Boat Rentals & Bareboat Chartering
in the Abacos, Bahamas
From Sandy Estabrook's Guide to the Abacos
General Information
Throughout our Abaco Guide, we constantly recommend vacationers to rent a boat in order to take advantage of the Abaco waters. It's the primary reason most of us go to the Abacos in the first place. True it is expensive. A weeks boat rental will probably cost close to week at your residence. Add to that about $5.50 a gallon for gas in Marsh Harbour, and being more expensive on the Cays.
You can figure on getting about 3 miles a gallon in a 22 footer. So, a round trip run from Hope Town to Nippers on Guana Cay will cost about $40.00 for the pleasure of a Kalik at one of Abacos premiere out island watering hole, Just the same, it's always a fun and enjoyable trip.
However if economy dictates and you are to be land locked during your stay, you'll probably have the most flexibility staying on Green Turtle or Elbow Cay. Both have limited shopping, beautiful beaches, many suitable for snorkeling and lots of places to eat and stay. Even if you rent a golf cart to get around, you still should rent a runabout for at least a day or two staying close to your island home. In that case, a more economic 15 - 17 footer will work nicely.
In addition to our Abaco Guide, additional information on places to go with charts can be obtained in the popular Cruising Guide to the Abacos. Also Dr. Ralph, the proprietor of the Abaco Forum, where you can post your boating questions, also has a page on The Sea of Abaco. For folks looking for spots to snorkel, that being the case check our Scuba & Snorkeling Page.
If you are a NOVICE BOATSMAN there are two suggestions we'd strongly recommend. 1) Don't go out into the ocean. It's also prohibited by most rental agencys. The Ocean side of the cays, as are the passages between them are strewn with reefs. 2) If you rent a boat in the area defined as the hub of Abaco (Guana, Man-O-War, Elbow Cay, Marsh Harbour) stay there. Don't try to go north of Guana Cay and conversely, if your staying at Green Turtle don't go south of Noname Cay and again don't pass between the Cays out in to the ocean. In any case most rental agencys will ask you to sign a form agreeing to the latter.
If you have some boating experience and or feel confident to make the trip to Green Turtle for a few days from Marsh, check the weather as a front can close in preventing a safe return or minimally a very wet return. It is one thing to get where you are going early in the day with the wind at your back, only to return later in the day and find the wind stronger and in your face.
Above - the Albury 23 shown in two configurations.
Since a good many runabout rental companies offer the Man-O-War built Albury Bros. Boats, a few words about them is in order. Their website says it all and is a worth while visit unto itself. The Albury family have been building boats for generations while adding refinements as needed for the Abaco waters. One day I was pounding along in my 22 footer heading from Hope Town to Nippers. To my starboard side was an Albury 23 slicing through the 1-2 foot waves with very little up and down movement. I then realized what the fuss was all about regarding this boat.
Purpose of this page; is to list all the possibilities we know to be available with some limited information in both the area of charter and
rentals.
Reservations; Strongly suggested and if you plan a trip in season, May - July and are considering a runabout rental you must book months ahead as surely there will be none available when you arrive.
Life Jackets: We were recently asked if life jackets were available for children even toddlers. By Reply was thus: The rental companies (that I have used) all came with life jackets and areÊrequiredÊto supply them. However, I've never noticed sizes for children, but would presume the rental agencies have them or will get them for you. That said, and if it was me, I'd request aÊchild'sÊsize when you book the boat, and again withÊa reminder call a week in advance. (Things sometimes get over looked in the Abacos)
As for Boat Size; (runabouts) when confining yourself to the surrounding waters of your Cay, a 15 - 17 footer will do. Inter island hopping, IE . Elbow Cay to Guana, 22 feet or larger is recommended especially if you plan the 30 mile trip up to Green Turtle Cay from Marsh Harbour as we often do upon arrival. The latter approach is not recommended for those without boating and navigation experience and local knowledge. Weather can also be a factor and once you've committed to a rental, you're committed. Remember the Sea of Abaco with any breeze of 15 knots or more can frequently get choppy and a 10 mile trip can often be uncomfortable in an undersized runabout. Catamarans can eliminate most of the chop. Being a cat owner myself, I can attest to this first hand. (Not long ago, I made a Solo Trip to the Abacos from Florida's west coast in my 26 foot Glacier Bay Cat and a second two years later - but that's another story)
A Tip:This is not uncommon as once was the case with us. We rented our usual 22 footer and headed up to Nippers from Hope Town. The ride was lovely. While at nippers a typical afternoon squall kicked up and even pasted us by, but in the storms wake it left 10- 15 knot winds from the south east so we pounded all the way back. A 17 footer with a flat bottom would have been worse, a Cat, a lot better.
Another situation; Often folks will head to their destination maybe 10 miles away with the winds at their backs thinking nothing of it until they head back. Suggestion: You might want to do a quick u-turn to check out the conditions in the returning direction. If they are bad they could be worse later in the day. Another reason for a 21 - 23 footer.
