Onslow Bay 33 Tournament Edition, a Stepped Live-Bait Machine From Holly Ridge

How the Onslow Bay 33 grew out of the 32 Tournament Edition

The Onslow Bay 33 Tournament Edition is the boat that carried a small North Carolina builder from the kingfish circuit into serious offshore fishing. Founder Brad Knight started Onslow Bay Boatworks in 2005 to build a 23-foot-waterline tournament boat, and by 2010 the company was also offering a larger 32. The 32 Tournament Edition of 2014 measured 32 feet 9 inches overall with a 27-foot 6-inch waterline and a 9-foot 11-inch beam.

The 33 TE appeared on the builder's website by mid-2016, and in 2018 Onslow Bay still called it the newest model in its lineup. It kept the 32's beam, 24-degree deadrise and 7-degree reverse chine but added a positive-lift ventilated step to the running surface. The builder's pitch was simple: take everything that worked on the 27 and put it on a bigger platform able to handle twin or triple engines.

Onslow Bay still builds around 30 boats a year in Holly Ridge, North Carolina, and sells each one direct to its owner.

A ventilated step on a 24-degree hull

Steps are usually associated with speed boats, but Onslow Bay uses one to make a heavy-loaded fishing boat efficient. The 33 has a 48-degree entry, 24 degrees of deadrise at the transom, a 7-degree reverse chine and deep bow flare. The builder says it planes at just 16 mph, even on triple engines, which matters when you are slow-trolling live bait and want to jump onto plane and move without blowing up the spread.

The ride is the selling point. Onslow Bay's own copy says to ask any owner, or better, come feel it. The hull, cap and liner are a three-piece structure with an integrated engine bracket and full-length running surface, all foam cored with no wood. Today's boats are 100 percent vinylester resin infused, a change from the vinylester skin coat listed in 2018, and dry weight has fallen from 7,000 pounds then to 6,300 pounds now.

Twin 425s or triple 300s, and what each delivers

The 33 is rated for 600 to 1,200 hp with a maximum engine weight of 2,100 pounds, as twins or triples. Onslow Bay publishes factory numbers for the two most popular packages. With twin Mercury Verado 425s the boat reaches 70 mph light and 64 to 65 mph loaded, returning 1.6 mpg at 40 mph. With triple Verado 300s it reaches 72 mph light and 67 mph loaded, at 1.5 mpg at 40 mph.

That makes twin 425s the smarter choice for most owners: nearly the same speed, better economy, two fewer gearcases to service and a lower price. Triples make sense for tournament crews who want redundancy far offshore or who run heavy with ice, bait and fuel. At 40 mph the twin package burns roughly 25 gallons per hour, so the 357-gallon tank gives a theoretical range of well over 500 statute miles before reserve.

• Twin Verado 425: 70 mph light, 64 to 65 mph loaded, 1.6 mpg at 40 mph
• Triple Verado 300: 72 mph light, 67 mph loaded, 1.5 mpg at 40 mph
• Planes at about 16 mph on either package

Built around livewells and big fish boxes

Onslow Bay calls the 33 the ultimate live-bait fishing machine. A 45-gallon round transom livewell with a Carolina blue interior, clear lid and two 800 gph pumps is standard, and the leaning post can be a standard unit, a tackle center, a 45-gallon livewell or a 73-gallon livewell with a rear bench seat.

Below the one-level, self-bailing deck there is a 600-quart forward fish box, four 230-quart side boxes and a 240-quart storage box. The side-entry console has a 125-quart cooler seat forward. Standard equipment also includes Accon pop-up cleats and bow light, Lenco trim tabs, LED lighting, a flush electronics cabinet, salt and freshwater washdowns and a fiberglass hardtop with spreader lights and enclosure.

Options read like a tournament boat's wish list: Seakeeper 2 or Seakeeper Ride, upper station with controls or a lookout ring, outrigger bases and poles, teaser reels, a sea chest, aft macerated fish boxes, electric steering and joystick, and a plumbed head.

What a new 33 TE costs in 2026

Because Onslow Bay sells factory direct, its price sheets are public. The January 2026 list runs from $395,000 with twin Verado 350s to $401,000 with twin 400s, $403,000 with twin 425s, $412,000 with triple 300s and $456,000 with triple 400Rs. A Seakeeper 2 adds $33,800, Seakeeper Ride $12,000 and custom hull color $4,600.

Prices have climbed sharply. In 2021 the same boat listed from $290,840 with twin 300s, and in 2025 from $370,000. Most finished boats with electronics, Seakeeper and a trailer will land between about $450,000 and $520,000.

The options list, line by line

Onslow Bay's public price sheet makes it easy to see what a finished 33 really costs. The upgrades that change how the boat fishes are the ones to prioritize; cosmetic items can wait.

A typical tournament build adds a Seakeeper, outriggers and an upper station, which together can push the price past $500,000. A family build might skip the tower and add forward seating, a transom door and a plumbed head instead.

• Upper station with controls and electric steering: $32,250 for twins, $3,000 more for triples
• Seakeeper 2 with upgraded batteries: $33,800; Seakeeper Ride in place of trim tabs: $12,000
• 73-gallon leaning post livewell with rear bench: $3,750; sea chest: $5,280
• Gemlux Bluewater outrigger bases: $4,100; Marsh Tacky 26-foot fixed poles: $7,900
• Transom door: $5,800; removable forward seating: $3,400; plumbed head: $1,900
• Ameratrail tandem trailer with electric-over-hydraulic brakes: $16,500

Running costs and resale for the Onslow Bay 33

Budget roughly $20,000 to $40,000 a year for insurance, a lift or slip, outboard service, Seakeeper maintenance and fuel. At 9 feet 11 inches wide the boat needs a wide-load permit to tow, though an Ameratrail tandem-axle trailer is on the options list.

Used 33s are scarce. The builder says its owners tend to hold on to their boats, and its owner marketplace lists only what owners choose to post. When one appears, engine package, hours and Seakeeper drive value more than the year. A 2016 to 2018 boat built before the switch to full infusion is a little heavier but rides the same stepped hull.