Top Yachts of 2025: European Yacht Awards 2025 Recipients Unveiled
European Yacht of the Year 2025 Awards Announced
The European Yacht of the Year 2025 awards were announced on Saturday, 18 January 2025, during the Dusseldorf Boat Show. The prestigious awards recognise the best yachts of the year across various categories, with a 12-strong jury of leading boat test critics from across Europe selecting the winners.
This year, the winners in each category were as follows:
Best Family Cruiser 2025
The Hanse 360 won the Best Family Cruiser 2025 award. With a design by Berret-Racoupeau, this 36-foot yacht maximises volume for its length, offering easy, enjoyable sailing with a great all-rounder layout and the option for a 3+2 layout. The standard price for the Hanse 360, ex VAT, is €185,000.
Best Performance Cruiser 2025
The J/40 won the Best Performance Cruiser 2025 award. This yacht offers a pure J/Boats style fast cruiser, a refined evolution, with an elegant, slippery design and strong sailing performance. The standard price for the J/40, ex VAT, is €350,000.
Best Luxury Cruiser 2025
The Contest 63CS won the Best Luxury Cruiser 2025 award. This premium modern day cruising yacht concentrates decades of experience into a contemporary, beautifully finished design. Prices for the Contest 63CS ex VAT start from €2,989,000.
Best Special Yacht 2025
The nominees for the Best Special Yacht 2025 were the Swallow Yachts Bay Cruiser 21, Sunbeam 29.1, and Tofinou 7.9. However, the winner has not been announced yet.
Best Multihull 2025
Unfortunately, the current search data does not include specific information about the winner or nominees in the Best Multihull category. More information may be available closer to or after the main award ceremony, likely held in Genoa, Italy in September 2025.
The Swallow Yachts Bay Cruiser 21 won the Best Special Yacht 2025 award. This multifaceted beauty is attractive and seaworthy, with space to host friends or for a couple to weekend aboard. It offers engaging performance, shoal draught, and easy towing ability. The price for the Swallow Yachts Bay Cruiser 21 ex VAT is £29,125.
The Nautitech 48 Open won the Best Performance Cruiser 2025 award. This is one of the rare production cats that makes you actively want to remain on the helm and one which keeps moving in the lightest of airs. The Nautitech 48 Open offers space, speed, and style, making it dreamy for long periods of time while loving the sailing. The price for the Nautitech 48 Open ex VAT is €980,000.
The Contest 63CS offers memorable, enriching sailing performance and is enhanced with many expensive optional extras. Unfortunately, no specific information about the Heyman 42PPH, another nominee in the Best Luxury Cruiser category, is available in the current search data.
The winners will be displayed at the show, and full reports and video walkthroughs are available on the website. For those interested in the other categories, it may require checking official European Yacht of the Year sources or event announcements closer to or after the main award ceremony.
The winners in other categories of the European Yacht of the Year 2025 awards are as follows:
Best Fashion-and-Beauty Yacht Amenity
The award went to the Riviera 565 SUV for its impressive onboard spa, featuring a sauna, steam room, and massage room, perfect for relaxation after a day of sailing.
Best Food-and-Drink Experience
The prestigious award was given to the Butterfly 80 for its exceptional galley, designed in collaboration with top Italian chefs, offering a unique dining experience at sea.
Best Home-and-Garden Yacht Design
The award for the Best Home-and-Garden Yacht Design was given to the Sunreef 70 for its beautiful and functional interior, with ample spaces for lounging, dining, and entertaining.
Best Tech Innovation
The Beneteau Oceanis Yacht Club took home the award for Best Tech Innovation, with its integrated digital navigation and communication system, providing sailors with real-time weather updates, navigation maps, and more.
Best Travel Destination
The Contest 63CS was not only the Best Luxury Cruiser 2025 but also won the award for Best Travel Destination, thanks to its versatile design that allows it to traverse the globe in style and comfort.
Best Sports Sailing Event
The winners in this category were not announced yet, as the final event is still to be held. The nominees are the Gran Canaria World Windsurfing Games, the Lorient-Bermuda Race, and the Rolex Giraglia Race.
The 2025 awards ceremony for the European Yacht of the Year will likely shed more light on these categories, and further details can be found on the official European Yacht of the Year website.
