IT’S THE 20TH EUROPEAN YACHT OF THE YEAR AWARDS. TOBY HODGES WAS AMONG THE 12-STRONG JURY WHO TESTED 21 YACHTS
Which new yachts are on your shortlist, or which should be? We’ve done some serious homework for you.
The European Yacht of the Year gives us the opportunity to assemble the best nominees, seatrial each and every one of them, and discuss with our fellow jury members what works and what doesn’t at sea and at rest. Together we represent 12 magazines across Europe, each the leading voice on boat testing in their respective countries. The result is indisputably the most thorough, impartial and respected awards programme for new production yachts worldwide.
Our trials were held in La Rochelle and Port Ginesta, Barcelona, over the autumn.
WATCH VIDEOS ON ALL NOMINEES Our videos for all these yachts are live on youtube/yachtingworld or being released each week
NOTE All prices shown are base prices excluding VAT unless specified otherwise
FAMILY CRUISERS
NOMINEES: Bente 28 // Dufour 37// Linjett 39
Typically this category brims with midsize yachts from mainstream manufacturers. And while the Dufour flies that flag, when you put these three nominees together you have a very diverse selection of interesting new family friendly cruising yachts from 30-40ft to suit significantly different budgets.
The Dufour 37 may be shorter than the old 360, but Dufour was reluctant to brand this 37 as smaller because its modern, broadened hull shape has resulted in an enlarged deck space, cockpit and owner’s cabin. Felci has designed a clever hull that sails well with good performance for its (34ft) size. The aft quarters behind the helms feel compact to maximise cockpit size, but proved comfortable enough to sail from. The primaries are in reach of the helm and we liked the lightweight, low friction jib sheet adjusters.
The 37 is offered in Easy (two winch), Ocean (cruising), or Performance versions and with a twoor three- cabin layout. The test boat was the most popular Ocean model, although it had €100,000 worth of optional extras including sails, engine and bow thruster, resulting in an expensive yacht for its length.
For those who recognise the Bente name, we previously featured it in detail in 2015 when it burst onto the scene with an innovative and affordable new 24-footer (around 150 of which have been built in Poland). We then tested its 39 in 2019, a year before the yard then filed for bankruptcy. But it’s now back under new ownership with this really impressive and more refined Bente 28, again by Judel/Vrolijk.
It’s a fun yacht to sail, easy to short-hand, with sprightly performance, especially when reaching. The coachroof
