American Boat of the Year: who will be the fairest of the realm?

Overseas, everything is ready to decide which will be “The American Boat of the Year 2015.” Is an opportunity to discover boats unknown to us. But the Europeans want to be vocal.

Beneteau Oceanis 35 – You change it the way you want.
The French shipyard is focusing heavily on this new philosophy in its Oceanis range, which is to create boats with transformable layouts according to the owner’s needs. As seen last year with its big brother (Oceanis 38), this model is also available in Daysailer, Weekender and Cruiser versions, with open space interiors or classic cabins. In terms of maneuvering, the shipyard has opted for ease of operation and handling even with a small or inexperienced crew. Data: length. 11.50 m; wd. 3.99 m; disl. 6095 kg. www.beneteau.it

C&C Redline 41 – The relaunch of a legendary shipyard
It is Mark Mills who designed this new bolide from the historic American shipyard C&C. It was born immediately in order to be optimized for IRC and ORC races, but especially to give its best in long offshore races. Immediately striking is the decidedly generous sail plan (over 90 square meters), for a boat of this size, with quartered spreaders and a very low overlap jib. In terms of construction, vacuum infusion technique was used instead. Data: length. 12.41 m; wid. 3.70 m; disl. 6850 kg. www.c-cyachts.com

Dragonfly 32 – The tri… that becomes a monohull
This trimaran from the Danish shipyard Quorning Boats is available in two different configurationsù: one can decide first whether to opt for tiller or wheel steering, and then for two different rigs: one more high-performance and the other easier to handle. In both cases, however, much attention was paid to sailing performance under sail. Retractable side hulls make it suitable for all ports. Internally, up to eight people can be accommodated. The boat is not brand new, having been launched in 2012, but the shipyard decided to carry out a thorough tune-up. Data: length. 11.99 m; larg. 8/3.70 m; fish. 0,50/1,90. www.trimarans.com

Farr 280 OD – Challenge in one-designs restarts.

Low freeboard, straight bow with a slight negative slope, pinched sections at the bow, maximum beam very much tacked and enhanced by a flat, angular hull. A fixed bowsprit, about five feet long, and a sail plan developed in altessa complete the picture of this hull that marks Bruce Farr’s return to the world of monotypes. One tidbit: the shrouds are fixed, with no rigging and can be adjusted by raising or lowering the mast via a hydraulic pump. Data: length. 8.72 m; wd. 2.87 m; disl. 1625 kg. www.farryachtsales.com

Fountaine Pajot Saba 50 – Full Space
A fifteen-footer that stands out, among other things, for the particular layout of the bow section. Here we find not only the classic trampoline, but a real sunbathing area has been equipped. Different versions of the interiors. The “Owner” has a master suite with bathroom and three guest cabins with three bathrooms. Data: length. 14.98 m; wd. 7,99 m. www.fountaine-pajot.com

Gunboat 55 – Sportiness in power
Here is one of the most aggressive habitable catamarans on the market. A characteristic, that of sportiness, which has been inherent in the shipyard’s DNA since the earliest models. This is already clear just by looking at the profile of the hulls, which are particularly “angular.” The glazed superstructure (partly retractable when sailing in good weather) gives the wheelhouse area and the saloon incredible light. Just the position of the wheelhouse turns out to be peculiar, in the middle of the boat and fully sheltered. . Data: length. 17.35 m; wd. 7.62 m; draught. 0.61/2.80 m; disl. 12500 kg. www.gunboat.com

Marlow-Hunter 37 – An American…European-style!
Compared to what we are used to seeing in Made in USA production, the Marlow-Hunter 37 is a boat with modern lines, characterized by a large number of windows on the deckhouse. A feature that we are used to finding on European boats and that gives a lot of brightness to the interior. The interior itself is designed in a taste that seems more suited to our market, with white inserts to lighten the dark color of the woods. Pointing to a future Mediterranean launch? Lung. 12.12 m; wid. 3.39 m; disl. 8616 kg. www.marlow-hunter.com

Morris 48 RS – A Great American Classic
A boat that is making Americans fall in love, designed for those who aim for life aboard without having to make too many stops ashore. Do not be fooled by the somewhat retro lines, because the most modern techniques were used in its construction. Distinguishing it is undoubtedly the high glazed deckhouse, which greatly shelters the cockpit. The style chosen for the interior is decidedly classical, with great use of woods, and it is all played out on several levels. Three double cabins provided. Lung. 14.90 m; wd. 3.99 m; sup. vel. 94 sq. m. www.morrisyachts.com

Salona 33 – Wheeled or tiller?
A signature J&J design for a sporty cruiser racer. The transformability rate is remarkable, with as many as four drafts provided from 1.50 meters to a maximum of 2.15. The owner also has a choice of twin-wheel or tiller steering. The deck layout appears clean, with some of the rigging recessed into the deckhouse and sent back to the cockpit. Below deck here are two double cabins and a bathroom, a traditional layout on boats of this size, which also allowed for storage space aft.Two linear sofas serve the fold-down table. Data: length 9.99 m; width 3.35 m; sup.vel. 67 sq m. www.salonaitalia.it

Seascape 27 – Sporty and fun
Born from the pencil of Sam Manuard, a designer and experienced sailor in the Mini class, the Seascape 27 is an interesting racer-cruiser with bold water lines and edges that run the length of the hull. The 11-meter-tall mast is made of carbon fiber and has no backstay; at the bow, the presence of two stays offers the possibility of rigging both a genoa and a jib. Lung. 7.99 m; wid. 2.54 m; sup. vel. 47 sq. m. www.seascape.it

The other candidates… There are 27 challengers in all
There are eighteen other boats in the American Boat of the Year selection. The presence of Europeans is very strong, with nine yards from the old continent.
Balance 451 (13.60×7.11 m) – Bavaria Cruiser 37 (11.30×3.67 m) – Bavaria Cruiser 46 (14.27×4.35 m) – C&C 30 (9.15×3.00 m) – Dufour 560 GL (17.15×5.05 m) – Garcia Exploration 45 (14.88×4.44 m) – Hanse 505 (15.40×4.75 m) – Hanse 575 (17.15×5.20 m) – Hobie T2 (4.90×2.34 m) – Island Packet SP MkII (12.9×3.93 m) – Jeanneau SO 349 (10.34×3.44 m) – Jeanneau Sun Fast 3600 (11.25×3.55 m) – mx-Next (16.63×4.80 m) – RS Aero (4.35×1.91 m) – Salona 44 (13.50×4.19 m) – Topaz Argo (4.40×1.85 m) – X-Yachts Xc 35 (10.36×3.52 m).