The annual Annapolis Sailboat Shows gets underway this morning, Thursday October 9, and promises to be America’s largest all-sail, in-the-water show in many years. Even better, there are 27 new cruising boats—monohulls and multihulls—that will be displayed for the first time.
You’ll find interesting new and nearly news models from the big production monohull builders like Beneteau, Jeaneau, Hanse and Dufour, all European, despite the new tariffs that will be affecting both pricing and availability.
And, the multihull scene is as vibrant as ever with the volume builders Lagoon, Leopard and Fountain Pajot all bringing new cruising cats to the market. At this year’s Annapolis show, it is easy to see just how dominant cruising cats have become and, I am told by a broker friend, but unverified, that multihulls now represent 75% of new sailboat sales.
You will find most of the boats from the volume builders reviewed in Cruising Compass’ archive if you click here and use the search functions. There are some truly fine new designs among them including the new Dufour 44, Beneteau 47 and 52, the Jeanneau 350, the Lagoon 38, the Leopard/Moorings 52 and the Fountain Pagot 41 and 44.
While the big production builders tend to dominate the market, it is the small boutique builders that also offer truly innovative and interesting new designs. In the blue-water category you might want to look at the Alubat 370 and Garcia 49, both aluminum expedition sloops. Or, check out the Bluewater 56 or Kufner 54, which are more traditional fiberglass voyagers that will see a family through thick and thin.
For performance cruising monohulls, have a look at the truly innovative Pagasus 50 with its hard dodger and cockpit top or the racy-French Pogo 44 which is based on designs for single-handing around the world.
Then, there is the RM 1180 which is a plywood and epoxy boat form France that is a true speedster. Not last among the monohulls, have a look at the new Sirius 35DS from Germany that manages to combine a raised deck solon with a spacious cockpit and offers twin-keel, twin-rudder options.
In the multihull world, Phil Berman’s Balance brand has a new 580 at the show which is chocker-block full of innovations, including his patented articulating helm and advanced hybrid propulsion. Dragonfly has their new 36-foot cruising trimaran which is a sweet sailing boat with surprising amounts of living space; 18 knots anyone?
NEEL has their new 43 trimaran at the show and if you haven’t been aboard a NEEL, this will be a real treat, a boat that combines the performance of a trimaran with the space of a cat. Outremer has their new 52 which replaces the successful 51 and is a pure performance voyager.
St. Francis from South Africa has their new 460 which is a real advancement from their venerable 50 that has been in production for a decade or more. The 460 will make a fine couple’s circumnavigator. Windelo, from France, has their ultra-eco-friendly 50 at the show and if you are looking for cutting edge technology combined with cruising performance, this is well worth a look.
And, our friend Sara and Tomas, have their new Xquisite 60 Solar at the show which is designed for highly efficient hybrid propulsion in a package that is both luxurious and a stellar sailing machine.
You can find an up-to-date list of the new boats at the show here.
