Last year, more than 40 new boats made their U.S. debuts at the fall boat shows in Newport, Rhode Island and Annapolis, Maryland. That was a fine effort from an industry that was hit hard by recession. It’s also the kind of effort that’s hard to sustain, which makes this year’s cast of 41 newcomers all the more impressive.
We love the enthusiasm and resilience of the marine trade, which matches the passion of the end users – you, me and the rest of the sailing population. Call it a sport, call it a lifestyle, call it what you will, but sailing thrives on the constant generation and regeneration of ideas and technology that all come together in the shapely forms of boats—monohulls, catamarans, trimarans, big, small, midsized, it makes no difference.
Whether you’re looking for a new boat, or just looking at new boats, join us at the fall shows for a great preview of the latest and best in boat building and design. And look for the December issue of SAIL Magazine on newsstands, where the winners of 2012's Best Boats will be announced!
So without further ado, the nominees for the 2012 Best Boats awards are...
Need more Best Boats? Check out the winners from the last four years here!
Reader Comments
I am a little surprised there were no sailboats between the 22 and 30 ft size that could be recommended. I can think off hand of several boats in that range I could recommend.
In the 50 ft class the Island Packet 485 is tops especally in the long range and live aboard class. It has been sailed solo 4000 NM for 2 weeks non stop and no trouble handling. Yes it won't break any speed records but I would rather spend a little extra time in comfort and safety. JCD
Unfortunately, Open Sailing won't be able to make the Annapolis and Newport Boat Shows...that's too bad. However, the Pogo 2 shall have been nominated in the Best Boat of the Year 2012. The Pogo 2 is 21 feet 4 inches and with a 10 foot beam, would definitely compare with boats up to 30 feet! ;-) Jerome Sammarcelli Open Sailing, Inc. www.opensailingusa.com
How about the Alubat-Ovni sailboats, the Allure 45, the RM1200? all aluminium, retractable keel designs made in France, getting to be THE trend!
The lifting keel aluminum boats from France, and there are more not mentioned, are great boats for offshore and thin water cruising. A small correction, the RM1200 is not aluminum but high quality epoxy ply. Like it's smaller sisters, it is also twin keel not lifting keel. They are however also good looking, good sailing, boats.
THE KNYSNA 480 - THE MOST IMPRESSIVE & CAPTIVATING LINES BOTH INSIDE AS WELL AS ON THE EXTERIOR. VERY SMOOTH AND SLICK - EXTREMELY WELL WEIGHTED AND POWERED FOR BOTH POWER CRUISING & SAILING. A VERY COMFORTABLE VESSEL AS WELL AS A VERY COMFORTABLE COMPANY TO DEAL WITH.ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL IN FULL SAIL . IMPRESSIVE WERE THE NUMBER OF EXISTING KNYSNA OWNERS RETURNING FOR ENQUIRY FOR THEIR NEXT KNYSNA BOATS OR ADDING MORE KNYSNA480'S TO THEIR FLEETS FOR CHARTER-A GOOD MEASURE FOR SUCCESS.
The Knysna 480, it has sleek modern lines, a comfortable and attractive interior and good cruising performance. The quality of workmanship is of the best and the level of customisation provided by the boatbuilders second to none. The layout ensures easy shorthanded sailing.
(none)The Knysna 480! What an awesome boat.. the best I have seen in a long, long time. Superb craftmanship and loads of passion. Knysna Yacht Company! Honest, reliable, trustworthy company to deal with.
KNYSNA 480 ...nice clean lines, spacious and comfortable interior. Overall well designed and beautifully finished.
The Knysna 480 is absolutely stunning,the interior beautiful and very spacious