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Boat of the Year NomineePhotos by Walter CooperThe Harbor 30, from California's W.D. Schock, turned out to be a bit of a wolf in sheep's clothing. The model our judges sailed was somewhat of a "de-tuned" version, sans optional asymmetric spinnaker and other features one might add for beer can racing. It wasn't quite finished at the factory, either, said the dealer, because it had to be rushed to the U.S. Sailboat Show, and the judges picked up on a few interior finish details that might otherwise be sorted at commissioning.They were ready to dismiss it at the dock, but once they trimmed the sails and put the bow down, they were all impressed with how well it sailed. "Easy, and surprisingly, quick," is how BOTY judge Chuck Allen put it after his turn on the helm. It's a pretty boat for for some casual weekend cruising, and set up well for shorthanded and family sailing.

Photos by Walter CooperGiven the immedate success of the J/70, with hundreds of boats sold before the first was built, it was a foregone conclusion that the J/70 would end up among the judges' favorites. With their latest sensation J/Boats has its first ramp-launchable sportboat and a polished set of class rules in place before the first big regatta (Quantum Key West) in January. The judges all agreed it delivered the excitement of a small sportboat, and the stiffness and handling of a bigger boat, which should appeal to a wide range of sailors.Read more about the J/70 here.

Boat of the Year NomineePhotos by Walter CooperRondar president Paul Young told our Boat of the Year judges that nearly 100 of these 15-foot singlehanded keelboats have been sold in England, with the typical buyer being middle-aged and preferring to "not end up in the drink every time they go sailing." That's a pretty specific ask for a narrow and lightweight (286-pound) dinghy, one that's accomplished with a 137-pound bulb attached to a lifting keel. To keep it interesting, they designed a clever jib-pole system that the judges said was easy to deploy for wing-on-wing sailing. They liked its upwind performance, but off the breeze, said Chuck Allen, "it was nothing special." Fellow panelist Tom Rich said the boat was fun to sail, and lively, but its $15,000 price tag would be a barrier to one-design class development. 

Boat of the Year NomineePhotos by Walter CooperDuring dock inspections of the Bavaria Yachts-built B/One, the Boat of the Year judging panel was impressed with the superb quality of the build from Bavaria Yachts: tight, clean, and absolutely barren inside the boat. Inside is a white-painted cavern that can accept a drop in V-berth module. The layout is straight-forward—really, how else can you make a 20-foot sportboat any different with the control lines?The B/One shares many similar design traits of the Farr 400; lots of volume from stern to rounded stem, and a nice chine return toward the transom. White, simple, and priced to move at $38,000, the judges wanted to love this boat and hoped it would give the J/70 a run for its money, but in the end, it didn’t blow them away. It felt sticky, they said, and the rudder (a rectangular, aluminum cassette foil) was stiff. “It had the responsiveness of a boat twice its size,” said judge Greg Stewart. But that said, it was very stable and would appeal to the sportboat buyer looking for something a little more forgiving.