Any skipper worth his salt knows there’s always more to learn about boating. I was reminded of that while walking the docks at Bahia Mar in Fort Lauderdale. It had been a long day at a major boat show, and with 20,000 steps logged on my Apple watch, I was ready to call it quits and cast off from the show via Uber. But then, as I was making a beeline for the exit, the seductive sheerline of an unfamiliar boat caught my eye. So, I abandoned course and took a sharp turn to port to check out this stranger.
The 37 Tournament Edition by Onslow Bay Boatworks was over in a corner of the show, in one of those spots that’s not ideal if you want to attract attention, and yet she was drawing some stares. Company President Brad Knight was working the booth by himself and told me this was the first time he had exhibited at the event. Knight, I learned, is the son of a boatbuilder who then founded this company 20 years ago. He now produces a line of four dedicated offshore sportfishing boats in a 50,000-square-foot facility in Holly Ridge, North Carolina.
Onslow Bay Boatworks, I soon realized, has an avid following of fans who track the brand’s progress on the Southern Kingfish Association tournament circuit. Knight himself fishes his boats in these competitive contests. It was educational to talk with Knight about his boats, and fun to meet some Onslow Bay owners, who were combing through the 37 on display. One of them told me this company has a reputation for building the most efficient live wells on the water. Who knew?
The next morning, I headed back to the show with a goal to find another boat I knew nothing about. And there on D dock it was: the Fabbro F45 Cabrio. A dazzling day yacht, it was tied up in a prime location so foot traffic across its substantial deck was heavy.
I was not the only person onboard who was unfamiliar with the brand—not surprising, as this was the first U.S. show for Fabbro. The F45 was making waves with its European styling, powerful plumb stem and robust engineering.
The company’s COO, Omer Tumkor, was in the cockpit, fielding questions from the curious boaters milling about. He shared info about the company, a relatively new Turkish builder with a facility in Istanbul, and his personal situation. He recently moved to Fort Lauderdale from overseas to establish the U.S. base for the brand. He said he was enjoying the opportunity to explore this part of the country by boat.
Omer gave me his card and suggested we connect again at the Miami show in February, where Fabbro will debut a new 33-footer. I’m looking forward to that, as it will be good to learn something more about this company. And others, if I play my cards right. Because any skipper worth his salt knows there’s always more to discover about boats and boating.
Jeanne Craig
[email protected]
February 2025
