Portable boat grills offer an easy way to take your cookout party to the open sea. Find out everything you need to know and care about about sea cooking with our guide to the best boat grills of the year.
The best pontoon grills can pack a lot of BTU cooking power into a compact space. All this while remaining light enough to take on the water. It’s harder than it looks.
We’ve set sail to put our favorite boat grills to the test. In this guide, you’ll find our definitive list of the best deals of the year and the features to look out for so you can make the right choice. Whether you want to go all out with a charcoal smoker or just want a basic propane unit, we have something for everyone. Let’s get into that.
At a Glance: Our top 3 tips
- Best Boat Grill: Cuisinart Ponoon Grill
A mounted marine stove that offers easy propane cooking and excellent heat retention. - Runner-Up: MasterBuilt Gravity 560 Series
The perfect choice for those adventurous enough to brave charcoal smoking and grilling. A beautiful portable device from one of the best smoking brands in the BBQ world. - Best Budget Option: Char-Broil Grill2Go X200
Compact and portable, it’s the perfect choice for boaters who want something simple and fast.
Cuisinart Gourmet Petite
Cuisinart’s popular Petite Gourmet Grill is one of the world’s most acclaimed flat-top appliances, but the brand has created a ready-to-go package that also includes a range of racks. This way YOU can attach it to your boat’s rail and keep it stable and level for cooking on the water.
It’s well built, easy to install and easy to wash. Cuisinart is famous for its quality construction and ease of use. If these two criteria come first for you, this grill is perfect for you.
This item heats up quickly and maintains even cooking temperatures across its entire surface. It can hold enough food to cook enough for half a dozen people.
It attaches and detaches quickly so you can easily detach it on your boat or for a land later.
This is mainly due to the brackets. These are tough and reliable enough to count on when fitted on your boat, yet light enough to disassemble and take with you. It should fit most boat rails or sides.
Crucially, the Cuisinart doesn’t suffer from the same hotspot or flare-up problems as other small grills .
Annoyingly, it’s not the most economical of devices and can easily burn through a 16-ounce tank on a single use. However, I would add that this is probably common for small grills like this.
What I like is that it’s one of the few models that comes with its own mounting brackets. So I really appreciate that this $40-$50 extra cost will be saved immediately. If you factor in this money saving, then it is definitely one of the favorites among the best marine grills.
- The modified pontoon boat grill allows you to grill delicious food on the open sea
- The grill features 145 square inches of grilling area, a stainless steel burner, and a drip tray
- The open fence design is ideal for use with standard 1.25″ square boat railings
Magma A10-215 Marine Kettle
First things first, this is a beautiful teapot . I wouldn’t normally say aesthetics are that important, but I think sailing highlights that aspect. If all you care about is beauty, by all means buy this grill.
Besides being nice looking and how it might add to the visual appeal of your boat, it’s actually a pretty good galley too.
Frustratingly, that’s not a mount and you have to buy one separately. Also, it doesn’t have a deflector shield for its vents, which can make temperature control difficult.
The Magma is made from 304 steel, which is what they actually use for all of their grilling products. This type of steel is known to be extremely prone to clogging caused by the effects of salty seawater. You must also take this into account if you intend to go out to sea. To prevent wear and tear, be sure to clean and dry it after each use to protect it from the elements.
Other grills tend to be made from 316 stainless steel, which is much more durable, so Magma’s decision here is a little puzzling. But it looks nice.
Despite everything, the Magma kettle is extremely reliable. It has a solid enough ignition system and its heat retention is solid despite its slightly slimmer build.
It’s relatively heavy, so it can be a bit awkward to transport. However, once you’re firmly planted in your boat, you’re on your way.
- Manufactured from 100% mirror polished 18-9 stainless steel with a combination of “easy to clean” grease…
- Hinged lid won’t slam and has a stay-cool handle with air-cooled brackets
- Windproof rotary venturi and control valve virtually eliminate blowouts, place…
Magma A10-803 Connoisseur
Another model from Magma, but it’s a very worthwhile addition to the list. It doesn’t lose any of its visual appeal, however, and this is a much more reliable grill. It cooks evenly with no hot spots due to the way its ventilation has been configured. As with other Magma models, it’s more likely to rust due to its 304 steel construction . It also doesn’t have a mounting bracket, so you’ll need one separately.
He’s a really solid actor though. Its ignition system works perfectly and its large surface allows it to accommodate many people at the same time.
They are also exposed to the elements in windier conditions where it can take a long time to reach ideal cooking temperatures. This isn’t a factor you would normally consider with other types of grids, but sea conditions are more unpredictable(especially wind).
It’s a simple grill that you can take apart if you need to wash it(which you do on a regular basis). It also has a drip tray that can be easily removed for cleaning, making it much easier to maintain than other boat grills.
- Foldable legs, perfectly balanced, oversized, lockable lid with full-length handle
- Internal security housing directs grease to front access, locks drip pan in place
- Convenient press-in radiant panel for even heat distribution and easy cleaning
Master Build Gravity 560 series
Masterbuilt’s Gravity Series is a beautiful portable charcoal grill that offers a lot more than the standard appliances. In fact, its 305 square inches of grilling area means it’s one of the most generous grills on my list. It’s almost double the price of some of the other grills here.
It has excellent heat retention and distribution in its chamber, making it much more fuel efficient than other models. This means that even a small propane tank will easily survive a single use.
Annoyingly, you’ll need to invest in an adapter if you want to use a full-size propane tank. However, these are fairly easy to get and are reasonably priced, but they’re worth considering if you want the Jump Cart.
In terms of performance, the grill cooker. It has excellent heat distribution so there are no breakouts or spots. Not only that, you can reach your desired grilling temperature in just minutes.
It has an instant on button to easily turn on. It’s quite inconvenient to use, however, if you adjust the grill slightly by placing the lighter close to the gas stream. It’s an obvious design flaw, but one that’s really easy to work around.
The grill is easy to transport and has a lockable lid and foldable legs. It’s also fairly light at 20 pounds, making it easy to load onboard your boat or offload ashore.
- Reaches 225°F in 7 minutes or 700°F in 13 minutes
- Control temperature and cooking time with digital control panel or intelligent appliance control…
- Digital fan for precise temperature control
Char-Broil X200 TRU-Infrared
Anything with infrared in the title catches my eye. A good grill is all about heat consistency, and good infrared burns are usually a guarantee of that. How does this grill compare?
Now for the infrared burners. The unamplified infrared burners are designed to keep cold spots and flare-ups to a minimum. Both are common shortcomings on gas grills, but since the advent of infrared cooking, this has become much less of an issue.
The infrared burners on this grill are superb, allowing for quick cooking while maintaining even cooking temperatures across the entire surface of the cooking area. Not only that, it also helps burn fuel much more efficiently, meaning you’ll have a much better cooking performance while using less fuel.
Of course, this has a positive impact on the environment, but more importantly, it also saves you significant costs after frequent use.
It’s built tough without being too heavy. You can load your gas bottles inside the grill yourself, making it very handy when loading or unloading your boat.
- Roadworthy and built for easy travel
- Firebox and lid made of cast aluminum with two stainless steel fasteners and temperature indicator
- Impact-resistant frame with legs and carrying handles.
Writer & content creator. BBQ fanatic!
