Neptune Charters is the most accessible private boat in Sarasota and the one with the deepest current review record. Captain Vasiliy Obukhov holds a US Coast Guard Master license and has more than 15 years on these Gulf grounds, and his FishingBooker listing runs 4.8 across 127 reviews, the largest recent record of any private boat in the port. What sets it apart is access: it sells shared seats as well as private charters, with the rates posted up front, so a pair of anglers can get offshore here without booking a whole boat. The gap is the boat, a 27 foot center console that is the smallest of the Sarasota sportfishers and the most exposed on a long day.
The verdict and where it ranks
At 7.5 Neptune Charters is third in the Sarasota ranking, behind Outriggers and In 2 Deep on the size and range of the boat, but ahead of the field on transparency and on the depth of its current reviews. The reasons to book it are a Master licensed captain, posted prices for both shared and private trips, and the cheapest private way offshore in the port. The limit is the hull: a 27 foot boat is fine for the nearer grouper and snapper grounds and a comfortable half day, but it is the most affected by a Gulf chop on a long run. Book it for a shorter offshore trip or a shared seat with a strong captain. For more boat and more range, the two above it are the call.
The boat
The Neptune is a 27 foot Sailfish center console built in 2022, the newest boat in the Sarasota charter field, with twin 200 horsepower Yamaha four strokes that cruise fast, modern electronics, and the tackle for trolling and bottom fishing. It carries up to 6 anglers. The honest limit is size: at 27 feet it is the smallest of the port’s offshore boats, so while it is quick and well kept, it is the most exposed to wind and chop on a long run offshore, and a full day in a building sea asks more of you here than on the 40 foot Outriggers. For a half day or a calmer day on the nearer grounds, the newness and the speed are the story.
The fishing and what you target
Neptune fishes the Sarasota Gulf bottom and the structure offshore: red grouper, mangrove snapper, amberjack, king mackerel, and cobia on the reefs and ledges, with mahi mahi, blackfin tuna, and the odd sailfish farther out in the warm season. The captain works trolling, bottom fishing, jigging, and drift fishing to match the day, and runs trips from 4 to 8 hours so you can scale the run to the conditions and the budget. As with the rest of the port, the grouper and snapper seasons carry openings and closures that move each year, so the target shifts with the calendar and the captain plans around it.
Trips and prices
This is where Neptune separates from the field. It posts its rates and sells both shared and private trips: shared seats at $530 per 2 people for 4 hours, $590 for 6, and $650 for 8, and private charters at $1,000, $1,150, and $1,350 for the boat at 4, 6, and 8 hours. Live bait, tackle, and the fishing license are included, and you bring your own drinks and snacks, with a captain gratuity on top. The shared option is the point: it is the cheapest private boat way offshore in Sarasota, and the posted pricing is the clearest of the private boats. Our cost guide sets the benchmark, and the party boat versus private charter guide weighs a shared seat here against the whole boat.
The crew
Captain Vasiliy Obukhov runs the boat himself, and the case for the crew is both the license and the record. A Coast Guard Master license is a step above the standard charter license, and the 4.8 rating across 127 reviews is the deepest current trail of any private boat in the port, with reviewers consistently crediting his local knowledge, attentiveness, and responsiveness before the trip. Because it is a one captain operation, you get the named captain every time, and the limit again is availability rather than consistency. The marketing on the operator’s own site leans hard on superlatives, so weigh the FishingBooker record, which is tied to real bookings, over the site’s own language.
Booking and what to know
Book through the FishingBooker listing or direct, and confirm the meeting point and whether your trip is shared or private. Bring food, drinks, sun protection, and a cooler; bait, tackle, and the license are covered. For a shared trip, you will be on the boat with another party, so it is a sociable, cheaper way out; for your own group, book the private rate. No fishing license is needed. The boat fills on good weather weekends, so book ahead.
How we scored it
Neptune Charters scores 7.5: a Master licensed captain with the deepest current review record in the port, posted shared and private prices, and the newest boat, held back on boat and equipment because at 27 feet it is the smallest and most exposed of the Sarasota offshore boats. Captain and crew and value transparency are its strongest factors. See how we scored this boat for the full rubric and weighting, and compare it against the rest of our Sarasota rankings, including In 2 Deep.