IT’S AN AXIOM Raymarine’s newest line of multifunction displays come equipped with the company’s proprietary Lighthouse 3 operating system, quad core processors and RealVision 3D sonar capability. The 7in, 9in and 12in Axiom MFDs are super-fast all-glass units that will slot ...read more
The Best Boats Class of 2017 might appear staid to some given the many radical innovations the boatbuilding industry has introduced of late, a kind of Thermidorian reaction, a la the French Revolution, following a period of red-hot experimentation. What’s that, you say? You mean ...read more
The Xquisite X5 catamaran is this year’s systems winner in recognition of its beautifully engineered digital switching system and numerous other thoughtful touches, such as universal wall outlets (which will accept European and American-style plugs), USB ports in every cabin, ...read more
Best Small Cruiser This was a decision that provoked some debate among our judges, as the Seascape 24, which boasts a long retractable carbon-fiber bowsprit and a modern go-fast hull form, is obviously designed primarily as a performance boat. However, it is also a simple and ...read more
Best Daysailer This is an exceptionally versatile and fun little boat from Austria that took our judges entirely by surprise. Weighing just 120lb all-up, this car-toppable beach-cat-cum-rowing-shell can be assembled in less than 10 minutes with no tools required. The largest ...read more
Best Monohull Cruising Boat 30 to 40ft A product of the same veteran Slovenian company renowned for its skis, the Elan E4 is one of those rare boats that really can do it all—a performance-cruiser that sails like a witch and yet is truly comfortable belowdecks for when you want ...read more
Best Performance Boat under 30ft When it comes to downwind sailing, it’s an asymmetric world, especially at the upper levels of the sport, like at the Olympics. The problem is becoming adept at handling an A-sail and/or becoming comfortable enough with one that every gybe and ...read more
Best Large Multihull 50ft and above This dedicated cruising catamaran from South Africa boasts an amazing list of standard features—including all sails, electric winches, a genset, a watermaker, air conditioning, a huge 900-watt solar array and a washing machine, to name just a ...read more
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. ...read more
Best Multihull Cruising Boat 40 to 50ft The curvaceous Lagoon 42 replaces the iconic 420/421 and fills in the gap between the French builder’s 400 and 450 models. It’s not only a great addition to the product line in terms of length and price, it represents a fresh take on ...read more
Best Monohull Cruising Boat 40 to 50ft What becomes a legend most? A re-do, at least when it’s well done. With this in mind, Gerry Douglas, Catalina Yachts’ most prolific designer, set himself a monumental task when he set out to design a successor to the renowned Catalina 42, ...read more
They say good things come in small packages, and the Bavaria Open 40 catamaran is a good example of that. At just 40ft, this cat combines a practical layout with easy sailhandling and a good turn of speed. The result is a boat that is a joy to sail. Read the full review ...read more
Systems Gunboat G4, J/88e, Balance 451 Few are consistently willing to push the technology envelope and accept the (often considerable) risks that this entails. In the mass production marketplace, Groupe Beneteau stands out. In the high-end custom marketplace it is Gunboat, ...read more
Performance Multihull under 30ft Whisper Foiling Cat At approximately 1445 on October 13, 2015, the day after the Annapolis sailboat show, history was made when the increasingly creaky and cranky 195lb, 51-year-old executive editor of this magazine experienced full-foiling ...read more
Performance Monohull under 30ft Fareast 28R Who hasn’t at some point dreamed of being a rock-star grand prix racer? Alas, the cost of this kind of sailing has meant that for most sailors it has remained just that, a dream—until now. With its new 28R, veteran Chinese builder ...read more
Daysailer Corsair Pulse 600 It was heartening to see a whole crop of new daysailers at this year’s fall shows, including boats with one, two or three hulls. But in the end the judges decided the real standout in the group was the Corsair Pulse 600. The Pulse 600 is a 20ft ...read more
Small Cruiser Dragonfly 25 The newest and smallest member of this range of well-crafted folding trimarans from Denmark’s Quorning Boats impressed our judges with both its design and its build quality. With its standard rotating aluminum mast and carefully configured amas with ...read more
Cruising monohull 31-40ft Marlow-Hunter 31 Marlow-Hunter has long been known as an innovator in the marine industry, and the new Marlow-Hunter 31 is keeping that tradition alive with a mix of interesting features, large and small. Topsides, the most noticeable of these is a ...read more
Performance Boat over 30ft Gunboat G4 When looking for a boat to take top honors in their Performance Boat over 30ft category, SAIL’s judges didn’t have to look very hard. Since she made her very public debut this year at the Les Voiles de St Barth regatta, Timbalero III, the ...read more
Cruising Multihull 41-50ft Bali 4.3 Not so long ago, cruising catamarans were unique simply by their existence, but no more. With such a selection of cats available, we now look for innovative features, efficient hulls, good use of space and easily handled rigs. The Bali 4.3, a ...read more
Cruising Multihull 31-40ft Bavaria Open 40 Known for its monohulls, Bavaria recently acquired French catamaran builder Nautitech and enters the multihull market with the new Open 40, a boat that has been making some serious waves at the many boat shows where it appeared this ...read more
Cruising Monohull 41-50ft Italia13.98 According to Italia Yachts, the goal with the 13.98 was to create a “luxury cruiser” in which performance is a part of the “luxury equation,” and the company has lived up to that ambition and then some. Above decks, the Italia 13.98 boasts ...read more
Flagship Jeanneau64 The French builder’s new flagship is much more than just a scaled-up version of its smaller boats. Jeanneau’s production maestro Erik Stromberg spent years plotting the creation of this boat with yacht designer Philippe Briand and interior-design maven ...read more
By Nigel Calder, Christopher White, Adam Cort, Charles J. Doane, Zuzana Prochazka & Tom Dove Every year’s Best Boats competition brings at least a few surprises, but the class of 2016 has provided more than any other. For one thing, multihulls have figured more prominently than ...read more
