2014 Boat of the Year Award Nominees Announced

(October 12, 2013) – Cruising World and Sailing World magazines announced their nominees for the 2014 Boat of the Year awards at the U.S. Sailboat Show in Annapolis, Md. The BOTY awards recognize and honor the best new sailboat models introduced to the North American market.

Special nominating panels, consisting of each magazine’s editors and select members of the judging panels, examined the new sailboat models.

Sailing World nominated 19 performance-oriented models for its awards. “Every year at this time, it’s great to see the diversity that comes out of the sailboat industry, especially the performance-oriented raceboats,” said Sailing World Editor Dave Reed. “Our judges have a full complement of models to test, including a handful of sportboats, as well as multihulls, which are on top of everyone’s mind given the America’s Cup.”

Sailing World nominees are:
Tiwal 3.2, J/88, Xp 44, Far East 18R, Far East 26, Alerion 41, Corsair Cruze 970, Ultralight 20, Catalina 275 Sport, Gunboat 60, Hanse 345, Dufour 410, MX-Next, RS Cat16, Tartan Fantail Weekender, Archambault A47, Blue Jacket 40, W Race Boats GP26, and Dehler 38.

Cruising World nominated 28 boats, split into eight categories:
Pocket Cruisers
Cruising Sailboats Under 38 Feet
Midsize Cruisers (39-40 Feet)
Midsize Cruisers (41-45 Feet)
Full-Size Production Cruisers
Full-Size Semi-Custom Cruisers
Midsize Multihulls, Under 50 Feet
Full-Size Multihulls

“This is a fantastic fleet of new boats for 2014, with everything from sweet inshore pocket cruisers to a 63-foot world-class globe girdler and several riveting new multihulls,” said Cruising World Senior Editor and Boat of the Year Director Herb McCormick. “Our judging team is really looking forward to putting them through their paces on Chesapeake Bay.”

The nominated boats will now move on to the judging round. The Cruising World judges will focus on production boats laid out and equipped for coastal and offshore cruising and voyaging, while judges on the Sailing World panel will concentrate on boats designed and built with racing in mind.

The 2014 BOTY winners will be announced in the January issue of Cruising World and the January/February issue of Sailing World — both set to hit newsstands in mid-December. The 2014 awards mark the 30th anniversary of the BOTY awards for Sailing World and the 21st for Cruising World.

Cruising World nominees are… read on