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Cruising World Announces the 2020 Boat of the Year Nominees

A diverse field of 24 boats will vie for top honors in the 2020 Boat of the Year contest.
BOTY 2020
2020 Boat of the Year nominee. Jen Brett

Cruising World magazine today announced its roster of nominees for the 2020 Boat of the Year awards. Testing for the awards is taking place during and after the U.S. Sailboat Show in Annapolis, Maryland, which begins today along the shores of Chesapeake Bay.

Twenty-four boats – 17 monohulls, 6 catamarans and a trimaran – have been nominated for the 2020 Boat of the Year prizes. The annual awards, selected by an independent judging team, recognize the best new production cruising boats and multihulls laid out and equipped for coastal and offshore sailing and voyaging. This year’s judging panel is comprised of systems expert Ed Sherman of the American Boat and Yacht Council (ABYC); Ralph Naranjo, a veteran cruising sailor and author; and well-known technical writer and cruiser Dan Spurr.

“This is a deep and highly diverse fleet, ranging in size from the compact Beneteau Oceanis 30.1 to the full-sized Hanse 675 to the Eagle Class 53 catamaran, a radical foiling cat with a rotating wing mast,” said Herb McCormick, Cruising World Boat of the Year director. “It promises to be a very competitive contest, and our judges will certainly have their work cut out to determine the winning entries.”

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U.S. Sailboat Show
The 2020 U.S. Sailboat Show in Annapolis, Maryland. Jon Whittle

The 2020 Boat of the Year awards will be announced in the January issue of Cruising World. The full list of nominees is below. For more information, contact Herb McCormick or visit cruisingworld.com.

2020 Boat of the Year Nominees include:

  • Amel 50
  • Bali 5.4
  • Bavaria C50
  • Bavaria C57
  • Beneteau Oceanis 30.1
  • Beneteau First Yacht 53
  • Catalina 545
  • Dufour 390
  • Dufour 430
  • Eagle Class 53
  • Elan Impression 45.1
  • Excess 12
  • Fountaine Pajot Elba 45
  • Grand Soleil 34 Performance
  • Hallberg-Rassy 44
  • Hanse 675
  • Italia 9.98
  • J/99
  • Sun Fast 3300
  • Lagoon 46
  • McConaghy MC 50
  • Neel 47
  • Swan 48
  • X4.6
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