Boat of the Year 2017

Twenty knots of wind will make any good boat fun to sail, but to really appreciate it, you need light air. When the boat is right, you can feel it, hear it and see it. Performance flaws stand out. It was with this understanding that our judges approached our annual Boat of the Year sailing trials. A high-pressure area parked over Annapolis as sailmaker Chuck Allen, naval architect Greg Stewart and boatbuilder Tom Rich powered their way through 14 new raceboats over five days. They picked the boats apart on land, drilling builders for details, and two hours on the water with each entry fueled long nightly debates. Winners had to nail three things: design purpose, quality and performance. We present the judges’ best new rides for 2017. 

Overall Winner

2017 Winners

Best Crossover: J/112E

The ultimate weeknight club racer is ready to go fresh out of the box and will deliver around the buoys, or on coastal cruises.

Best Dinghy: VX Evo

A fresh breath of life for singlehanded dinghies, the VX Evo impressed with its technical design.

waszp

Best One-Design: Waszp

The bulletproof first foiler for the masses, the Waszp could change the foiling market from the bottom up.