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To access SW's 2009 New Boat Showcase , including reviews and photos for Boat of the Year winners and dozens of new boats, click here.

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Topping the list of winners for Sailing World's 25th annual Boat of the Year contest was the King 40 by Summit Yachts.

The King 40, the overall winner, and four other boats won awards from an independent panel of experts who inspected and tested 17 nominated entries during the U.S. Sailboat Show in Annapolis earlier this year. Selections were based on extensive inspections and sea trials of all the boats. All five 2009 Boat of the Year winners will be featured in the January/February issue of Sailing World.

"The criteria I used was performance, fun, quality, and market fit," said Boat of the Year judge Greg Stewart, a seasoned naval architect with Nelson/Marek Yacht Design in San Diego. "It had high marks in all of those."

Stewart's colleague on the judging panel, professional sailmaker Chuck Allen, had high praises for the 40-foot raceboat, built by King Marine in Argentina, and the high quality of this year's entries made the King 40's selection all the more challenging.

"When you get into really sailing the King 40, it just has a slight edge upwind and downwind," says Allen. "The King 40 was my highest rated boat. I like everything about it."  

Other categories and their winners in the 2009 BOTY competition: Best One-Design: Melges 20 (Melges Boatworks, Zenda, Wisc.); Best Club Racer: Andrews 28 (Sylvana Yachts, Penticton, British Columbia); Best Crossover: Archambault A35 (Archambault  Boats, Halifax, Nova Scotia; Best Dinghy: Bug (LaserPerformance, Portsmouth, R.I.).

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SAILING WORLD 2009 BOTY WINNERS:

Overall winner:
King 40 by Summit Yachts

Best One-Design:
Melges 20

Best Club Racer:
Andrews 28

Best Crossover:
Archambault A35

Best Dinghy:
Laser Performance Bug

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To access SW's 2009 New Boat Showcase , including reviews and photos for Boat of the Year winners and dozens of new boats, click here.

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