9 Top Sailboats for 2013
The 2013 Boat of the Year awards represent a wide spectrum of winning designs. Meet this year's nine winners! Boat of the Year from our January 2013 issue.
Domestic Boat of the Year, and Best Performance Cruiser, 30 to 39 feet
C&C 101
Winning Details
+ Terrific construction technique and materials, including a resin-infused epoxy/foam hull, balsa-cored deck, carbon-fiber rig, solid-teak cabin sole, and cherry interior.
+ True dual-purpose racer/cruiser with outstanding sailing qualities and high-performance potential along with simple but fine amenities for coastal cruising.
+ Versatile cockpit layout with open “floor plan” for racing, and first-class Harken hardware package, along with plenty of room for daysailing with a posse of friends.
Prior to this year’s Boat of the Year testing in Annapolis, Maryland, one of the judges posed this open-ended question to no one in particular: “Where is the next generation of designers and builders going to come from?” Two weeks later, at the close of the competition, they had at least a partial answer. With his very first effort, young naval architect Tom McNeill knocked it out of the park: His C&C 101, built in Fairport Harbor, Ohio, is both the Best Performance Cruiser, 30 to 39 Feet, as well as CW’s Domestic Boat of the Year.
“First of all, that was one stable hull,” said Alvah Simon. “I put these boats into hard turns to see what happens, and the C&C was just rock solid. Tacking and jibing are effortless. I thought that cockpit was extremely simple, and I just really enjoyed sailing this one.”
Ed Sherman agreed: “Of the three boats in this group, I liked sailing the C&C the most. As a racer/cruiser, it more than passes muster, and the entry-level pricing, at $175,000, was the least expensive in its class. Taken together, in terms of cost and performance, that’s a tough combination to beat.”
The solid construction, utilizing isophthalic gelcoat, a closed-cell foam core in the hull, resin-infused epoxy, and an internal structural grid, helped seal the deal.
“And the carbon-fiber rig is standard, which I think is great value,” said Murphy. The conclusion? With the C&C 101, youth was served.
“This 33-footer is so stable, so quick, so responsive, and so much fun to sail. They’re really on to something here.” -Alvah Simon
See photos of the C&C 101 here.
Read more about C&C Yachts here.
