Top Yachts of 2025: European Yachts Assembled Honor as Year's Best
Announcing the Winners of the European Yacht of the Year 2025
The European Yacht of the Year 2025 was announced on Saturday, 18 January 2025, during the Dusseldorf Boat Show. Twelve nominees were tested by a jury of twelve boat test critics from across Europe over two weeks of trials in two locations during the Autumn.
The winners in each category are as follows:
Best Family Cruiser 2025: The Hanse 360, a collaboration between the German shipyard Hanse and the French design studio Berret-Racoupeau, won this category. The Hanse 360 is more relatable to think of as a short 40-footer, maximizing volume for its length.
Best Performance Cruiser 2025: The J/40, a refined evolution of a pure J/Boats style fast cruiser, took the top spot in this category. The J/40 is noted for its speed and style, making it suitable for long-distance voyaging.
Best Multihull: The Nautitech 48 Open, one of the rare production cats that encourages sailors to remain on the helm and sails well in light winds, won this category. The Nautitech 48 Open is noted for its space, speed, and style, making it suitable for long-distance voyaging.
Best Luxury Cruiser 2025: The Contest 63CS, a premium modern day cruising yacht, noted for its enriching sailing performance and superyacht level of finish, won this category. The Heyman 42PPH was also a nominee for this category.
Best Special Yacht 2025: The Swallow Yachts Bay Cruiser 21, a multifaceted beauty, attractive, seaworthy, and suitable for weekend cruising, won this category.
The winners will be displayed at the show.
Unfortunately, the full and detailed list of nominees and winners in the categories of Best Family Cruiser, Best Performance Cruiser, Best Multihull, Best Luxury Cruiser, and Best Special Yacht for 2025 was not found in the current search set. Typically, the official European Yacht of the Year website or specialized yachting publications released after October (when the jury meets) provide the full winners and nominees list.
Other notable mentions include the Seawind 1170, which was nominated among the Top Best Boat of 2025 and was the European Best Boat winner in 2024, but no winner status for 2025 is mentioned. The Garcia Explocat 52 was nominated for European Boat of the Year but the exact outcome for 2025 is not specified. The luxury yacht "M", from Sanlorenzo’s 500EXP series, received recognition in the Best Interior Design category at the BOAT Design & Innovation Awards 2025 but not explicitly for European Yacht of the Year’s listed categories.
The Lagoon 43, the same length and width as the popular Lagoon 42, but with different features, and the Nautitech 48 Open, which has no complex daggerboards, allowing for intelligent layout solutions, are also worth noting. The Contest 63CS, a premium modern day cruising yacht, noted for its enriching sailing performance and superyacht level of finish, and the standard price ex VAT for the J/40 is €350,000 and €185,000 respectively. The Swallow Yachts Bay Cruiser 21, a multifaceted beauty, attractive, seaworthy, and suitable for weekend cruising, has a standard price ex VAT of £29,125. The price ex VAT for the Nautitech 48 Open is €980,000.
- Alongside the announcement of the Best Family Cruiser 2025, the Best Luxury Cruiser 2025, the Best Performance Cruiser 2025, the Best Multihull 2025, and the Best Special Yacht 2025, discussions about lifestyle, fashion-and-beauty, food-and-drink, home-and-garden, and technology are also likely to arise, given the sophisticated taste and travel preferences implied by these yachts.
- For those with an inclination towards travel, the Nautitech 48 Open, the winner of Best Multihull 2025, could be an attractive choice for long-distance journeys, thanks to its speed, space, and style.
- Sports enthusiasts might find the J/40, the winner of Best Performance Cruiser 2025, an appealing pick, given its noted speed and style, making it suitable for both leisurely sailing and competitive racing.
