{"id":76222,"date":"2023-10-02T17:40:25","date_gmt":"2023-10-02T21:40:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/?p=76222"},"modified":"2023-10-03T17:23:27","modified_gmt":"2023-10-03T21:23:27","slug":"top-five-raceboats-from-boat-of-the-year","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/sailboats\/top-five-raceboats-from-boat-of-the-year\/","title":{"rendered":"Top Raceboats from Boat of the Year"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

With Sailing World<\/em>‘s 2024 Boat of the Year Awards performance tests are about to get under in Annapolis in October we look back on the previous winners of the past six editions. Safe to say the independent judges have chosen proven winners and these boats continuing to thrive on racecourses around thew world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2023 Boat of the Year: Beneteau First 36<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\"Beneteau <\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n
\n The judges enjoyed a blistering run down the bay on the Beneteau First 36 and noted responsive steering, good balance and full control in the 20-knot gusts. Stewart recorded the top speed of 18.3 knots.<\/span>\n Walter Cooper<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t <\/figcaption>\n <\/section>\n\t\t\n\n\n

“Like a runaway, the Beneteau First 36 careens across a westerly-whipped Chesapeake Bay. The boat\u2019s big-shouldered spinnaker and mainsail are silhouetted in the early October morning light. It\u2019s making trees on the Eastern Shore as we peg the throttle down to keep chase in a 19-foot RIB. The four crewmembers on board are having a casual conversation\u2014like no big deal\u2014when a cold and meaty gust fills the spinnaker. The leech flickers, and the boat surges forward onto plane. Twin rudders zipper the slick streaming out from the transom as the helmsman, hands at 10 and 2 on the carbon steering wheel, effortlessly weaves the boat across waves tops. The boat is, as the saying goes, on rails.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWicked,\u201d is how senior Boat of the Year judge Chuck Allen summarizes his experience when he steps off. \u201cThat boat is going to be hard to beat.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Three days and 10 boats later, nothing comes close to usurping the Beneteau First 36 as the obvious and unanimous Boat of the Year, a boat that has been a long time coming and overdue. It\u2019s a boat that will serve many masters.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2022 Boat of the Year: Melges 15<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\"BOTY <\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n
\n While the Melges 15 is a one-design for doublehanded teams, BOTY judge Chuck Allen easily singlehanded the boat upwind and down. With control lines that are easy to reach, Allen was able to make sail-trim adjustments with ease.<\/span>\n Walter Cooper<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t <\/figcaption>\n <\/section>\n\t\t\n\n\n

Out yonder in the vast cornfields of Wisconsin, boatbuilders in Tyvek suits are infusing polyester glass hulls as fast as they can, buffing out one gleaming white dinghy nearly every 66 hours in a full-tilt routine to place the latest American-made dinghy into the hands of sailors clamoring to get a piece of the new great thing in small-craft sailing: the remarkably versatile Melges 15, our 2022 Boat of the Year. No longer shall youth and adult sailors be cast to their individual dinghy classes, and our judges agree. This one allows all ages to play together in one remarkable 15-footer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s stable, forgiving and accessible to a wide swath of physiques, a platform where you can learn to sail it and then transition quickly to racing,\u201d says Eddie Cox, the youngster of Melges Performance Sailboats who\u2019s been involved with the Melges 15\u2019s development from inception to launch. \u201cThe boat fits a wide variety of sailors, and that\u2019s what our goal was. It\u2019s family-orientated sailing, which is important to us because that\u2019s how Melges boats are.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2020 Boat of the Year: Jeanneau Sun Fast 3300<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\"Jeanneau <\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n
\n The Jeanneau Sun Fast 3300<\/span>\n Walter Cooper <\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t <\/figcaption>\n <\/section>\n\t\t\n\n\n

“Beneath the red, white and blue vinyl wrap, the Sun Fast 3300 is a remarkable hull form, drafted by Jeanneau\u2019s Daniel Andrieu and Guillaume Verdier, designer of the wicked 100-footer Comanche and a long list of fast boats. The hull shape can best be described as powerful, and most definitely designed for the big-deal races in Europe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jeanneau\u2019s Mike Coe says the boat targets the shorthanded scene and might someday be considered a candidate for the 2024 Olympic offshore discipline, but in the meantime, the big event for new owners is the doublehanded Transquadra Race, from France to Martinique. In Europe, Coe says, it\u2019s all about windy, downwind races, but for North America, the right boat has to get upwind, in light air too.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2019 Boat of the Year: Figaro Beneteau 3<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\"Beneteau <\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n
\n With a combination of a Code Zero and just a little bit of pressure, the Beneteau Figaro 3 glides across Narragansett Bay during Boat of the Year sailing tests in Newport, Rhode Island.<\/span>\n Walter Cooper\/Sailing World<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t <\/figcaption>\n <\/section>\n\t\t\n\n\n

