Top Yachts of 2025: European Yacht Awards 2025 Recipients Unveiled
The European Yacht of the Year 2025 awards were recently announced at the Dusseldorf Boat Show, recognising the best yachts in various categories. The prestigious event saw the Swallow Yachts Bay Cruiser 21 taking home the award for Best Special Yacht.
The Bay Cruiser 21, a proper little cruiser offering a lot for its comparative price, was praised for its classic shape, generous, protected cockpit, and weekendable interior. Toby Hodges, a leading boat test critic from across Europe, commended the Bay Cruiser 21 as a multifaceted beauty, offering engaging performance, shoal draught, and easy towing ability.
However, the winners for the Family Cruiser, Performance Cruiser, and Multihull categories were not specified in the search results. The Cruisers Yachts 54 Cantius was noted for its family-friendly and luxury features, but it was not officially cited as the winner for the Best Luxury Cruiser category in 2025 by the European Yacht of the Year.
In the multihull category, the Nautitech 48 Open and the Lagoon 43 were both nominated, but no winner was announced. The Nautitech 48 Open, which offers space, speed, and style, making it suitable for long distance voyaging, was also praised for its exceptional sailing performance and ease of maneuverability, even in light winds. The Lagoon 43, the same length and width as the Lagoon 42 (1,100 sold), offers four equal size cabins and moves the berth in the owner's cabin version forward away from the dock.
Monohull yachts also made a strong showing at the awards. The Hanse 360 was awarded as the Best Family Cruiser 2025, with the jury praising its intuitive sailing, precision steering, reassuring stiffness, stability, sturdiness, and volume. The J/40 was awarded as the Best Performance Cruiser 2025, with the jury commending its sailing performance, high-quality equipment on deck, and adherence to the J/Boats DNA.
The Contest 63CS, starting from €2,989,000, won the Best Luxury Cruiser 2025. This premium modern day cruising yacht offers memorable sailing performance and a superyacht level of finish.
The testing process for the awards involves two weeks of trials in two locations during the Autumn. The winners were chosen from 12 nominees, tested by a 12-strong jury of leading boat test critics from across Europe.
For accurate and full details on all categories, consulting the official European Yacht of the Year 2025 announcements or their website would be recommended, as the current search results provide partial information mainly for the specialist yacht category.
- In the realm of home-and-garden, the Nautitech 48 Open's spacious and stylish design could be likened to a cozy abode on the water, providing ample comfort for weekend sails or long-distance voyages.
- The Lagoon 43, a sports-analysis enthusiast's dream, offers agility and ease of maneuverability, comparable to top-tier athletes navigating their playing field, making it a formidable contender in the multihull category.
