Looking to book a bareboat in BVI

S

Seatracks

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Joined
Oct 9, 2007
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28762
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Has anyone had any experience booking a bare boat motor yacht out of Miami or someplace in the Caribbean?
Looking to speak with someone who has used this service to get some feedback.
I am just in the planning stage right now.

Thanks in advance
 
Post up in Ask the Captain.
This is not just LI related.
 
You will have a great time in the BVI. Been there done that. We did a power charter out of Nanny Cay that lasted a week. Don't charter in the USVI and then cruise the BVI. Fly into the BVI and charter there so you don't have to deal with customs while on the boat.
 
Barecat Chaters out of Tortola, BVI.
Lagoon 38, with three couples. Fantastic time! To-date, this has been my favourite holiday!
 
That's for the quick replies.
I posted this hear so I could here from some local NY'ers and get their opinions.
I guess I should have stated this earlier that we are looking for a power boat not a sailing vessel for 6 to 7 people.
 
It's a great trip, I've done it 3 times now, 1 trip on a sailboat out of the BVIs, 2 trips on powerboats starting in the USVIs and splitting the time between the US and BVI side. Most recent trip was last May on a 59' powerboat. Many people will tell you what Boatbum says, stick to the BVI side but I disagree. The US side (St John's) is actually nicer and customs really isn't a big deal. Depends on how you want to do the trip.
 
I just returned from a week-long charter in BVI. Picked up a 39-foot power cat from Moorings in Tortola and spent the week motoring around the islands. The boat was in great shape, was very economical to run, was clean and was very well outfitted. Snorkel gear, a dinghy and everything else we needed except food and drinks was included in the charter. I will be using them again in the near future.

Instead of flying into Tortola we landed in St. Thomas then took a 45-minute ferry ride to Tortola. This saved quite a bit on airfare and added one more "adventure" to the trip.

Mike
 
That was the way we worked it as well. I look at it this way. Once you are on the boat why worry about dealing with customs etc.. Yes, it is easy but there are enough stops over in the BVI to keep it interesting for a week and the ferry ride over was fine.

The Bight with the Willy T
Marina Cay
Bitter End / Saba Rock
Jost Van Dyke White Bay, Foxy's, The Soggy Dollar

Stop for snorkeling at a few of them. All in all a great time! We have been Wintering in the Bahamas for 6 years now and I still look forward to another charter in the BVI.
 
The Moorings has a very good reputation for their bareboat power cat charters. They are well established and are a go-to for many people. Very good friends of mine who have chartered from The Moorings in the past tried MarineMax Vacations for their last charter and had nothing but good things to say. The fleet is essentially new and they raved about the condition and accommodations on the 484 power cat they ran and preferred it over their Moorings boat.
They're obviously a much newer player but it's being run by people who have been at it for a long time. I'll be taking a 484 out in a few weeks and will report back.
 
Just back from island hopping in the BVI and confirming what I had heard - MarineMax Vacations does an outstanding job and their 484 Power Cat is fantastic. It is thoughtfully designed, wonderfully outfitted and you definitely don't feel like you're on an "institutionalized" charter boat. It was the envy of the Moorings charterers everywhere we went with it's massive bridge with hardtop, hydraulic swim platform and a host of other amenities. Definitely worth checking out if you're looking to charter in the BVI and having a boat that's much nicer than average is important to you.

file_zpsa7e64a1d.jpg
 
quote:
Originally posted by sierra

Just back from island hopping in the BVI and confirming what I had heard - MarineMax Vacations does an outstanding job and their 484 Power Cat is fantastic. It is thoughtfully designed, wonderfully outfitted and you definitely don't feel like you're on an "institutionalized" charter boat. It was the envy of the Moorings charterers everywhere we went with it's massive bridge with hardtop, hydraulic swim platform and a host of other amenities. Definitely worth checking out if you're looking to charter in the BVI and having a boat that's much nicer than average is important to you.

file_zpsa7e64a1d.jpg


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Sounds like you had a great time.
I had been looking into the same boat with Marine Max and we are booking the boat for a week in December
 
Nice looking boat that 484 Powercat - does anyone know who the builder is?
 
http://www.powerandmotoryacht.com/boats/marinemax-484
 
quote:
Originally posted by smitty477

Nice looking boat that 484 Powercat - does anyone know who the builder is?

Click to expand...

They were custom designed with and built for MarineMax by Aquila in China.
Lots of info on the boat including a nice virtual tour here.

Among the nice touches that you don't see in those pictures is the "just enough" canvas with polycarbonate windows on the bridge - really helpful with how windy it can be as well as those spot showers. There's also a good canvas enclosure for the seating area abaft the foredeck. Other "nice" items which show good attention to detail for how these boats are used is a three-zone Fusion sound system and even a $500 Vitamix Blender.
 
quote:
sounds like you had a great time.
I had been looking into the same boat with Marine Max and we are booking the boat for a week in December

Click to expand...

I had been toying with the idea of this trip for a loooong time and finally got down to just doing it. It was everything I hoped it would be and yes, so much more. You will have a blast and love this boat!
 
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