SAIL's Best Boats 2017: Solaris 50

Best Large Monohull 50ft and above

Solaris has been building trendsetting yachts in Italy for some 40 years, so we were pleased to find one of its boats on offer here in the United States. The Solaris 50, designed by Argentinian Javier Soto Acebal, certainly has stunning looks. The sleek, low-profile deck dressed in acres of unblemished teak set behind a no-nonsense plumb bow is reminiscent of a luxurious Wally Yacht mixed with perhaps a touch of Nautor’s Swan. What’s more, our judges found the Solaris offers substance as well as style.

For example, while the Solaris is a close-winded performance boat with a powerful rig, the easy-to-handle controls, thoughtfully laid out, allow a couple or an adept solo sailor to manage the boat with a minimum of drama. Similarly, although it makes a minimalist fashion statement, it has some nice cruising features, including a hidden liferaft locker, a hide-away bimini frame that can support a fully enclosed deck shelter when deployed, and a very usable dinghy garage hidden behind a fold-down transom; all of which makes it user-friendly and quite livable. In spite of the space given up to the dinghy garage and a large sail locker forward (which can also be configured as crew quarters), the boat’s accommodation plan boasts a sumptuous saloon, a magnificently spacious owner’s stateroom forward and a pair of generously sized aft cabins. The latter can be fit out with a full-size double or split single berths as desired.

Finally, our judges were impressed with the boat’s finish quality, especially given its aggressive price point, which in turn allows the boat to embody what the builder describes as a kind of “accessible luxury” at its best. solarisyachts.com

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December 2016