Drifter Excursions runs the Drifter, a 60 foot party boat that a family has operated out of Palmetto Bay Marina for more than 30 years, and it is Hilton Head’s other budget way out on the water. Like the island’s bigger party boat, it sells a seat rather than the boat, about $85 for a 4.5 hour deep sea trip with everything included, and it is built for families and first timers. The difference, and the reason it sits at the foot of our ranking, is the fishing: the reef it works is only about 5 miles out, the shortest run on this page, and the catch swings from busy to thin.
The verdict and where it ranks
At 6.2 the Drifter is a mixed option and the sixth boat in our Hilton Head ranking, just below the other party boat at Captain Hook. The two are close, and both earn their place as the cheap, all inclusive, family friendly options. The Drifter lands a notch lower for one reason above all: its deep sea trip anchors on a reef only about 5 miles offshore, less than half the run of most boats here, so calling it deep sea is a stretch and the fish are small reef species. A long, family ownership and a friendly crew are real strengths, but the catch is uneven across the reviews. Book it for a cheap, easy outing close to home, not for the grade of fish a longer trip brings.
The boat
The Drifter is a 60 foot party boat, or head boat, taking up to 30 anglers, with the electronics for safe navigation and finding the reef and the room to keep a full load fishing. For a shared boat it is comfortable and stable, which is part of why it suits families and anyone new to the water. The fleet also runs two smaller private charter boats, the Ricochet and the Boomerang 2, for groups that want their own boat rather than a seat on the party trip, which is a separate booking from the head boat covered here.
The fishing and what you target
The deep sea trip anchors on an artificial reef about 5 miles off Hilton Head and bottom fishes for black sea bass, whiting, bluefish, and weakfish, with the occasional shark and Spanish mackerel. This is light, close in reef fishing for a mix of mostly small fish, which is honest to set up front: on a calm day with a good drift the action is steady and a child will stay busy, and on a slow one the box stays light. The 3 hour shark trip in the summer is the livelier option. Because the boat stays so close to shore, the bottom species it reaches are smaller than the grouper and the offshore fish the longer private trips target.
Trips and prices
The Drifter sells by the seat, per person, which is the appeal: a family fishes for the price of a few seats rather than the cost of a whole boat. The deep sea trip is about 4.5 hours at $85 for adults and $75 for children 12 and under, from March into November, and the shark trip is $70 for adults and $60 for children, June through August. The rod, reel, bait, instruction, and fishing license are all included. The party boat versus private charter guide weighs the shared format against booking a private boat, and the cost guide sets this per person fare against a private charter like Bulldog.
The crew
The Drifter is family run and has been for over three decades, and the reviews credit a friendly, patient crew that is good with children and happy to teach a first timer to drop a line and work a reef. That long, family ownership is the boat’s clearest strength and the backbone of its track record. The honest qualifier is that the record is uneven: alongside the warm reviews are real complaints about trips that produced few or no fish and the occasional service stumble, the kind of swing a close in reef trip on a head boat is prone to when the bite is off.
Booking and what to know
Book online or by phone, and arrive early to park at Palmetto Bay Marina on the south end of the island and check in. Everything for fishing is provided, so bring food, drinks, sunscreen, and cash for a tip. No fishing license is needed, since the boat covers it. Set your expectations to a sociable few hours of close in reef fishing for small fish, and it is a cheap, easy day with kids. For the island’s larger party boat, on the north side at Shelter Cove, see Captain Hook.
How we scored it
The Drifter scores 6.2: a friendly, affordable, all inclusive party boat that a family has run for more than 30 years, a solid cheap option for a first trip with kids. Value and service are its steadier factors. It sits at the foot of the ranking because its deep sea trip fishes a reef only about 5 miles out, the shortest run on this page, for small fish, and the catch is uneven across the record. See how we scored this boat, and compare it against the rest of the Hilton Head fleet.