“There is no such thing as the right boat for everyone, but there is the right boat for the right time. For today\u2019s fervent offshore racing soloists and doublehanded teammates, that boat \u2014 right here, right now \u2014 is the Figaro Beneteau 3.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This pint-sized ocean racer isn\u2019t just another cruisy crossover from Beneteau<\/a>, the powerhouse of production boatbuilding. There is zero intent of comfort below its low-slung deck, unless your idea of luxury is a white, wet and noisy fiberglass cavern. It\u2019s not just a beastly Class 40 type, either.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For righting moment and power, it doesn\u2019t rely on hundreds of pounds of seawater sloshing ballast tanks. For Figaro Beneteau 3, there are two unmistakable arcing carbon side foils projecting from slots in its topsides. The foils are no gimmick. Beneteau, nor Figaro face fanatics, don\u2019t do gimmicks.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2018 Boat of the Year: HH66<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\"HH <\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n
\n Designer Gino Morrelli says the HH66\u2019s hull shape delivers a smoother ride in a seaway, allowing him to put plenty of power into the sails. From the helmsman\u2019s steering pod, the judges say, the boat\u2019s performance is more tangible and visibility is excellent.<\/span>\n Walter Cooper<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t <\/figcaption>\n <\/section>\n\t\t\n\n\n

“It\u2019s easy to become enamored with the luxury-level construction and cabinetry, but all the bells and whistles that will allow an owner to play off-grid are equally impressive. \u201cThis is the first boat we\u2019ve seen in a long time where it was as good-looking at the dock as it sails,\u201d says Tom Rich, a custom race-boat builder himself who can spot a shortcut or shoddy workmanship with one eye closed. \u201cWith the construction of this boat, I couldn\u2019t find a single thing to complain about,\u201d he says. \u201cIt\u2019s really impressive what they\u2019ve done with so many man-hours.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The judges agree that a boat of this size and complexity demands a full-time boat captain, ideally one that\u2019s involved in the build, the sailing and the upkeep. To race it will also require a few paid hands to get it around the track, and eight to 10 experienced hands, especially for races involving overnight action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve made sure this design is race-ready,\u201d says Morrelli. \u201cThe 66 is for an owner who wants to race and cruise, but it\u2019s a big boat, and unless an owner has significant experience, they will need a pro or two to help.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2017 Boat of the Year: Diam 24 One Design<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\"diam <\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n
\n The sensation of wind and water rushing beneath the Diam\u2019s trampoline is an experience that will leave first-timers wondering what took them so long to try a multihull.<\/span>\n Walter Cooper<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t <\/figcaption>\n <\/section>\n\t\t\n\n\n

“The hulls of the Diam 24 One Design may be white, but the boat is a black sheep in the sportboat flock. As an alternative to 20-something keelboat lookalikes, our 2017 Boat of the Year and Best Multihull is an overdue addition to the one-design menu.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The judges\u2019 choice for overall winner was unanimous. \u201cThis is the first time in many years where a boat that looked really sexy at the dock actually outperformed everything on the water too,\u201d says judge Tom Rich, a veteran boatbuilder. The sensation of wind and water rushing beneath the Diam\u2019s trampoline is an experience that will leave first-timers wondering what took them so long to try a multihull.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s designed to be technically accessible and not too complicated to sail,\u201d says Duncan Ross, who represents the Diam 24 One Design\u2019s French builder, ADH Inotec. \u201cThe systems are simple. It\u2019s built for racers looking for something a little more exciting but [who] want strict one-design racing.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Looking back over previous editions of Boat of the Year, we’re comforted know the judges know how to pick ’em.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":74682,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"BS_author_type":"BS_author_is_guest","BS_guest_author_name":"Dave Reed","BS_guest_author_url":"","hydra_display_date":"","hydra_display_updated":false,"_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":"","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"","_yoast_wpseo_title":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","arc_story_id":"","arc_website_url":"","custom_permalink":"","arc_subtype":"","arc_exclude_from_feeds":false,"sponsored":false,"sponsored_label":"Sponsored Content","sponsored_display_label":false,"sponsored_image":false,"post_right_rail":true,"post_right_rail_ad_1":true,"post_right_rail_ad_2":true,"post_right_rail_ad_3":false,"post_right_rail_ad_4":false,"post_right_rail_recirc":true,"fixed_anchor_ad":true,"post_top_ad":true,"post_off_ramp":true,"post_taboola":false,"labels":true,"apple_news_api_created_at":"","apple_news_api_id":"","apple_news_api_modified_at":"","apple_news_api_revision":"","apple_news_api_share_url":"","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_is_hidden":false,"apple_news_is_paid":false,"apple_news_is_preview":false,"apple_news_is_sponsored":false,"apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":"\"\"","apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false,"footnotes":"","ad_targeting":"","ad_settings_ads_on_this_page":true,"ad_settings_automatic_ad_injection_into_the_content":true,"sponsored_url":"","social_share":true},"categories":[160],"tags":[173,164],"class_list":["post-76222","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sailboats","tag-boat-of-the-year","tag-sailboats"],"acf":[],"apple_news_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76222","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=76222"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76222\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/74682"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=76222"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=76222"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=76222"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}