Makai Sportfishing is the most complete operation in the Kauai fleet and the top boat in our ranking, a 45 foot Uniflite called the Piikea run out of Port Allen by a third generation local owner captain. It is the rare island boat that sells three ways, a shared seat, a small deluxe trip, and a full private charter, so it fits almost any group and budget, and it carries the deepest review trail on the west side. The marks against it are modest: the hull dates to 1978, refurbished in 2017, and a full shared boat shares the cockpit the way any open trip does.
The verdict and where it ranks
At 8.3 Makai is a strong choice and the first boat we rank on Kauai, ahead of Captain Don’s and the Nawiliwili fleet. It earns the top spot on the combination the island rarely offers in one place: an experienced owner captain, a comfortable mid size boat, and three ways to book, all at posted prices. Book it for almost anything. The shared trip from $190 per person is the best value way offshore on Kauai, the deluxe trip buys a smaller group more room, and the private charter takes up to six. If you want the biggest, most comfortable boat in the islands you look at Apex, and if you would rather leave from Lihue than the west side, Captain Don’s is the Nawiliwili pick. The whole field is on our Kauai rankings.
The boat
The Piikea is a 45 foot Uniflite sportfisher, built in 1978 and refurbished in 2017, with an air conditioned cabin, a marine head, and a flying bridge. It is one of the larger boats working out of Kauai and the most boat for the money on the south side, with the room and the range to fish a full day comfortably and the shade and the head that matter on a long offshore trip in the sun. The honest qualifier is the age of the hull. A boat from the 1970s, however well kept, is not the newest ride in the harbor, and on a full shared trip six anglers work the same cockpit. For the trips Makai runs, the size and the layout count for more than the model year, and the boat does the job.
The fishing and what you target
Makai fishes the deep water off Port Allen, which drops away fast on Kauai’s leeward side. The year round troll is for mahi mahi, ono, and aku, with ahi building through the summer and Pacific blue marlin in the spread from spring into fall. Striped marlin and shortbill spearfish come through in the cooler months. Captain Rob has fished these grounds his whole life, the third generation of his family to run out of Port Allen, and the west side’s reputation for getting lines in the water quickly, often within a mile or two of the harbor mouth, is the practical edge of leaving from there. The crew fishes the season in front of them rather than promising the same catch every month.
Trips and prices
Makai is the only Kauai operator on our list that posts three formats. A shared seat is $190 per person for a 4 or 6 hour trip, the cheapest way offshore on the island short of a head boat, which Kauai does not have. A deluxe trip, capped at 4 anglers, starts at $260 per person and buys a smaller group more room. A private charter starts at $850 for the boat and runs 4, 6, 8, or 10 hours. Rods, reels, and tackle are included. The one real extra is the Hawaii nonresident fishing license, now required for anglers 15 and older and bought online before you sail. Our cost guide sets the shared and private numbers side by side, and the shared versus private charter guide helps you pick the format, which on Kauai is the biggest single decision you make.
The crew
Captain Rob brings 29 years on these waters and a family that has fished Port Allen for three generations, and Captain Sean runs the other trips, so the boat is owner operated rather than run by a rotating roster of hired skippers. Across more than 200 reviews the trail is consistent: a knowledgeable, easygoing crew, a clean boat, and captains who put first timers on fish and explain what they are doing. The depth and the steadiness of that record, the largest on the south side, is what separates Makai from the boats with a handful of glowing reviews and little else to read. Ask which captain is running your date when you book, since the two split the schedule.
Booking and what to know
Book through the operator’s site or its FishingBooker listing. The boat leaves from Port Allen Small Boat Harbor in Eleele, about 40 minutes west of Lihue, so factor the drive if you are staying on the east or north side. Buy your Hawaii nonresident fishing license online before the trip, since anglers 15 and older now need one and the boat does not supply it. Bring reef safe sunscreen, a hat and sunglasses, a light jacket for the run out, food and drinks, and motion sickness medication if the open ocean is a question for you, since Kauai’s deep water lies close to shore and the ride can get bumpy in the trades.
How we scored it
Makai scores 8.3, the top of the Kauai field. Captain and crew at 8.5 and trips and access and value, both at 8.5, carry it: an owner captain with deep local roots, the only three format booking on the island, and posted, fair prices. Boat and equipment at 8.0 reflects a comfortable, capable hull held back only by its age, and track record at 8.0 rests on the deepest review base on the south side. See how we scored this boat for the full rubric and weighting, and compare it with the rest of our Kauai rankings.