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The Abacos at 40 to 50m is a stationary-base destination, not a touring one. A 40 to 50m motor yacht the Abacos in 2026 peak Christmas and February weeks runs $170,000 to $265,000 per week plus 30 percent APA, takes 10 to 12 guests, and bases out of Marsh Harbour or Treasure Cay with day-shuttles into the Sea of Abaco anchorages. The active 40 to 50m fleet calling the Abacos through the December to April season is a thin pool of roughly 9 yachts, most repositioning between the Bahamas and the Florida programme and taking Abacos weeks on request. The Abacos is a shallow-water market and the Sea of Abaco's depth is the headline planning constraint at the bracket.
Why the bracket lives outside the Sea of Abaco anchorages
The Sea of Abaco is the body of water between Great Abaco and the offshore barrier cays (Elbow, Man O War, Great Guana, Green Turtle). It runs roughly 45nm north to south and averages 3 to 5m of depth on the inside. The named anchorages at Hope Town, Man O War, and Great Guana sit on cuts with shallow approaches, and at 40 to 50m the draft pushes the yacht to outside anchor positions on the Atlantic side of the barrier cays or on the deeper holds outside Marsh Harbour.
The trip rhythm at the bracket becomes anchor-outside, tender-in, with tender shuttle distances of 3 to 8nm from the parent yacht to the shore landings at Hope Town, Pete's Pub on Little Harbour, the Bluff House on Green Turtle, and the Sea of Abaco beach landings. The named-anchorage moorings inside the Sea of Abaco are sized for the 25 to 35m bareboat fleet that dominates the destination; the 40 to 50m bracket sits outside that inventory.
Weekly rate map for 2026 to 2027 season
Rates below are for peak weeks (Christmas through New Year, President's Day week, Easter week) for the 2026 to 2027 season, before APA at 30 percent and gratuity at 12 to 15 percent. The Bahamas charter VAT at 10 percent runs through the APA along with the Bahamas cruising permit fees. The Abacos does not levy a separate park entry fee.
| LOA bracket | Motor yacht (low to high) | Sailing yacht and large catamaran (low to high) |
|---|---|---|
| 40 to 43m | $170K to $200K per week | $135K to $170K per week |
| 43 to 47m | $195K to $235K per week | $165K to $205K per week |
| 47 to 50m | $225K to $265K per week | $195K to $240K per week |
Off-peak season (early December outside the Christmas window, mid-January through early February, and March outside President's week) runs roughly 20 to 30 percent below the headline peak. The Abacos all-in delta to the BVI runs roughly 12 to 15 percent in the Abacos' favour after taxes, and the delta to St Barths runs 25 to 35 percent because the Abacos does not carry the French Caribbean VAT load. For corridor context see the Caribbean bracket page, Bahamas bracket page, and the 30 to 40m Abacos bracket.
What is in the bracket in this bracket
Cabins. 5 cabins for 10 guests is the standard charter spec at the bracket; 6 cabins runs at the upper end and is the family-week configuration.
Crew. 9 to 11 on motor yachts. The Abacos crew bench is thinner than Nassau and the local provisioning grid is limited to Marsh Harbour with a secondary at Treasure Cay. Specify provisioning programme at contract and confirm the chef's pattern across the Christmas window.
Tenders. A primary 9 to 10m fast tender plus a 6 to 7m beach-landing secondary. The shore landings at Hope Town inner harbour, Tahiti Beach, Nipper's on Great Guana, and the Pete's Pub anchorage all require beach approaches and the secondary tender is the operational variable that decides whether the week feels like a charter or a stranded one.
At-anchor stabilizers. Recommended at the bracket. The Sea of Abaco is sheltered through most of the season but the Atlantic-side anchor positions outside the barrier cays take a sustained 1m swell from northeast wind through winter. Zero-speed stabilizers are the comfort-line at the bracket on the outside positions.
Helipad. Not needed. The Marsh Harbour airport is the embarkation transfer and the heli-shuttle distances inside the Abacos do not justify the kit. The bracket runs the destination on tender-only and the helipad does not move the booking economics.
Trip shapes that fit the bracket
The Abacos stationary week. Embark Marsh Harbour, anchor outside Hope Town or off Treasure Cay, day-rotate to Man O War, Elbow Cay (Hope Town inner), Great Guana (Nipper's and Grabber's), Green Turtle Cay (Bluff House landing), and the Pete's Pub anchorage. Seven nights, single base. The bracket fits this pattern and the stationary use is the operational sweet spot for the Abacos at 40 to 50m.
The Abacos ten-night family pattern. Embark Marsh Harbour, anchor base for seven nights inside the Sea of Abaco, add a three-night Eleuthera windward leg with stops at Spanish Wells and Harbour Island, return Marsh Harbour. Ten nights. Best at the 43 to 47m end of the bracket for the Northeast Providence Channel cross to Eleuthera.
The Florida to Abacos one-way. Embark Palm Beach or Stuart, position overnight to West End Grand Bahama, work to Marsh Harbour, anchor base for five nights, disembark Marsh Harbour or position back to Florida. Seven to ten nights. Best for guests who want to combine the Bahamas crossing with a stationary anchor week.
For destination context see Charter Abacos, Charter Bahamas, and Best charter yachts Caribbean.
What the bracket does not do well in the Abacos
Multi-region single weeks. Combining the Abacos and the Exumas in a single seven-night week costs two repositioning days through the 200nm Northeast Providence Channel passage and the trip rhythm breaks. Charter clients who want both should book a ten-night week with a clear one-way leg.
Hurricane-season weeks. The Abacos took the direct hit from Hurricane Dorian in 2019 and the rebuild cycle on the shore-side amenities is still uneven through 2026. Charter weeks priced into June to October at the bracket carry weather risk that the Florida summer programme does not.
Touring multi-cay weeks at the bracket. The Sea of Abaco's named inner anchorages are inaccessible at 40 to 50m and forcing a touring pattern through Hope Town and Great Guana inner moorings is the most common Abacos booking mistake. Stay stationary or book the 30 to 40m bracket instead.
What to book
For two couples, seven days in late January, stationary Hope Town outside-anchor base with tender shuttle into the inner harbour and a day-trip to Green Turtle: a 42m motor yacht with 5 cabins and a 6m beach-landing tender, embarkation Marsh Harbour. Budget $190K plus APA, all-in roughly $255K. Booking lead time: 7 to 10 months for peak, 3 to 5 months off-peak.
For a family of 12, ten days at Christmas, stationary Sea of Abaco base with helicopter shuttle from Florida and a Treasure Cay reposition mid-week: a 47m motor yacht with 6 cabins, twin tenders, embarkation Marsh Harbour. Budget $245K plus APA, all-in roughly $330K. Booking lead time: 11 to 14 months minimum.
For a friend group of 10, ten days in President's week, Florida to Abacos one-way with five nights stationary at Hope Town: a 45m motor yacht with 5 cabins, embarkation Palm Beach, disembark Marsh Harbour. Budget $225K plus APA, all-in roughly $305K. Booking lead time: 10 to 12 months.
Build year, refit, condition
The Abacos 40 to 50m fleet is overwhelmingly US-built tonnage repositioning from the Florida programme. Westport, Trinity, Christensen, and the Sanlorenzo Florida deliveries dominate. A 2017 to 2024 build with current AV, full tender complement, and a 2022 or later refit is the value zone. We would pass on units that have not refit post-Dorian if they were active in the region in 2019, on any unit whose tender programme does not include the 6m+ beach-landing secondary, and on any week without confirmed outside-anchor positions at Hope Town in writing at contract.