So you want to head offshore for true bluewater sailing. You want a vessel that will get you to your destination swiftly and safely. You want an inviting layout and all the amenities for comfortable, gracious living once you arrive.
If that’s the case, then the big-boat category for this year’s Boat of the Year fleet has a pair of offerings that provide different platforms and approaches, but check all the relevant boxes with style and panache.
For many sailors, this will be a straightforward choice based on tastes and experiences. Do you want the open layout and broad vistas of a deck-salon layout, like the Moody DS48? Or the inherent strength and security of an aluminum hull, like the Allures 51.9?
You could easily make the case both ways, which left the judges with a difficult decision.
WINNER: Allures 51.9
Allures Yachting
Judge Herb McCormick was smitten from the outset. “I’ve sailed through the Northwest Passage and through Patagonia. I love high-latitude sailing, and I reckon the way to go is with a metal boat,” he said. “But on our trip, we sailed a rather rough, home-built, utilitarian workboat, and this Allures is anything but. We toured this cutter-rigged beauty with the very experienced Swiss couple who were on an extended cruise with theirs, and the fit-and-finish was astounding. Yes, it was a go-anywhere yacht, but it was also a very cozy home.”
Judge Tim Murphy added: “We’ve seen expedition-style aluminum monohulls from French builders before—Boreal, Garcia, Alubat and others—but those tend to be hard-chined purpose-built machines that communicate that workboat look that Herb described. This lovely, round-hulled vessel comes from a builder who decided 21 years ago to craft a safe, bluewater cruising boat that was also elegant. One trick was to put a composite deck on the aluminum hull because composite structures are able to keep paint longer. The version we sailed came to Annapolis on her bottom sailed by her owners by way of Scotland, Iceland and Greenland. It was outstanding.”
Mark Pillsbury cast the unanimous third vote for this winning entry: “I thought the Allures 51.9 was this year’s dream boat. By that I mean it had everything a cruising couple could want, and looking at this year’s entire fleet of nominees, it was by far the most capable of taking adventurous, long-legged wanderers to their dreamed-of landfalls. Under sail on a fairly blustery day, I stepped below and sat down for a few minutes to imagine being off watch. Thanks to the foam-cored hull and deck, it was noticeably quiet, and it just felt solid there in the salon, which is what a crew needs to stay rested. Back on deck, I found comfortable places to settle into at the twin helms, and there were handholds wherever I needed them. It was a really well-thought-out boat.”
Finalist: Moody 48DS
Hanse Yachts AG
Judge Mark Pillsbury found the latest offering from this long-established brand to be in keeping with the quality and workmanship we’ve come to see in other models in the line: “The Moody 48 will make a tremendous liveaboard option for an owner who wants a roomy, comfortable boat that can still sail well. We got to meet the new owner of the Moody we took for a sea trial in Annapolis, and that’s exactly what he plans to do with the boat: sail it south and spend the winter island-hopping, sometimes on his own and sometime with friends. It’s a boat that’s well set up for a shorthanded crew, with electric furlers for the jib and genoa. I liked the solid stainless-steel rail and high bulwarks that wrap around the entire deck too. Another feature on the 48DS that I really liked was the inside nav/helm station that offered excellent visibility and even had throttle controls so that the skipper could stay out of the weather in boisterous conditions.”
The 48DS is the second deck-salon Moody that has been nominated in recent BOTY contests, which judge Herb McCormick remembered fondly: “There are a lot of similarities between this boat and the 41DS that we tested for the 2023 competition, a boat that actually won the Full-Size division. We sailed both boats with their new owners, both of whom had long-range, liveaboard cruising in mind and were really satisfied by their choices. I think the beamy, deck-salon approach is a viable alternative for someone who might be considering a catamaran but is more comfortable and familiar with a monohull. In many ways, it’s the best of both worlds. You get the big salon and wraparound windows that you’d get in a cat, but you also get a boat that performs well, especially upwind. And make no mistake, this Moody is a fine, very able sailboat.”
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