Boat of the Year 2018

From an impressive roundup of the latest and greatest innovations in sailing, we found four designs that sailed away from the competition.

sailboat sailing through stormy conditions

Twenty knots of wind will make any good boat fun to sail, but to fully appreciate it, a taste of light air is required. When a boat is right, you can feel it, hear it and see the performance. It was with this understanding that our judges dived into our annual Boat of the Year sailing trials. Sailmaker Chuck Allen, naval architect Greg Stewart and boatbuilder Tom Rich powered their way through 10 new race boats over five days in Annapolis, Maryland, delving into the boats on land and drilling builders for details. Two hours (or more) on the water with each entry fueled long nightly discussions. The winners had to deliver on three basic criteria: design purpose, quality and performance. Four boats produced on all three counts, with one ultimately sailing away with the overall title. 

2018 Boat of the Year Overall Winner: HH66

Best Multihull: HH 66
The HH66 sailed away from the competition, clocking high speeds and high comfort to take the title of Best Multihull and 2018 Boat of the Year.
By Dave ReedPhotos by Walter Cooper

2018 Boat of the Year Winners

Special Thanks

The 2018 Boat of the Year Team:


Judges: Tom Rich, Greg Stewart & Chuck Allen 


Highfield RIBs, the official RIB of *Sailing World*'s Boat of the Year


 Walter Cooper for photography

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