Catamaran, yacht or sailboat? How to pick your boat in Turks and Caicos

Best for: families, grandparents and anyone who worries about seasickness

A catamaran sits on two hulls, so it stays level under way and barely rocks at anchor. The deck is wide and flat, there’s shade overhead, and on the smaller cats there’s netting stretched between the bows to lie on over the water. That steadiness is why families, grandparents and anyone with a queasy stomach start here.

What are catamarans best at in Turks and Caicos?

Easy days in the Caicos Cays close to Leeward: a reef snorkel, Half Moon Bay, the old cannons of Fort George Cay. Ours run from the 35ft Catamaran for 10 to the 44ft Luxury Catamaran Yacht for 20, with an air-conditioned cabin, the 51ft Ultra Lux Powercat for 25 and the Adventure Boat, a 35ft cat for 25 with a waterslide.

Best for: a party, a long list of stops and cliff jumpers

A single-hull motor yacht is the fast option, and speed buys time: less of the day goes on getting there and more on the stops. Several bring a cool cabin. The 35ft Luxury Yacht for up to 12, the 51ft Lux Yacht for 14 and the 62ft for 20 all have air-conditioning, while the 43ft and the 47ft trade it for open decks and big sound systems.

Can every boat tie up at Noah’s Ark?

Most motor yachts dock right at Noah’s Ark, the floating bar. On the 51ft and 62ft you wade over from the anchor, and the 30ft, 35ft and 41ft catamarans make it a wade-in stop when conditions on the day allow.

Best for: big groups, couples and anyone who has always wanted to sail

On a sailboat the sailing is the point. The 70ft Sailboat is a gaff-rigged schooner built by hand in 1992 as a trading rum runner, one of the last traditional trading schooners still sailing Caribbean waters. Her local crew of three has sailed these waters for over 30 years, guests who want to can lend a hand with the sails, and she takes up to 50.

Which sailboats can you charter in Turks and Caicos?

We book three, all from Leeward: the 70ft schooner, the 41ft Sailing Catamaran for up to 12, and the 65ft Ultra Lux Sailing Cat for up to 20, with five bathrooms and an open bar all day. The crew raises the sails whenever the wind allows, and on a still day you motor.

• Toddlers or grandparents: a catamaran with a bathroom, like the 35ft Catamaran or the 44ft.
• A party: the 43ft’s sound system, or the Adventure Boat’s waterslide for up to 25.
• The most stops: a fast motor yacht on six hours or more.
• Air-conditioning: the 35ft Luxury Yacht, the 51ft, the 62ft or the 44ft catamaran.
• The sailing: the 41ft, the 65ft or the 70ft schooner.
• A crowd: the Adventure Boat or the 51ft Ultra Lux Powercat for 25, the 70ft schooner for 50.

Which type of boat is best for a big group?

Size decides a lot. Our catamarans take up to 25, on the Adventure Boat and the 51ft Ultra Lux Powercat; our motor yachts up to 20, on the 62ft; and the 70ft schooner takes 50. For a crowd of up to 70, the Adventure Boat XL is a double-decker with two waterslides.

Which boat should you book?

Whichever you pick, it’s a private boat charter from Providenciales with a captain who shapes the route to the wind and the tide, and every one carries snorkel gear and life jackets. To compare the boats within each type, see every catamaran compared, our luxury yachts and sailing in Turks and Caicos. Not sure? Tell us who’s coming when you book and we’ll suggest a boat. Pick yours below.

• Taxes included. The price you see is the price you pay.
• A deposit secures the boat. Every listing shows its free-cancellation window.
• Fast answers. Requests are confirmed within a few hours, nearly always the same day.