One last scenario: You've just arrived and, you've committed to a rental boat with an approximate pick up time and its raining. Well it's not so crucial upon arrival as you can wait for a squall to pass as they often do in the summer. On returning your boat before heading to the airport to catch your flight out, rain could be a problem. If you suspect this possibility from the weather reports, return it the night before and ferry over the next day. Or better yet, spend your final night in Marsh Harbour as many folks do.
Docking Protocol: There are a couple things to know about boating in the Bahamas that may differ from your experiences stateside. Number one is docking / tying up. Because of the limited dock space, parking parallel to the dock is out of the question. The standard procedure is to pull up to a dock bow first, thus allowing 2 to 3 times the boats per linear foot of dock. This is done by dropping your stern anchor about 3 boat lengths from the dock while going forward to tie up to a piling. After unloading your boat, tighten up on your stern anchor a little to prevent the boat from going under the dock during any change of tide. The tide in the Abacos is about 3 feet. I have witnessed a poorly tied boat slipping under a dock and as the tide came in, got stuck underneath the dock often causing severe and costly damage. As for docks, there are docks everywhere. The Government docks are usually conspicuous due to the amount of people hanging about and number of supplies piled up. They are public. but keep the end free for commercial traffic and ferries. Just about every resort and restaurant has a small boat dock for it's visitors as do many rental properties.
- Runabout Rentals -
Green Turtle Cay: The oldest here is Donnie's Boat Rentals . He's been around since the mid 70's and so have some of his boats. Just the same they somehow always run well. He can be reached at 242-365-4119. There is also Reef Rentals a newer company and thus newer boats 242-365-4145. And finally, Spring 2006 saw still a newer company called Loggerhead Rentals run by Darren Johnson. His number is 242-357-6664.
Great Guana Cay - With more and more folks renting homes on Guana we are happy to report that Troy of Dive Guana fame, now has a few boats in the 21 - 23 foot range for rent. He also rents kaiaks if that's your thing.
Treasure Cay - If you are flying in and out of the airport of the same name, you might want to consider this option. There are two boat rental agencies at the marina at the Treasure Cay Resort. J.I.C. Boat Rentals. 242-365-8582, and C & C Rentals, 242-365-8582. Treasure Cay's Marina access is on the Abaco mainland just south of the Whale Key passage which means you'll have to cross over it's shallow bank if heading north to Green Turtle. This generally isn't a problem in an outboard unless the rollers are high. But from Treasure it is a straight quick shot to Great Guana Cay and a half hour run to Marsh Harbour.
Marsh Harbour - Chances are you'll arrive hear anyway, so save the water taxi fare to Hope Town, Man-O-War or Guana and rent a boat here. I usually rent from Rainbow Rentals the closest to the airport and because of the size and variety of his fleet. 242-367-4602. The owner is Wade Collins recently moved his operation just up the street -closer to the harbour entrance making for a quick getaway to the cays and avoiding the inner harbour no wake zone. They have a fleet of 22 footers, their staple, with full bimini tops to cover all seated not just a tee-top. They come equipped with two anchors, fresh water shower and VHF radio. It will pound a bit in a heavy chop. So for a smoother ride, they also provides Catamarans. If you can afford the extra price and an extra engines gas - go for it. They have the ability to slice through a choppy sea and smooth out your ride considerably. Rich's Rentals 242-367-2742, has been in Marsh Harbour longer than I can remember and offers 21 and 26 foot boats which you'll see everywhere. Another very popular boat rental agency is Sea Horse Rentals right at the Boat Harbour Marina in Marsh. They also have facilities in Hope Town 242-367-2513. They offer a great variety of boats to choose from. It's owner is Capt. Stafford Patterson, of Captain Plug Adventures acclaim. Blue Wave Rental's boats are another common site in and around the Hub of Abacos. They are located at new facilities at The Harbour View Marina downtown and offer a fresh water swimming pool, bar & grill 242-367-3910. A couple new agencies are B & B Boat Rentals 242-367-7368. They pride themselves as being the only rental agency to include a GPS in all their boats. And finally, you will find downtown in restaurant row, Abaco Dorado Boat Rentals 242-367-1035, a relatively new company offering Dusky 22's & 26's.
Man-O-War - If you are planning to stay on this cay you might want to look into Water Ways Boat Rentals owned and operated by Jay and Samantha Sands. They offers complimentary pick up from Hope Town to Marsh Harbour to Guana Cay in one of their Albury Bros. boats. And they can assist you with a rental property also. 242-365-6143.
