Camelot Sport Fishing is the family boat in Kona, and the easiest one to get onto for a single angler or a pair. It is run by three generations of the Hudson family, Captains Robert, Cyndee, and their son Chris, out of Honokohau Harbor, and it carries the deepest Google review record of any charter in the port, a 4.8 across several hundred reviews. It offers both private charters and shared seats, plus fish and snorkel combos, which makes it the flexible, budget friendly pick. The catch is the boat itself, a smaller, slower hull than the big sportfishers above it.
The verdict and where it ranks
At 7.6 Camelot is fifth in the Kona ranking, a strong choice and the best family and shared option in the field. Its case is the people and the access: a warm, professional family crew, the deepest Google record in the port, verified posted prices, and a shared seat that lets you fish Kona without booking the whole boat. What holds it in the middle is the boat. The 34 foot Bayliner is older and cruises slowly, well short of the comfort and pace of the 40 foot Hooked Up or the 43 foot Fire Hatt, and Camelot runs as a catch and keep boat rather than a stated tag and release one like Humdinger. For the best verified record overall, Skillet leads; for other shared seats, High Noon and Bite Me offer them too. See the Kona ranking for the field.
The boat
The Camelot is a 34 foot Bayliner, built in 1984 and restored in 2015, on twin 170 horsepower Yanmar diesels. It is a tidy, well kept boat that fishes up to six anglers, but it is honest to say it is the smallest and slowest of the ranked hulls, cruising around 8 knots, so it is more of a steady family boat than a fast sportfisher. Off Kona, where the grounds are minutes from the harbor, the slow cruise costs little fishing time, but on a day when the fish are spread out it has less range to chase them than the bigger boats. For a relaxed family day close to home water, it does the job well.
The fishing and what you target
Camelot fishes the year round Kona run. Blue marlin are the headline, caught in the deep water off the coast every month and biggest from June into September, with ahi (yellowfin tuna) and ono (wahoo) through the summer, mahi mahi in the cooler months, and striped marlin and shortbill spearfish in winter. The boat is a catch and keep operation, so you take home the edible fish, and it states no formal billfish release policy, though letting big blue marlin go is the Kona norm across the fleet. The fish and snorkel combos are a real draw for a family, turning a fishing trip into a day that also takes in a Kona reef.
Trips and prices
Camelot is one of the few ranked boats with a shared option, which is the heart of its appeal. On its FishingBooker listing, a shared half day starts at $590 and a private half day at $995, a 3/4 day is $1,192, and a full day $1,495, as of June 2026, with a 3/4 day fish, snorkel, and whale watch combo at $1,195. The shared seat lets a solo angler or a pair onto the water for far less than booking a whole boat, the budget route among the ranked fleet alongside Bite Me and High Noon. Tackle, bait, lures, and catch cleaning are included, you keep your catch, and cancellation is free with one day notice. Our cost guide sets a Kona day against other ports, and the party boat versus private charter guide weighs a shared seat against the whole boat.
The crew
The Hudson family is the draw. Robert and Cyndee Hudson have run the boat for decades, with their son Chris now captaining too, and the reviews are deep and warm: a friendly, patient, professional family crew, good with children and first timers, flexible on the combo trips, and quick to clean your catch. The Google record, a 4.8 across roughly five hundred reviews, is the deepest of any boat in the port and the clearest sign of a long, consistent track record. A small number of reviews report a slow day, as on any boat, but the pattern is strongly positive, and the family feel is the recurring theme.
Booking and what to know
Book through the FishingBooker listing or the operator’s site, and ask about the shared schedule if you want a seat rather than the boat. Bring sunscreen, a hat, food, and swim gear for a combo trip. The tackle, bait, and cleaning are covered. Hawaii now requires nonresident visitors 15 and older to hold a state marine fishing license, in effect since 2024, so confirm with the boat how it handles that when you book.
How we scored it
Camelot earns its 7.6 on a warm family crew, the deepest Google record in the port, verified posted prices, and a genuine shared option, held to the middle of the field by the smallest, slowest boat among the ranked hulls and a catch and keep rather than tag and release approach. Value and transparency and track record are its strongest factors. See how we scored this boat and the Kona ranking for the field.