Best Boats Nominees 2017

After racing ahead for some time at breakneck speed, the boatbuilding industry seems to have entered a period of refinement—which is probably a good thing.

In recent years the sailing public has been witness to everything from lounging areas springing up in places never before heard of to twin helms on 30-footers and full-foiling performance aboard everything from beach cats to “cruising” multihulls. However, keeping up that kind of pace can just as easily lead to gimmicks as it can to real innovation.

At the same time, “refinement” is hardly a dirty word. Whether it’s turbocharging a classic or extending a tried and true concept to a different LOA, the boatbuilding industry knows that neither the sea nor SAIL’s Best Boats judges suffer fools gladly.

SAIL magazine’s list of Best Boat nominees includes entries in these categories:

• Monohulls Cruising
• Monohulls Performance
• Multihulls Cruising
• Multihulls Performance
• Smaller Boats

For a look at this year’s crop of nominees…click here. Also look for the nominees at the Annapolis Boat Show on October 6-10.