Elbow Cay (Hope Town) - Just 5 minutes outside of Hope Town Harbour on Parrot Cay is Island Marine Boat Rentals 242-366-0282. They will come pick you up anywhere on the Cay. And, they might ask you to take them home (it's not far). They have a large fleet of the Man-O-War Albury Bros. boats and boast to be the first rental boat company to offer them. 242-366-0282. Oh, the owner Dave Gale, has a fascinating story to tell -it's here. The already mentioned Sea Horse Rentals has an office in Hope Town 242-367-2513. And finally there is the small fleet of boats for rent at Cat's Paw Rentals run by Elbow Cay native Harold Malone 242-577-0517.
Note: I once rented a 15 foot boat with a 35 hp engine from Donnie Sawyer on Green Turtle and decided to go to Great Guana Cay by myself. (Technically a boat this size is too small for this journey and wouldn't be permitted). Anyway, it came equipped with one 6 gallon tank. Well, that got me the 15 miles there but I had only two gallons left. BUT in 1997 there was no gas available on the island. You do the math! The solution was shoot across Abaco Sound the nine miles to Treasure Cay to fill up. From there it's a trek of 13 miles back to Green Turtle Cay. Moral of the story: Make sure you have enough gas, and it's available where your headed. Also be sure your boat is equipped with a VHF marine radio.
- C h a r t e r i n g -
Many folks come to the Abacos for its cruising and live aboard their chartered boat. Captained boats are also available for non sailing folks but most go it alone, hence the name "bareboat charter". It used to be that just about all the chartering boats in the Abacos were monohull sailing vessels. However the shallow waters of the Sea of Abaco brought about the popularity of catamaran charters both sail and more recently, power. Another advantage is sailing cats go faster than mono hull vessels which allows a trip up to Green Turtle on a cruise of limited time.
A bit of history. There have always been charter fleets in the Abacos. Some of you will remember the one time big gun of charters - CSY (Caribbean Sailing Yachts). They had an fleet in the Abacos. Some might even remember their Pearson 39. It had a glass through hull window in the main state room where it's occupants could lay there at night and watch the fish. Of course you'd have to hang a light over the side. Oops, I'm getting off the subject. Then early in his dictatorship Mr. Pindling, the first Bahamian Prime minister decided to levy a duty on all boats in the Bahamian waters staying longer than 6 months. No exceptions. You could of course exit, prove entry to the US or another country and then return. But could you imagine a whole fleet of 20 - 30 sailboats having to do that. So the fleets pulled out, except one Abaco Bahama Charters.
Continuing on..... CSY is no longer in operation, but the good news is, 1992 saw the election of a new president, Mr. Hubert Ingraham. He was more tourist friendly and a native of Abaco. He removed the cruising restrictions and allowed extended stays with a permit. The charter fleets returned.
Today, there are approximately four charter fleets in the Abacos. The largest being The Moorings. They are based at the Conch Inn docks in Marsh Harbour. Sunsail Charters who bought the Moorings in '05 and operate independently has recently expanded its fleet operations to include Marsh Harbour. Included in their fleet will be their popular Sunsail 362 and their Cat, the Lagoon 380. In addition to mono hull craft both offer catamarans, powered and sail. Still other charter companies base themselves in Florida for the more adventurous who want to "sail over" themselves. In the meantime, there was a change of management in Abaco Bahamas Charters causing disruption in services and communication and many unhappy folks. By early 2009 they pulled anchor for the final time and closed their doors.
Based in Hope Town you'll find Abaco Multihull /Maine Cat Charters. Both have teamed up to offer both bareboat and captained charters on "Marine Cat" 30 & 41 catamarans. A newcomer a/o '09 is Alpha Cat Charters, were you can be captained by day, leaving you to your own devices by night.
If you're not a sailor and would like to learn or bone up on your skills and make it all part of an Abaco vacation, why not look into the only ASA certified sailing school in the Bahamas at Cruise Abaco Charters. In addition to their fleet of powered and sail cats, Mark and Patti will even the provide a
rental home too. In 2009, Cruise Abaco Charters won the "Outstanding School Award" by the American Sailing Association. In addition they teemed up with other Abaco charterers under the umbrella of Abaco Sailing. Included are Island Sun Charters and See the Sea of Abaco Charters.
If you are looking for a family affair, why not consider a week aboard Aleda & Ron Turner's "Keewatin". They have been operating in the Bahamas since '62. and have special packages for a family with kids.
Finally for the purest, how about a charter in an Abaco made sailing vessel?
Then you might want to check out the William H. Albury - a full-fledged member of the world's exclusive tall ship fraternity. She was built in 1964 in a small boatyard on Man'O'War Cay, by the man whose name she bares, and is 70 feet in length overall. For information contact Captain Joe Maggio at 305-442-9697
Today, about 15% of the charter fleet are motor yachts and those are mostly cats. The remaining 85% are almost evenly between mono hull sailboats and catamarans. You hardly saw a Catamaran 20 years ago. Most all fleets offer the option of a captained boat.
The Moorings. 
Sunsail Charters.
Cruise Abacos
Abaco Multihul
Florida Yacht at Marsh Harbour.
