Best Offshore Fishing Boat Brands By Size And Region

There are many different types of fishing boats out there, but if you plan on prowling the offshore fishing grounds for pelagic species like marlin and tuna, you need a boat designed specifically for the task. So, which are the best offshore fishing boats? Which are the best small offshore fishing boats, and which are the best large ones? Let’s dive right in.

Types Of Offshore Fishing Boats

Before we get specific about stand-out brands, we need to remember that there are a number of different types of offshore fishing boats. Center consoles are the most popular when it comes to the best offshore fishing boats under 30 feet, but anglers in search of the best offshore family fishing boat may be better served by a boat with a cabin or a dual-console model. Those with budgets that are more or less unlimited may even choose a convertible. And fishermen who treasure a smooth ride above all else may well opt for a catamaran fishing boat. The bottom line? The best types of offshore fishing boats for each person will vary depending on their specific needs. So before you even begin shopping, it’s a good idea to make a list of your priorities and nail down exactly what sort of performance, layout, and amenities will fit the bill for you, personally.

Best Offshore Fishing Boats With Cabins

Anglers who plan to overnight on their boat will naturally want a cabin. Families with small children and people who plan to fish in inclement weather may decide a cabin is a must-have, too. Finding the best offshore fishing boats with a cabin can present a significant challenge, especially for anglers on a budget, but these top picks are sure to show up on your radar.

Boston Whaler

This brand is best known for building unsinkable boats, by molding a hull and a deck and then pumping the voids between them full of high-pressure foam to create a fiberglass-foam-fiberglass sandwich. They are indeed unsinkable, adding a significant layer of safety and confidence to long runs offshore. And they have three offshore-capable cabin boats in their lineup: the 285 Conquest, 325 Conquest, and 405 Conquest. All are rigged for serious fishing, too, with integrated livewells, rod holders, fishboxes, and more.

BostonWhaler 325 Conquest, BostonWhaler photo. 

Parker Offshore

Parker makes a lineup of boats for inshore and offshore, with both center consoles and cabin boats. Three in their Sport Cabin lineup are large enough for offshore duty. All have the stout construction, voluminous fuel capacity, and basic fishing features to get the job done. And unlike some small cabin boats, these are fully enclosed cabins with aft bulkheads. Parker also offers a second station in the cockpit, so you can control the boat from both inside and outside the cabin.

Parker 2820 XLD Sport Cabin, Parker Offshore photo.

Viking Yachts

In the “money is no object” department, we have Viking Yachts. Their entire lineup is suited to offshore fishing, and the smallest boat they build is the 38 Billfish convertible – which will seem quite large to most anglers. At the opposite end of the spectrum, they offer a 90-footer, which qualifies as a fishing superyacht. If offshore fishing boats with niceties like private staterooms, satellite TV, and air conditioning strike your fancy and your checkbook knows no bounds, it’s time to check out a Viking.

Viking 38 Billfish, Vikink Yachts photo.

Best Offshore Family Fishing Boats

Taking the entire family offshore fishing puts some different demands on the vessel. You need a certain level of comfort, some protection from the elements, and in most cases the ability to use the boat for things other than offshore fishing, too. Just what you need personally depends on the makeup of your family, but all of these choices are great ones.

Grady-White

Grady-White boats are among the most popular fishing boats on the water, thanks to their combination of family-friendly features and design along with a healthy dose of fishing acuity. A number of their models are suitable for offshore duty, including center consoles up to 45’, dual consoles to 36’7”, and cabin models up to 36’7”. Grady-Whites are also known for their excellent seakeeping abilities, thanks in no small part to their variable-degree deadrise hull designs. 

Grady-White Freedom 335, Grady-White Boats photo. 

Pursuit

Pursuit makes a model line called the Sport Center Console, which places a heavy emphasis on comfort along with fishability. All of the models in this line, which stretches from 25’8” to 43’9”, are equipped with all the goodies anglers need. But they also boast heads in the consoles and on the larger models, complete cabins with berths, galleys, and settees. All feature plenty of luxury seating along with creature comforts like freshwater showers and stereo systems, and all but the smallest have big loungers as well.

