouper, ray, and Nassau grouper populations that were largely fished out elsewhere by the 1980s. Access is by dinghy and shallow-draft tender, which is precisely where a well-equipped motor yacht earns its keep.
North of Nassau, the Abacos offer a different register entirely. Green Turtle Cay, Hope Town, and Man-O-War Cay are quiet, pastel-painted settlements where the pace is set by the ferry schedule, not the stock market. The Sea of Abaco is a sheltered body of water running the length of the chain, making it unusually forgiving for guests who want calm anchorages even when conditions elsewhere are lively. Marsh Harbour serves as a practical provisioning hub with reliable fuel, a chandlery, and customs clearance for US-registered guests entering from Florida.
For charterers with a week or fewer, the Berry Islands offer a compelling, underused alternative to the Exumas — closer to Nassau, with excellent bonefishing on the flats at Great Harbour Cay and near-deserted beaches on Chub Cay. The current-swept channels between the islands concentrate bait fish and, consequently, blue marlin and wahoo in season. Serious sport-fishing charter parties repeatedly choose this cluster for that reason.
Motor Yacht charter in Bahamas Highlights
Staniel Cay, Exumas — home to Thunderball Grotto, where snorkelling through the tidal cave at the right state of tide remains one of the more memorable things you can do in the western Atlantic.
Warderick Wells, Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park — the park headquarters anchorage, with mooring balls available on a first-come basis and hiking trails over the ridge that give the best overview of the cay system.
Hope Town, Abaco — the 1864 candy-striped lighthouse is still hand-wound and operates on a timer; the settlement's loyalty to traditional Loyalist architecture makes it unlike anything else in the Caribbean basin.
Compass Cay, Exumas — a private marina carved into the rock, with nurse sharks that have gathered around the docks for over a decade and are accustomed to hand-feeding from guests.
Allen's Cay, northern Exumas — a colony of Bahamian rock iguanas inhabits the beaches; at first light before other boats arrive, the island has an atmosphere that larger, busier destinations cannot replicate.
Grand Bahama Undersea Explorer Society sites, Freeport area — for technically proficient divers, the blue holes and wall dives off Grand Bahama represent some of the most serious diving available in the region.
Little Harbour, Abaco — Pete Johnston's foundry and gallery, operated by the Johnston family since the 1950s, pours bronze sculpture in a tidal creek accessible by dinghy; the adjacent bar serves rum punch from a hand-painted sign that predates most charter yachts in the fleet.
When to Sail
The Bahamas is a genuine year-round destination, but the December-to-April window delivers the most reliable conditions for motor yacht charters, with settled trades, lower humidity, and minimal tropical weather risk. Summer is warmer and quieter, with the caveat that the Atlantic hurricane season runs June through November.
High Season (Jun-Sep)
Counter-intuitively, summer charters in the Bahamas can be excellent value and relatively uncrowded, particularly in the Abacos and Exumas. June and July typically sit outside the peak hurricane threat period, with water temperatures in the mid-80s Fahrenheit, exceptional visibility for diving, and reduced charter rates compared to winter. August and September carry statistically higher tropical storm risk, and most experienced brokers recommend a weather clause and flexible routing for bookings in those months. Provisioning is easier in summer as the domestic population is more active and marina services are at full capacity.
Shoulder Season (May, Oct)
May is widely regarded as the most pleasant month to charter in the Bahamas — trades are still present but easing, crowds from the winter season have thinned, and water clarity after the calm spring is at its annual peak. October sits at the tail end of hurricane season and requires careful monitoring, but it delivers warm water, lower humidity than summer, and anchorages that are notably quieter than the December peak. Fuel costs and marina fees tend to be more negotiable in both months.
Choosing the Right Yacht
Motor yachts are the dominant charter vessel in the Bahamas for sound practical reasons. The shallow flats, frequent short passages, and importance of tender range and watercraft all favour a displacement or semi-displacement hull with significant beam and a well-equipped swim platform. A flybridge configuration — such as the Azimut 88 Flybridge or similar models in the 80-to-100-foot range — delivers the upper deck sight lines that help a captain read coral heads in variable light conditions, while also providing guests with an elevated perspective across the flats that is genuinely useful, not merely aesthetic. For larger groups or those prioritising interior volume, full-displacement superyachts in the Benetti or Bilgin range offer the range and fuel efficiency to reach the southern Exumas from Nassau in a single comfortable run without the fuel anxiety that plagues smaller planing hulls on longer passages.
