The business maxim that you have to innovate your way out of a recession seems to have been taken to heart by boatbuilders. After a comparatively small field of new boats in 2009, this year's boat shows were crammed with talent. There was genuine innovation, a great degree of variety, and a good many excellent examples of the art of boat design and building.

Our judges' task was harder than it has been for some years, but by the end of the US Sailboat Show in Annapolis, MD we had sailed and pored over enough boats to arrive at a consensus.

So without further ado, the recipients of the 2011 Best Boats awards are...

Flagship Monohull	Southerly 57RS
Innovation Award	Beneteau Sense 50
Flagship Multihull	Gunboat 66
Deck and Cockpit	J/111
The Green Award	Hunter 27e
Daysailer	C.W. Hood 32
Performance, 30ft+	Beneteau First 30
Cruising Monohull Under 50ft	Presto 30
Best Dinghy	Topaz TAZ
Performance, 30ft and Under	X-Treme 25
Most Innovative Rig	Radical Bay 8000
Cruising Multihull + Accommodations	Discovery 50

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EXPLORE ALL OF 2011's BEST BOATS NOMINEES:

Small Boats

Cruising Monohulls

Cruising Multihulls

Performance Boats

Flagships

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