Sailors Choice is the budget way out of Key Largo and the only party boat in the port, a 65 foot head boat that has drifted the reef out of Holiday Inn Marina since 2003. For about $40 a seat, with the rod, reel, bait, tackle, and license included, it is by far the cheapest fishing in the port, and it carries the deepest, most credible review record of any boat we rank here, more than 300 reviews on TripAdvisor across the years. It lands in the mixed tier because the weaknesses are as well attested as the value: a crowded rail, cash only fares, and a steady push for tips that recur across the reviews season after season.
The verdict and where it ranks
At 6.5 Sailors Choice is a mixed pick: book it with caveats, depending on the trip. The case for it is plain, it is the cheapest way to fish out of Key Largo, gear and license included, on a stable boat with a crew that cleans your catch, which suits a budget half day, a family, or a first timer. The caveats are equally plain and equally well documented. The rail gets crowded, with the prime stern spots often claimed by regulars; the fare is cash only, with tips expected on top and pushed hard; and the reef drift can turn a queasy stomach. It is the only true party boat in the port, so it owns the budget slot, but the structural trade offs of the format are real. Book it for a cheap, sociable half day on the reef, not a serious offshore trip. The Key Largo ranking sets the field side by side.
The boat
The Sailors Choice is a 65 foot custom built, all aluminum head boat, Coast Guard certified to carry up to 49 passengers, which is what lets it sell cheap seats by the person. It is a stable platform for drifting the reef and has the room a small private boat cannot offer, but the flip side is the dominant complaint in its reviews: with a full load the rail gets crowded, and reviewers describe standing shoulder to shoulder, with the back rail, where the bait draws the fish, often taken by repeat customers and locals with their own rods. It is the right boat for what it does, a budget reef drift, and the wrong one if you want space and a chosen spot.
The fishing and what you target
Sailors Choice drifts the reef off Key Largo for bottom and reef fish: yellowtail and other snapper, grouper, the occasional amberjack and mackerel, and now and then a wahoo. This is reef fishing on a drift, not an offshore troll, so the catch is smaller reef and bottom fish rather than the mahi, sailfish, and tuna the private boats chase. The crew baits hooks and helps newer anglers, and the boat will reposition to chase a bite. On a good day it is steady action for small fish; on a slow one, reviewers report catching mostly grunts, which is the honest range of a budget head boat.
Trips and prices
Sailors Choice sells seats by the person, walk on, on a shared rail. The headline fare is about $40 for an adult and $20 for a child for a half day reef trip, paid in cash, with the rod, reel, bait, tackle, and fishing license included, and the boat runs daytime and night trips. Some recent reviews report a slightly higher rate, so confirm when you book. The value is the whole point and it is genuine, but two frictions recur in the reviews: the fare is cash only, and the crew pushes for tips through signage and reminders during the trip and at the exit, which several reviewers found heavy, especially on a slow day. Our party boat versus private charter guide weighs this shared format against booking a private boat, and the cost guide sets the per person fare against a whole boat charter.
The crew
The crew runs the boat on a rotating captain roster, and the mates are the ones you deal with, baiting hooks, clearing tangles, and filleting the catch. On a good day reviewers praise hard working mates by name. The honest qualifier, which recurs too often to ignore, is two sided: the push for tips is steady and, on the slow days, some reviewers report mates disengaging and retreating inside while anglers untangle their own lines. It is the uneven service of a busy head boat rather than a private boat’s dedicated mate, and it is a fair part of why the crew score sits where it does.
Booking and what to know
No reservation is needed for the walk on trips: turn up at Holiday Inn Marina at 99751 Overseas Highway, mile marker 100 on the ocean side, with cash for the fare and the tip. The boat can also be booked as a private charter. Bring cash, sunscreen, a hat, and motion sickness medication, since the drift can turn a stomach, and arrive early if you want a shot at a back rail spot. No fishing license is needed, the boat covers it, and the crew fillets your catch at the dock. For a private boat from the same family, the 40 foot Anglers Choice runs from the same marina.
How we scored it
Sailors Choice scores 6.5: the cheapest, most sociable way to fish out of Key Largo and the only party boat in the port, with the deepest review record here, held in the mixed tier by a crowded rail, cash only fares, a heavy push for tips, and the uneven service of a busy head boat. Track record and value are where it holds up; captain and crew is where the format costs it. See how we scored this boat, and weigh it against the rest of the Key Largo fleet.