Patriot Charters is a private offshore boat out of Port Canaveral run by Captain Tony Grillo, a second generation fisherman with more than five decades behind the wheel. The boat is the Patriot, a 36 foot Harris with shade and room for up to 6 anglers, and the operation fishes 14 to 30 miles offshore for the Atlantic spread. Fifty years of captain is the headline, and the deep, near perfect review record the boat has earned bears it out. For a small group that wants experience over a showroom boat, Patriot is one of the strongest calls in the port.
The verdict and where it ranks
At 8.0 Patriot Charters is a strong choice and one of the best private boats in Port Canaveral, a hair behind Canaveral Charter Adventures among the single boat charters and behind the seven boat Sea Leveler fleet. The draw is Captain Tony: fifty years of local knowledge and a review record across hundreds of trips that almost no one matches. What keeps it a step below is the boat and the booking, not the fishing. The 36 foot Harris is a seaworthy, plain boat rather than the newest in the port, and cash or check is preferred at the dock, which is a small friction beside the operators that take cards online. For another modern private boat, Get Down Fishing Charters; for a head boat seat, the Orlando Princess. The full field is on the Port Canaveral ranking.
The boat
The Patriot is a 36 foot Harris, a seaworthy boat built in the Northeast, with plenty of fishing space and shade for up to 6 anglers. It is not the newest or flashiest hull in the port, and Patriot does not pretend otherwise; what it offers is a proven, stable platform that has fished these waters for years. For the half to full day trips it runs, 14 to 30 miles offshore, it is the right tool, with the room and the shade that matter on a long day. Anglers chasing a showroom finish will find newer boats in the port, but few with this many trips under them.
The fishing and what you target
Patriot fishes the local honey holes 14 to 30 miles offshore, trolling for kingfish, mahi mahi, cobia, sailfish, and blackfin tuna and dropping on the wrecks and reefs for grouper, snapper, amberjack, sea bass, and triggerfish. Captain Tony’s five decades on this water are the edge: he knows where the fish hold through the seasons and how to work them. The Atlantic seasons set the targets, gag grouper open in summer, black sea bass through much of the year, and red snapper, the prize, paused for 2026 by a court order, so the captain fishes what is open rather than what is advertised.
Trips and prices
The rates are posted and whole boat: $900 for a 6 hour half day, $1,050 for a 7.5 hour three quarter day, and $1,150 for a 9 hour full day, each for up to 6 anglers, with licenses, live bait, quality tackle, a cooler with ice, and fillet cleaning included. The full day in particular is keenly priced for a private boat. The one wrinkle is at the dock, where cash and check are preferred, so plan for that. A 15 to 20 percent tip for the crew is customary. Our cost guide and the party boat versus private charter guide set those numbers against a head boat seat.
The crew
The crew is the strength and the reason for the score. Across hundreds of reviews, Captain Tony and deckhand Marvin draw steady praise for working fast to get the group fishing, teaching first timers what to expect, and making the trip enjoyable even when the ocean turns rough, with customers regularly limiting out on kingfish. The sentiment is deep and consistent over many years, which is what five decades of captain earns. Because it is owner run, the captain you read about is the one running your trip, every trip.
Booking and what to know
Book by phone or text with Captain Tony, and bring cash or a check for the balance, since cards are not the preference at the dock. Book ahead for summer, confirm the trip length and the target, and ask what is open, since red snapper is closed. Live bait, tackle, the license, and cleaning are covered, so bring food, drinks, sunscreen, and a cooler for the catch.
How we scored it
Patriot Charters scores 8.0: fifty years of captain and a deep, near perfect review record on a seaworthy, fairly priced boat, held a step below the newest private boats by a plainer hull and a cash or check preference rather than anything about the fishing. Captain and crew and track record are its strongest factors by a clear margin. See how we scored this boat for the rubric, and the Port Canaveral ranking for where it lands.