Cocoa Beach Sportfishing runs the biggest, most capable boat in the port and the widest offshore menu to match. The headline hull, the Crude Intentions, is a 51 foot Custom Carolina sportfisher with a cabin and air conditioning, and by the operator’s account the largest charter boat in Port Canaveral, which is a real edge for a long bluewater day on a coast where most of the fleet runs open center consoles. Captain Tim Sheridan has more than 20 years and a string of tournament wins behind him, and the trips run from a half day on the reefs to swordfish and deep drop in deep water. What keeps the score honest is trust: a recurring complaint about a charge that came in well over the quote pulls value and service down.
The verdict and where it ranks
At 7.2 the operation is third in the ranking, and the placement is a study in how the weighting works. On boat and on trip range it is the strongest operation in the port, the only true cabin sportfisher and the only one running swordfish and deep drop as a regular menu. But value and track record carry real weight, and a billing complaint and a thinner, more mixed public review trail than the two boats above it pull the overall back to a strong rather than a top of the port number. Book it when the boat and the offshore range are what you want, a long day, a big group split across hulls, or a specialty trip the smaller boats cannot run, and get your price and trip length in writing first. For the steadiest record in the port, Fin & Fly is the safer call.
The boat
The Crude Intentions is the reason to look here. A 51 foot Custom Carolina sportfisher gives you a cabin, air conditioning, a head, and a stable ride a center console cannot match on a long run offshore, and reviewers single out how clean and comfortable the boat is. The operation also runs two more boats, the Centerfold and the Bale Money, which lets it take a larger group across hulls or keep running when one boat is booked. One thing to clear up at booking: the operator’s own site describes the 51 foot Crude Intentions, while a marketplace listing shows a 33 foot boat under the same operation, a spec conflict that matters because the boat you draw changes the day. Ask which one you are getting.
The fishing and what you target
This is the widest offshore program in the port. The trips troll for mahi mahi from late spring into fall, sailfish on the warm season pushes, kingfish in the spring and fall runs, and wahoo and blackfin and yellowfin tuna when the water sets up, then bottom fish the reefs and wrecks for grouper and snapper. Beyond that, the operation runs the trips the smaller boats do not: night swordfish, deep drop for tilefish and snowy grouper in deep water, and grouper season and north end bottom trips. The captain matches the trip to the calendar, so the target shifts through the year, and the deep water menu is a genuine reason to book the bigger boat.
Trips and prices
The operation sells by the whole boat for up to 6 anglers, with a half day starting from $900 and a full day from $1,300, and the specialty swordfish, deep drop, and tuna trips priced higher on request. The honest problem sits here. A recurring complaint in the reviews describes a final charge that came in well over the quoted figure, a day cut short and billed up rather than down, and that is exactly the kind of pricing surprise that pulls value and transparency to its lowest factor. The fix is simple and on you: get the price, the trip length, and what counts as extra in writing before you leave the dock. Our cost guide sets the benchmark for what a private Florida day should run.
The crew
Captain Tim Sheridan brings more than 20 years and tournament results to the helm, and Captain Beau and First Mate Jackson round out a crew that reviewers credit with working hard to put groups on fish and cleaning and bagging the catch at the end. The fishing side of the record is genuinely strong. Where it frays is consistency: the public review trail is thinner and more mixed than the deep, near uniform records that Dirty Dolly and Fin & Fly carry, and the billing complaint sits on the crew and office as much as on the price. The captain knows the water; the operation around the fishing is where the caution lies.
Booking and what to know
Book by phone or through a listing such as Captain Experiences. Pin down the boat, the price, and the trip length before the day, given the spec and billing notes above. Bring food, drinks, sun protection, and a cooler for your fillets. No fishing license is needed, since the boat’s license covers everyone aboard, and the crew cleans your catch. For a specialty swordfish or deep drop trip, ask about the longer hours and the higher rate when you book, since those run well past a standard offshore day.
How we scored it
The operation scores 7.2: the strongest boat and the widest offshore menu in the port, run by an experienced tournament captain, marked down on value and track record by a recurring complaint about a charge over the quote and a thinner public review record than the leaders. Boat and trips are its best factors; value is its weakest. See how we scored this boat for the full rubric and weighting, and compare it against the rest of the Cocoa Beach rankings, including Fired Up.