Family Time Fishing Charters runs the most Gulf Stream capable boat in our ranked Morehead City field, a 46 foot Buddy Harris sportfisher under Captain Justin Hill, who fishes the Crystal Coast year round. It is a comfortable, well equipped boat with an air conditioned and heated salon, a private head, outriggers, and a live bait tank, and it carries a solid record across more than 80 trips on the booking platform. Where the smaller boats above it are nearshore specialists, this is the boat built to take six anglers offshore on a long day, which is its clearest strength and the reason it ranks where it does.
The verdict and where it ranks
At third in the port, Family Time is a strong choice and the first of the dedicated offshore boats on the list. It earns the spot on the boat and the fishing access: a 46 foot sportfisher with the deck, the range, and the cabin for a full day in the Gulf Stream, run by a named local captain with a consistent record. It sits below Offshore Outlaw and Reel Time mainly on price transparency: only the starting half day rate is posted, and the offshore and Gulf Stream trips are quoted directly, where those two boats post every rate. Book it for a full day offshore or a Gulf Stream trolling trip with a group of up to six.
The boat
The Family Time is a 46 foot Buddy Harris custom sportfisher, a Carolina build powered by a Detroit Diesel, with an air conditioned and heated salon, a private head, a live bait tank, outriggers, and downriggers, running modern Garmin electronics. That package is what separates it from the 31 and 36 foot boats above it on the list: it is built to carry six anglers offshore in comfort and to live in a Gulf Stream seaway, with somewhere to get out of the sun on the long run. It is the right tool for the longer trips, and the reviews reflect a clean, well kept boat rather than a tired one.
The fishing and what you target
Family Time fishes the full Crystal Coast spread. The half day works the nearshore reefs and the inlet for king mackerel and cobia, the three quarter day offshore bottom fishes and trolls the mid shelf for amberjack, grouper, and mackerel, and the full day Gulf Stream run, roughly 40 to 50 miles out, trolls the blue water for mahi mahi, yellowfin and blackfin tuna, and wahoo. In winter the boat joins the giant bluefin tuna run that draws boats from up and down the coast to the waters off Morehead City. The captain fishes year round, so the boat is on the water through the seasons rather than only in the summer window, which the record reflects.
Trips and prices
Family Time sells by the whole boat, private only, for up to six anglers. The half day starts around $650 for the boat on the FishingBooker listing, and the three quarter day offshore, the full day Gulf Stream, and the winter bluefin trips run higher and are quoted directly by the captain. The fishing license, rods and reels, tackle, lures, live bait, and catch cleaning are included, with a 3 percent card fee. The honest mark against it on value is the quoting: a reader comparing boats cannot see the offshore and Gulf Stream prices up front the way they can on the posted rate boats, so you have to call for the number that matters most on this boat. Our cost guide frames what a full day offshore generally runs, and the party boat versus private charter guide weighs the whole boat against a head boat seat.
The crew
Captain Justin Hill runs the boat, licensed and insured through the Coast Guard, and the reviews describe a relaxed, comfortable trip with steady action and a captain and mate who work to put people on fish. The record is solid, more than 80 reviews at 4.9 on the booking platform, consistent across the seasons. It is a smaller record than the two boats above it, which is part of why it sits where it does, but the pattern is clear and positive, with families and mixed groups the recurring note. As on any boat that markets across several towns, confirm the captain and the dock when you book.
Booking and what to know
Book through the operator’s site or its FishingBooker listing. The boat leaves from the Atlantic Beach Causeway on Beaufort Inlet, a few minutes across the bridge from the Morehead City waterfront, and the captain serves the whole Crystal Coast, Beaufort, Morehead City, Atlantic Beach, and Emerald Isle, which all fish that one inlet. Arrive about 30 minutes before departure to park and load. No fishing license is needed, the boat covers it, and the crew cleans your catch. Bring food, drinks, sunscreen, and motion sickness medication for the long offshore days, though the air conditioned salon helps on the run out.
How we scored it
Family Time scores third in the port: the most Gulf Stream capable boat in the ranked field, a comfortable 46 foot sportfisher under a year round local captain with a solid record, held off the top two by price transparency, since only the starting rate is posted and the offshore trips are quoted. Trips and access and the boat are its strongest factors. See how we scored this boat, and compare it against the rest of our Morehead City rankings.