Offshore Outlaw Fishing Charters is the most booked boat on the Morehead City waterfront, a 36 foot cabin boat that runs the nearshore reefs and the Gulf Stream out of the downtown docks on Evans Street. It carries the deepest, cleanest review record of any private boat in the port, a 4.9 rating across more than 230 trips, and a named local captain in Eric Price, who grew up fishing these waters at Core Creek and has appeared on Wicked Tuna: Outer Banks. It sits at the top of our Morehead City field on the strength of the crew and the record, with one honest qualifier: it is a nearshore boat first, and the Gulf Stream run is a stretch for a hull this size.
The verdict and where it ranks
At the top of the port, Offshore Outlaw is a strong choice and our first ranked boat in Morehead City. It earns the spot on the two factors that decide most days, the captain and the crew, backed by the largest run of positive reviews on the waterfront. The caveat is the boat, not the people: at 36 feet it is the right tool for a nearshore half or full day and a capable one for the Gulf Stream on a calm day, but the long bluewater trip is capped at four anglers, and a dedicated marlin or tuna day is better served by one of the bigger sportfishers. Book it for a reliable, well crewed day on king mackerel and false albacore. If a full Gulf Stream trolling trip for a group of six is the point, the 46 foot Family Time or the 42 foot Legacy have the deck and the range for it.
The boat
The Offshore Outlaw is a 36 foot Julian Guthrie, a Carolina built cabin boat from 2011, powered by a single 500 horsepower Caterpillar that cruises it out at around 20 knots. It is a clean, well kept boat with an air conditioned cabin, a private head, and a working galley, which is more comfort than the open center consoles that run a lot of nearshore trips. It takes up to six anglers for the nearshore trips and drops to four for the 12 hour Gulf Stream run, where the extra room matters on a long day in a seaway. It is the right size for what it mostly does, and honest about where it stops: this is not a 50 foot sportfisher built to live offshore in a chop.
The fishing and what you target
Offshore Outlaw fishes two ways. Most of its trips work the nearshore reefs, the inlet, and the beachfront for king mackerel, Spanish mackerel, false albacore, bluefish, bonito, and amberjack, with a shark trip on summer evenings. These are the bread and butter Crystal Coast nearshore species, and the boat is good at them. The 12 hour Gulf Stream trip trolls the blue water roughly 40 to 50 miles out for mahi mahi and blackfin tuna when the weather lays down. The captain runs the trip the season and the forecast favor rather than promising blue water every day, which is the right call on a 36 foot boat, and it is why the nearshore trips carry the bulk of the record.
Trips and prices
Offshore Outlaw sells by the whole boat, private only. The posted rates are $575 for a 4 hour nearshore half day, $1,250 for an 8 hour nearshore full day, and $1,850 for the 12 hour Gulf Stream trip, which takes up to four anglers rather than six. The fishing license, rods, tackle, and live bait are included, and the crew cleans and fillets your catch at the dock. The pricing is clear and posted, which is not true of every boat in the port, and the nearshore full day is good value for a private boat with a cabin and a head. Our cost guide sets these numbers against a head boat seat, and the party boat versus private charter guide weighs booking the whole boat against a walk on fare on the Carolina Princess.
The crew
The reviews name Captain Eric Price running the boat, with a hard working mate, and the recurring themes are local knowledge, energy, and a crew that puts people on fish and is patient with kids and first timers. The record is the deepest of any private boat in the port, more than 230 reviews at 4.9, and it is consistent across the seasons rather than a recent spike. The honest qualifier is the shape of it: most of that record lives on the booking platform, where reviews come only from completed trips, so the rating is lightly tested by the open sites. Read the recent reviews yourself, and the picture holds up well.
Booking and what to know
Book through the operator’s site or its FishingBooker listing. The boat leaves from the Morehead City waterfront at 677 Evans Street, the downtown stretch of charter docks, and the Gulf Stream trip sails at 5 a.m. with the nearshore full day at 6 a.m., so plan an early arrival to park and load. No fishing license is needed, since the boat covers it, and the crew fillets your catch. Bring food, drinks, sunscreen, and motion sickness medication if the offshore chop is a question, though the air conditioned cabin gives you somewhere to settle on the run.
How we scored it
Offshore Outlaw scores at the top of the Morehead City field: the deepest, cleanest review record in the port and a named, lifelong local captain, with the boat the one limit, a 36 foot hull that is built for the nearshore work it mostly does rather than the Gulf Stream. Captain and crew and track record are its strongest factors. See how we scored this boat for the full rubric and weighting, and compare it against the rest of our Morehead City rankings.