Pursuit S 358 Sport Center Console, Pursuit photo. 

Solara

This new builder has a pair of models which offer unusual utility to the family. These boats don’t fit neatly into any one mold, as they’re a combination center console and cabin boat, which Solara has dubbed “center walkarounds.” They have a centered console and helm, which stretches all the way to the port side of the boat but leaves a walkaround side-deck to starboard. That greatly enhances the space inside the console cabin, which on the 25’ model has a berth and head, and on the 31’ model includes a forward berth, a fully enclosed head compartment, and a galley.

Solara S-310 CW, Solara photo. 

Best Small Offshore Fishing Boats

Different sized boats are more or less capable of offshore fishing in different parts of the nation, because in Florida you may need to run for just a couple of miles but in New Jersey an 80-mile run to the fishing grounds isn’t out of the question. So, how small is too small for offshore? It depends on many variables beyond geography, like the weather conditions, the captain’s experience level, and the condition of the boat itself. That said, in areas where small boats can get offshore during the right weather window, these picks are among the best small offshore fishing boats.

Edgewater

This builder offers plenty of big boats, but their 20- to 24-foot offerings are what lands them on this list. They’re built with the PermaGrid fiberglass stringer system, a high-density composite transom, and a variable-degree deadrise hull that handles the seas far better than most boats of the same size. Even the smallest, the 208CC, carries a whopping 87 gallons of fuel and cruising at 30 mph, can run for almost 300 miles. The fishing features are all in place, too, ranging from livewells, to fishboxes, to rodholders.

Edgewater 208CC, Edgewater photo. 

Pathfinder

This builder’s lineup of bay and hybrid bay boats ranges from 22’5” to 27’0”, and although they’re not dedicated offshore boats even the 22- and 24-footers prove competent for popping through the inlet on days when the wind isn’t pumping. The smallest, the 2200, carries 65 gallons of fuel, and rigged with an F150 Yamaha outboard has over 250 miles of range at cruising speed. And Pathfinder’s vacuum-infused stepped hulls provide a ride that shines offshore every bit as much as inshore.

Pathfinder 2500 Hibrid, Pathfinder photo. 

Regulator Marine

Regulator has a lineup that runs all the way up to a 41-footer, but they make our list for one single model: the Regulator 23. With a wave-splitting 24 degrees of transom deadrise and a hefty 7,120-pound displacement, this is one of the smallest dedicated offshore fishing machines around. And it has a well-deserved reputation for proving competent beyond virtually all other boats of its LOA. It’s also a serious fishing machine, with two 87-gallon integrated fishboxes, multiple leaning post tackle station options, a 46-gallon livewell, and more.

Regulator 23, Regulator photo. 

Best East Coast Offshore Fishing Boats

Priorities can differ quite a bit along the East Coast, especially from north to south, since travel time to and from the offshore grounds differs quite a bit between places like Florida and New York. That said, just about all East Coast offshore anglers need fishing boats that can handle diverse tactics ranging from trolling rigged baits to live bait fishing.

Contender

Contender boats are known for having aggressive deep-V hulls that can chop through the rolling waves at high speeds without beating up the boat’s passengers. Originally popular in Florida in particular, their appeal has expanded up the coast and Contenders are now found the length of the Atlantic seaboard. The company’s extensive model range goes from 24 feet all the way up to 43’10”, and all also feature voluminous fuel capacities for extended runs offshore.

Contender 28T, Contender photo. 

Invincible Boats

Invincible is one of those rare manufacturers that builds both monohull boats and powercats. The range goes from 33 to 46 feet, includes center consoles and pilothouse versions, and each and every model is designed to be a serious offshore fishing platform. Tremendous livewell capacity, huge number of rodholders, and massive fishboxes are all part of the mix.

Invincible 37' Catamaran, Invincible photo. 

