Can You Drink on a Boat in Key West? BYOB Rules for Private Charters and Tour Boats
Yes. On a private charter in Key West you can bring your own beer, wine and liquor, and nearly every captain expects you to. On the shared sunset and sandbar boats you can't bring your own, but the ticket usually includes drinks or there is a bar aboard. The rules that actually matter are about glass, the captain, and the sandbar — not about whether you can drink.
Short answer: Private boat = BYOB, cans only, tip the crew. Shared boat = drinks included or sold aboard, no outside alcohol. Nobody under 21 drinks on either, and the captain never does.
BYOB on private charters
Florida law lets passengers drink on a boat; it only bars the operator from being impaired. So a private charter — a tiki boat, a center console to the sandbar, a catamaran for twelve — is BYOB by default. Every boat on our Key West bachelor party boats and Key West bachelorette party boats pages that says "private" takes your cooler.
What the captains ask for, in order of how often we hear it:
- No glass. Cans, boxed wine, plastic bottles. A broken bottle on a deck where everyone is barefoot ends the trip.
- Bring ice. Most boats have a cooler or two aboard; some supply ice, many do not. Ask when you book, or bring a bag.
- Pace it. Four hours in Key West sun with rum is not four hours at a bar. Water in the cooler, not just beer. Captains will turn back for someone who is sick or a danger to themselves, and you don't get the time back.
- Nobody underage. Mixed-age groups are fine; the drinking is 21+ and captains do check when a group looks young.
Drinks on shared boats
The shared sunset sails and sandbar catamarans work the other way: no outside alcohol, but the ticket covers it. Sebago's $49.95 champagne sail includes champagne, beer, wine and soft drinks. Sunset Watersports' Sip & Sail is an open well bar for two hours at $69.95. The tiki sunset cruise sells drinks aboard. If your group is six or fewer and you just want to drink at sunset without planning, a shared sail is cheaper than a private boat and you carry nothing.
Catamaran Champagne Sunset Sail
$49.95 per person · Sebago Watersports
Two-hour catamaran sail with champagne, beer, wine and soft drinks included. The cheapest sunset sail in Key West that pours.
Sunset Sip & Sail
$69.95 per person · Sunset Watersports
Unlimited well bar — rum runners, margaritas, mixed drinks — for the full two hours.
The sandbar
The backcountry sandbars are public water. Drinking there is legal and universal on weekends; the practical rules are the same as the boat: no glass, and pack out everything. Rangers patrol the flats around the refuges and will write up a boat for trash or for a captain who has been drinking. That is the operator's problem, not yours, which is why the good ones don't.
What it costs to drink on a private boat
The cheapest private boat in Key West is the six-person tiki boat at $525 for four hours — $88 a head, with your own cooler. The twelve-person Salty Bottom tiki boat is $1,049, or $87 a head. Compare that with a $70 open-bar shared sail and the private boat is the better deal for any group that would otherwise buy two rounds ashore.
Private Key West Sandbar Trip on a Tiki Boat
$525 private, up to 6 · Key West Promotions
A private tiki boat to the sandbar for six. BYOB, your music, four hours.
Salty Bottom Tiki Boat
$1,049 private, up to 12 · Salty Bottom Boat Party’s
Slide, tiki bar, Bluetooth, BYOB. Four-hour rate; six hours is $1,349.
Full lineup with whole-boat and per-head prices: bachelor party boats · bachelorette party boats · tiki boats.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you drink alcohol on a boat in Florida?
Yes. Florida law allows passengers to drink on a boat; it prohibits the operator from being impaired (BUI, same limit as driving). On private charters you bring your own; on shared tour boats outside alcohol is not allowed but drinks are usually included or sold aboard.
Can you bring your own alcohol on a Key West charter?
On private charters, yes — BYOB is standard. Bring cans or plastic, not glass, and a bag of ice. On shared sunset sails and sandbar boats you cannot bring your own; the ticket includes drinks or there is a bar.
Is there a bathroom on Key West party boats?
The catamarans and larger sportfishers have a marine head. Most small tiki boats and center consoles do not. If it matters for your group, choose a catamaran.
Do you tip the captain on a BYOB charter?
Yes. 15–20% of the charter price is the norm for the captain and mate, in cash at the dock. It is not included in the booking price.