Cruising World reveals boat of the year winners

MIDDLETOWN, R.I. – Cruising World magazine this week announced the winners of its 17th annual Boat of the Year awards.

Topping this year’s list of winners were the J/95 and the Leopard 38. The J/95 won the Domestic Boat of the Year award, and the South African-built Leopard was named Import Boat of the Year.

An independent panel of experts inspected and tested 18 nominated boats following the U.S. Sailboat Show in Annapolis, Md., earlier this year. Decisions were based on dockside inspections and sea trials of the boats.

All the winners, along with the rest of the 2010 BOTY nominees and several other boats reviewed by the magazine’s editors, will be featured in the January issue of Cruising World.

This year’s winners include:

Best Weekender and Domestic Boat of the Year
J/95

Best Multihull Cruiser and Import Boat of the Year
Leopard 38

Best Midsize Cruiser Under 40 Feet
Island Packet Estero

Best Full-Size Cruiser, 40 to 50 Feet
Catalina 445

Best Premium Cruiser Over 50 Feet
Oyster 655

BOTY Judges’ Bristol Award
Morris M52

• Can’t get enough boating news? Subscribe to our blog’s RSS feed, follow us on Twitter or look for “Boating Industry” on Facebook and LinkedIn.
• For more of the latest news, click here.