For the first time in the long history of Cruising World’s Boat of the Year contest, the 16-boat fleet of nominees was split 50/50, right down the middle, among monohulls and multihulls. After the dockside inspections were completed and every boat was put through its paces under sail, there was a clear overall winner: a sweet performance cruiser from a company that’s familiar with the winner’s circle, the J/40 from J/Boats.
In retrospect, it was only a matter of time. The cruising catamaran sector of production-sailboat manufacturing has been the fastest-growing segment of the marketplace for more than a decade, and its momentum shows no signs whatsoever of slowing down. Never before, however, in the nearly three-decade history of Cruising World’s annual Boat of the Year contest, has the number of multihulls come close to overtaking the roster of monohulls competing for top prizes.
Until 2025. This year, in the overall fleet and the number of categories, the monohulls and multihulls were divided in equal measure. Eight entries apiece were judged in three size-related divisions. Parity has arrived in Boat of the Year.
The 16-boat fleet was down somewhat from 2024, when 19 nominees represented the field. Clearly, the sailboat side of the recreational marine industry is still recovering from the 2020 disruptions brought on by the pandemic, but it’s also obvious that R&D among the top builders is back on the rise, and new models are once again a priority for many of the world’s leading brands. And the 2025 fleet was once again an international one, with yachts entered from five nations: France, Germany, South Africa, Turkey and the United States.
More than ever, France continued to be the hub of worldwide multihull sailing, and was represented by a trio of cruising cats (Lagoon 43, Nautitech 48 and Windelo 54 Yachting) and a nifty cruising trimaran (Neel 52). In a further continuing trend, South Africa remained an important player on the cat stage, with a trio of nominees (Leopard 46, Xquisite 60 Solar Sail and Vision 444 ES). Another perennial contender, Seawind, rounded out the multihulls with its 1370, now built in a new facility in Turkey.
On the monohull side, after no US builder had an entry in 2024, it was good to have Florida-based Catalina Yachts back in the fold with a pair of nominees from its revamped “Six series” of cruisers: the 356 and the 426. The German consortium, Hanse Yachts, provided two nominees, which in many ways were polar opposites: The Hanse 360 is a sharp midsize boat aimed at coastal adventures, while the Moody DS48 is a rangy vessel with all-oceans potential. Speaking of offshore yachts, it was exciting to test another yacht built and laid out for blue water: from France, the aluminum Allures 51.9.
After winning the overall prize the previous year with the innovative Jeanneau Yachts 55, the French builder was back with a far different approach, also aimed at the midsize market: the Sun Odyssey 350 Performance. Like Jeanneau, Dufour is another outfit from France with a long legacy and a strong latest effort: the Dufour 44. Rounding out the monohulls, J/Boats is yet another entity that has done extremely well in Boat of the Year contests throughout the decades, and this year introduced another winner.
Along with the continued and growing multihull presence, Boat of the Year 2025 was notable for several other trends. One was the sheer cost of today’s boats, with more than half the fleet—nine nominees—coming in with price tags north of seven figures. Alternative-energy sources and ever-advancing charging systems are becoming more sophisticated, with 48-volt power, massive solar arrays and lithium-ion battery banks all becoming common, even mainstream. Finally, the option to go with electric auxiliaries and propulsion is an arena that continues to evolve, becoming more widespread each year.
As always, the Boat of the Year contest was conducted during and after the US Sailboat Show in Annapolis, Maryland, with a series of dockside inspections followed by sea trials on Chesapeake Bay. This past fall’s Annapolis show was graced by a lingering high-pressure system and glorious weather, after which a sweet northerly filled in with a consistent breeze between 10 and 20 knots. That’s not always the case on the Chesapeake, but every nominee for 2025 was sailed in near-perfect conditions. Everyone got a fair shake, and the sailing was outstanding.
The Boat of the Year contest would not be possible without the commitment and effort of all the manufacturers, and we’re grateful for everyone’s participation. Here, we’ll delve deeper into the attributes of each nominee and present the winners of each category, including the winner of the Judge’s Special Recognition prize, a most innovative effort that provided one surprise after another.
Meet The Judges
Mark Pillsbury
Mark Pillsbury is a die-hard sailor who has owned and maintained a number of sailboats, including a Sabre 34 on which he lived aboard for 15 years in various harbors around Rhode Island’s Narragansett Bay. He has been involved with Cruising World’s Boat of the Year program in various roles for many years and has reviewed scores of sailboats for the magazine. He is currently a Cruising World editor-at-large, as well as the editor-in-chief of Maine Boats, Homes & Harbors. For the purposes of Boat of the Year judging, his purview is interior plans, systems and build quality.
Tim Murphy
Tim Murphy serves as education project manager with the American Boat & Yacht Council, where he develops marine-trades curriculum and certification materials. Having been involved with ABYC since 1998, Murphy supported the rollout of ABYC’s Marine Electrical Certification; designed and edited ABYC certification study guides as a contractor; and co-authored (with Ed Sherman) Fundamentals of Marine Service Technology, a marine-trades textbook for secondary and postsecondary education. For Boat of the Year judging, Murphy specializes in ABYC standards, onboard systems and technical execution.
Herb McCormick
Over the course of his career as a sailor and yachting journalist, Cruising World editor-at-large Herb McCormick has written hundreds of boat reviews, and raced and cruised tens of thousands of miles, including the Newport Bermuda Race, the Sydney-Hobart Race, the Pacific Cup and the Transpac. His offshore résumé includes a voyage to Antarctica, a transit of the Northwest Passage and two roundings of Cape Horn. The author of five nautical books, he’s owned and maintained several sailboats, including his current Pearson 365 and Pearson Ensign. As a Boat of the Year judge, he concentrates on sailing performance, safety and deck layouts.
Judges On the Move: Arriving In Style Aboard a Highfield Patrol 540
For the 2025 Boat of the Year contest, for the second straight year, the judges and photographer Walter Cooper enjoyed a stylish chase boat: a Highfield Patrol 540 from Hampton Roads Inflatables (hriboats.com). The Virginia-based sales and service outfit is a boutique boat dealer with years of experience in top-notch inflatable boats, tenders and dinghies. Hampton Roads offers a premium selection of Highfield Boats and Williams Jet Tenders, along with Tohatsu outboard motors and ePropulsion motors. It’s the only dealer for Highfield Boats in Virginia, and the preferred choice for Williams Jet Tenders in Virginia and North Carolina. The 18-foot RIB, paired with a 115 hp Yamaha outboard, was the ideal ride to commute to all 16 sea trials on a sometimes-lumpy Chesapeake Bay. Many thanks, again, to the hardworking staff at Hampton Roads Inflatables.
Click here to return to the 2025 Boat of the Year main page.