Seven Days in the Exumas by Motor Yacht
A suggested week-long charter route
Embarkation in Nassau, provisioned and cleared, departing mid-morning for the 40-nautical-mile run south to Highbourne Cay. The marina at Highbourne is well-maintained and offers reliable fuel — take it. The reef on the eastern shore is walkable from the dock at low tide and provides an easy first snorkel to calibrate the week.
Southward to Norman's Cay, passing the wreck of the DC-3 in the channel — visible in ten feet of water from the tender. Anchor off the long beach on the western shore and plan for an early afternoon arrival at Staniel Cay in time to secure a mooring ball before the anchorage fills. Dinner ashore at the Staniel Cay Yacht Club.
A full day anchored off Staniel. Thunderball Grotto is best at slack water two hours either side of low tide — the captain will advise on timing. Compass Cay is a 20-minute dinghy ride north; the shark encounter there requires no dive gear and is appropriate for all ages.
Transit south to Warderick Wells and secure a park mooring ball — VHF channel 9, calling the park directly the morning of arrival. The hiking trail to Boo Boo Hill, where sailors leave driftwood name boards, is a 20-minute walk and provides the best vantage point over the cays.
Continue south to Great Exuma and the town of George Town. The Elizabeth Harbour anchorage is large and well-protected, with access to full provisioning, laundry services, and local restaurants along Queen's Highway. This is also the best point for crew change logistics if required — Exuma International Airport is within a short taxi ride.
A leisure day around Stocking Island, the long barrier cay sheltering Elizabeth Harbour to the east. The Chat 'N' Chill beach bar operates on the western shore — the Sunday pig roast is the social centrepiece of the anchorage community and worth timing the itinerary around if the charter falls mid-week with flexibility.
Return passage to Nassau, departing at first light to make the most of calm morning conditions. The run north at cruising speed in a well-found motor yacht takes three to four hours, allowing arrival by midday for provisioning top-up or a final lunch aboard before disembarkation.
Local Tips
- •Cruising permits and customs must be arranged before departure from the US or upon first entry to the Bahamas. The Bahamas Customs and Immigration online portal (BahamasExpress) has streamlined the process considerably, but crew should have all passports and the vessel documentation ready before the agent comes aboard — delays at busy entry points like Nassau or Marsh Harbour are common when paperwork is incomplete.
- •Conch is a genuine staple, not a tourist gimmick. Fresh conch salad — lime-cured with sweet pepper and onion — is made to order at stalls along Nassau's Potter's Cay Dock and is worth the detour before departure. Cracked conch served at Staniel Cay Yacht Club or the Chat 'N' Chill is equally authentic. Queen conch is a protected species in Bahamian waters, so guests should not collect shells or live specimens.
- •Fuel planning is non-negotiable on longer itineraries. Diesel is available at Highbourne Cay, Staniel Cay, and George Town in the Exumas, and at Marsh Harbour and Green Turtle Cay in the Abacos, but prices vary significantly and supply can be intermittent at smaller marinas. The captain should always take fuel when it is available at a reliable source rather than waiting for the next stop.
- •The Bahamian dollar is pegged one-to-one with the US dollar, and US currency is accepted everywhere without exchange. Credit cards are accepted in marinas and larger establishments but cash is preferred at local markets and smaller settlements. Bring adequate US dollars for tips, local fruit markets, and dockside vendors.
- •Tipping culture mirrors the US standard — 15 to 20 percent at restaurants ashore, and the MYBA crew gratuity convention of 10 to 15 percent of the charter fee applies to the yacht crew. Captains and chefs in the Bahamas work extremely hard given the logistical complexity of remote provisioning, and the tip is noticed.
- •Mosquitoes and no-see-ums are present in mangrove-heavy areas, particularly at dusk in the Exumas. Quality insect repellent should be packed regardless of the season. Most motor yachts have screened hatches and good air conditioning, but tender excursions into mangrove creeks at low tide with falling temperatures can be uncomfortable without preparation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a boating licence or any specific certifications to charter a motor yacht in the Bahamas+
How far in advance should I book for the December-to-April peak season+
Can we bring jet skis, a fishing skiff, or specific water toys+
Is the Bahamas suitable for guests who have never chartered before+
What is the typical fuel cost on a motor yacht charter and is it included+
Are there restricted areas or protected zones we need to be aware of+
Contact our Bahamas specialists to match your group, dates, and budget to the right motor yacht from our fleet of nearly 200 vessels.
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