Carolina Runner Boat Crew
Join the Carolina Runner boat crew for your next adventure! We are locals, headlined by Captain Matty, Captain J Kent, and First Mate Taylor. Our crew extends to the mainland, throughout Wilmington NC – but our roots are right here in Wrightsville Beach NC. We want to show you the authentic boating experience of Wrightsville Beach and all of our wonderful islands.
Captain Matty
Captain J Kent
First Mate Taylor
Experienced Boat Crew Members on Your Private Boat Cruise
When you board the Carolina Runner you’re taking part in an experience that is both exclusive and thoughtfully curated. Not only are you benefitting from the expertise of the Captains but you’re also supporting the dreams of still other boat crew members that traverse the open waters on ships big and small.
The Carolina Runner is lovingly cared for by Captain Matty, Captain J Kent, and First Mate Taylor. Matty first put this team together to create experiences, but his real vision is to teach still others. Captain Matty works with local universities and fellow aquatic adventurers to pass along knowledge, techniques, and best practices.
Designed specifically for private boat experiences, The Carolina Runner serves up amazing aquatic encounters.
The Carolina Runner seen inshore, navigating the waters for private fishing excursions.
One Boat Trip Leads to the Wrightsville Beach Private Charter Concept
Bill and Captain Matty were delivering a fishing boat down to the Bahamas down through the intracoastal waterway and noticed that in every coastal town they passed by there was a giant pontoon boat that took people out and seemed like a popular activity to cruise around and also be able to reach shallow areas to access nearby islands. There are very few boat designs that can allow for groups to explore these waterways and islands as well as meet Coast Guard safety inspections.
After a lot of research to find similar boats we determined that this type of boat charter wasn’t on the market and no one was willing to part with them. So when Bill and Matty made it to Florida we decided to visit the manufacture Trident Pontoons. Robbie (the owner) and Bill were the exact same age and had similar backgrounds, so they got along swimmingly. We were immediately impressed with the facility and the massive boat models they created from sheets of aluminum. One had 4 pontoons that were each 80′ and was two decks high with exuberant amenities.
So, we got to work with Robbie. We custom built the layout of the deck over a couple trips down to Florida. The facility was in Tavares Fl. the seaplane capital of the world. There key largo tiki huts and beautiful lake life culture made it a pleasure to visit this small community in a beautiful part of farm land in central Florida. The boat was shipped here, to Wrightsville Beach, and just as our boat crew got started, the first news of covid hit a few days later.
The ominous tidings that Covid brought didn’t deter them. Bill and Captain Matty pushed forward in their attempt to realize a dream. A dream of adding to the very waterways, islands, and ecosystem that they grew up in. We’re thankful that they continued on, because the Carolina Runner boat has realized that dream for us and many within Wrightsville Beach. We have hosted US Senators, celebrities, and even held a couple of marriage ceremonies.
Captain Matty and Wrightsville Beach
Captain Matty is one of our own. A local here in Wrightsville Beach, he’s a bit enigmatic. The adventures he has taken to brought with them a wealth of experience.
He shares these experiences with other offshore, boating, and nautical enthusiasts to give back to the community that raised him.
The adventures may have taken him to and through the open ocean, but he’s brought that back to support the local ecosystem and young minds of Wrightsville Beach.
You’ll find him teaching, training, and nurturing both the ecosystem of Wrightsville Beach and the Carolina Runner’s boat crew.
