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May 17, 2013BOTY 2014 Information for BuildersEntry and information forms are ready for the upcoming BOTY season.
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December 13, 2012MC38 One Design: Best Grand-Prix One-DesignThe light, powerful, and well-priced MC38 One Design takes the prize for the Best Grand-Prix One-Design.
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December 13, 2012Ker 40: Best Handicap RacerJason Ker, master of IRC-winning designs, teams up with McConaghy Boats to deliver a no-excuses, semi-custom raceboat that's dialed in for offshore sprints and buoy racing triumphs.
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December 13, 2012Sparkman & Stephens 30: Best DaysailerThe simplistic and graceful Sparkman & Stephens 30 is perfect for casual sailing, beer can racing, and much more.
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December 13, 2012Dufour 36 Performance: Best CrossoverWhen Dufour Yachts said they were going to revamp their line of performance cruisers, they weren't kidding. With the Dufour 36 Performance they deliver on their promise: It's a fast, fun, and impeccably built crossover—for less than $250K. Race it. Cruise it. Enjoy the ride.
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December 11, 2012X-Yachts Xp 38Boat of the Year Nominee
Photos by Walter Cooper
Travel around Europe, and X-Yachts are a staple of all the major handicap races. There’s no denying that X-Yachts make fast, great sailing boats, and the Xp 38 continues the tradition, only better. Their updated crossovers now have robust carbon keel grids (instead of metal), and the hull shape of the Xp 38, said Greg Stewart, was very stiff, quick, and easily driven. From off the boat, it’s racy looking, with a low-profile cabin top, angular hull features, and flared topsides, Stewart added, so it will appeal to an owner looking for a more crossover-type aggressive design.
The judges noted the construction quality was very high, perhaps even the best of the entire BOTY fleet, and the interior is a purposeful three-cabin layout, with the head aft, on the starboard side. X Yachts owners tend to be racers first, so the cockpit is open, clean, and set up for efficient manuevers with twin steering pedestals located outboard to provide a good line of sight on the telltales.
Of the three crossovers in the competition, however, the Xp 38 came with a considerably higher price tag ($365K). “Build-wise, the thing is incredible,” said Chuck Allen. “We couldn’t find a single area of the boat with any flaws.” But under sail it was “so, so,” he added. “I think a carbon rig and a full race crew on the rail, would have made a big difference in how it felt.”
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December 11, 2012Tofinou 8mBoat of the Year Nominee
Photos by Walter Cooper
Imported from France, the Tofinou 8M, was a looker at the dock, thanks to the sharpness of its metallic paint and teak deck, but on the water, the judges quickly dismissed it because excessive friction in every control line, and a combative helm took the fun out of sailing it.
“The thing was a workout,” said Tom Rich, explaining that the practice of hiding ropes by leading them under deck from the mast to the jammer banks in the cockpit introduced too many 90-degree turns. The boat could’ve benefited from a top-down roller-furling spinnaker or sock system, added Chuck Allen, because a spinnaker launch from a turtle in the cockpit would likely fill with water before the tack reached the outboard end of the sprit.
As a daysailer, they deemed, it was too challenging to sail, and with winch pods dividing the cockpit seating, there was nowhere to stretch out and take a nap. The interior, too, was cramped.
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December 11, 2012Tartan FantailBoat of the Year Nominee
Photos by Walter Cooper
After inspecting the Tartan Fantail at the dock, and being impressed with its construction quality, the judges had high expectations. And when winds kicked into the high-teens, just in time for its test sail, they were especially eager to see what this radical-looking daysailer could do. As is often the case, however, strong winds quickly reveal a boat’s weakest points. “The rudder had a ton of helm,” said judge Greg Stewart, “and most of the sheets were pretty tough to pull.”
To be fair, the boat was a late entry, and had been fast-tracked out of the factory to make it to the boatshow. It hadn’t been sailed, the rig wasn’t tuned, and the systems were not yet sorted, but based on its aethetics and build quality, it's off to a good start.
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December 11, 2012Sparkman & Stephens 30Best Daysailer
Photos by Walter Cooper
The ultimate daysailing experience is different for everyone. For some of us, it might just be an afternoon spin around the bay, or a twilight sail with the family or significant other.
For the BOTY judges, however, the ultimate daysailing experience should include the ability to just keep going—to let a day turn into two or more. The Sparkman & Stephens 30 is just the boat for that. Olin Stephens never drew a bad boat, and this remake of his 1930s pocket-sized ocean-racer, is a testament to his original vision of a simple, but quick and exciting experience under sail.
A collaboration between Rhode Island yacht broker Bluenose Yacht Sales and C&C Fiberglass Components (which builds the J/70), the S&S 30 has excellent construction and quite a few clever adaptations to Stephen’s original. The cockpit is long and open, the interior comfortable and bright.
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December 11, 2012SeaRail 19Boat of the Year Nominee
Photos by Walter Cooper
The SeaRail 19 is a pint-sized trimaran imported from Vietnam, built by a former Corsair Trimaran employee with imput from noted multihull designer Nigel Irens. The test boat was delivered straight from U.S. Customs, so its U.S. distributor, Bob Gleason, a multihull veteran, was on the water sorting it out before its test time. As we approached Gleason, he looked concerned and suggested the boat not be tested. “The [leeward] float is really burying, and there’s a lot of flexing in the forward beam,” he said. “I don’t think we should go through with this: The boat’s just not ready.”
“Nonsense,” BOTY judge Chuck Allen responded before rolling onto the SeaRail’s trampoline like a Navy SEAL. Off the two of them went, with the screacher deployed, reaching across the bay at a high rate of speed. Gleason was right, though. The other judges looked on as the leeward ama submerged every time a gust filled the sails. After an hour and a half of hard sailing, however, the boat was perfectly intact and the judges were pleasantly surprised. “It was easy to sail, had a high fun factor to it,” said Rich. “If they cleaned up the construction and got the buoyancy right, they’d have something worth talking about. It’s almost there.”
The standard pricing was quoted at $28,000.