World Cat

World Cat boats builds, as one might guess from the name, a lineup of power catamarans. They range from the 235CC hybrid bay boat to the 400 CC-X. The offerings include a mix of center consoles and dual consoles, any of which can be run offshore and used for fishing. Serious offshore anglers, however, will be most interested in the center console CC-X models, which come fully armed for battling pelagics. The highpoint of these boats is, without question, the smooth powercat ride those twin hulls deliver. 

World Cat 235CC, World Cat photo. 

Best Gulf Coast Offshore Fishing Boats

Gulf Coast anglers generally make exceptionally long runs to reach the offshore grounds, often running to oil platforms many hours from port. As a result, fuel capacity and high-speed cruising are critical elements. Since those runs are so long some Gulf anglers like to make overnight trips, which makes having some form of berth belowdecks a big perk.

Cape Horn

This relatively small builder has a range of 22- to 39-footers, all of which are designed solely for fishing. They have the gear, fuel capacity, and deep-V hulls to take on long fishing trips in the Gulf, but what really sets them apart from much of the competition is that they tend to have few frills and niceties. That helps Cape Horn undercut the competition’s price, so serious anglers who aren’t worried about goodies like luxury loungers and air conditioning can get the most LOA bang for their buck.

Cape Horn 24OS, Cape Horn photo.

Freeman Boatworks

Freeman builds a line of powercats that’s incredibly popular along the Gulf coast, especially among charter captains. They offer amazingly smooth rides that most monohulls can’t match, along with hat-stripping-fast cruising speeds. In fact, much of their model line is capable of cruising in the 40- to 50-mph range and can hit blistering speeds in excess of 70 mph. Each of their boats, which range from 28’9” to 47’0”, are also rigged with just about every fishing accouterment ever invented.

Freeman 42LR, Freeman Boatworks photo. 

Yellowfin Yachts

Another boat builder known for crafting speedy creations is Yellowfin, which has a line of offshore-capable boats from 26 to 54 feet. Larger models have cabins inside the console with comforts like heads, berths, and air conditioning, and no matter the size these boats are rigged out with the best in multiple livewell systems, fishing rod holders, and massive fuel tanks.

Yellowfin 54 Offshore, Yellofin photo. 

Best West Coast Offshore Fishing Boats

West Coast offshore anglers have very different needs depending on if they’re located in the north or the south, much like those along the Atlantic coast. In southern areas long runs into the Pacific are the norm, and often the same sorts of boats found in the Gulf or North Atlantic are ideal. In the northern areas, however, where there are rocky shores and islands to contend with, anglers will often be looking for the best offshore aluminum fishing boats as opposed to standard-issue fiberglass models.

Defiance

Defiance boats are relatively small for offshore action (their largest model is the Guadalupe 290 XL), but these are a favorite among southern California anglers for their full pilothouse designs which provide all-weather protection. They also feature huge fuel capacities and wide-open aft cockpits.

Guadalupe 290 EX, Defiance Boats photo. 

Duckworth

Located in Clarkston, Washington, the entire Duckworth line is welded aluminum and they have three models appropriate for this conversation: the 26 Offshore, 28 Offshore, and 30 Offshore XL. All have a full pilot house for offshore fishing in difficult weather conditions, and they even offer diesel stove/heater options so you can keep fishing all winter long. Anyone searching for the best offshore aluminum fishing boats around is sure to run across this manufacturer.

Duckworth 26 Offshore, Duckworth photo. 

Sea Sport

With a lineup of 22- to 32-foot fiberglass pilothouse-style cabin boats, Sea Sports are another popular line built in Washington State. What sets these apart from the crowd is their cabins, which extend aft a bit more than most to provide additional interior space. While this does reduce cockpit space, it also gets you a lot more cabin for the LOA as compared to most competitors.

Sea Sport Explorer 2400, Sea Sport photo. 

There are so many different boatbuilders out there that the search for the best offshore boats is no small endeavor. But if you plan to point the bow for distant horizons in search of pelagic predators, it’s a search you will undoubtedly be making. We can’t say if any of these boat manufacturers offer the ideal model for you, personally, but hopefully this roundup will help you get started finding the perfect boat for your needs.