The prestigious annual Motor Boat Awards was celebrated last night at a gala dinner hosted by Time Inc UK, the publishers of Motor Boat & Yachting magazine, and sponsor Pantaenius Sail and Motor Yacht Insurance, at one of the capital’s leading hotels, Rosewood London.
An audience of over 250 international guests saw the 2017 Motor Boat Awards presented to winning boats in eight categories ranging from Sportsboats and RIBs to 100 foot plus Custom Yachts. A further four boats were highly commended by the judges. The Awards presentation was hosted by Motor Boat & Yachting’s editor, Hugo Andreae, and deputy editor, Jack Haines. A panel of five highly experienced marine journalists were responsible for sea-trialling all 47 finalists before selecting the winning craft. The international nature of the event was reflected with winners from Scandinavia, Netherlands, Italy and the UK.
The Finnish-designed Axopar 37 won the ‘Sportsboats and RIBs’ category, and was described as: “A boat with dazzling performance, effortless seakeeping and cutting edge style with a choice of deck layouts at a price that never ceases to amaze us.”
From Norway, the Marex 310 took the award for the ‘Sportscruisers up to 45ft’ category. Jack Haines commented: “This boat combines sociable deck spaces with clever detailing and a bright, roomy interior.”
Editor Hugo Andreae presented the award for ‘Sportscruisers over 45ft’ to the British designed and built Princess V58 for “delivering a truly intoxicating mix of style, sophistication and speed with a party boat deck layout”.
The ‘Wheelhouse & Cockpit Cruiser” award went to the outstanding Boarnstream Elegance 1300. This Dutch built cruiser was said to have a stylish and practical deck design with a cool, clean interior that takes the best of Dutch steel boat building and gives it a modern twist.
The category for the best ‘Passagemakers’ was presented to the Italian built Azimut Magellano 66, a boat that encapsulates everything wanted from a passagemaker: masses of storage space, a safe deck layout and a hull that is comfortable across a wide range of cruising speeds.
The ‘Flybridges up to 55ft’ category was won by the British built Sunseeker Manhattan 52 for “a spectacular interior, rakish looks and a strong performance. A boat bristling with inventive design”.
The British boat builder Princess collected a second award for its Princess 75 Motor Yacht in the ‘Flybridges over 55ft’ category. It was described as “a boat that doesn’t put a foot wrong in any department, with a genuinely entertaining driving experience and a top speed of 35 knots”.
Motor Boat &Yachting’s Custom Yacht specialist, Alan Harper, presented the ‘Custom Yachts Award’ to the Italian built Riva 76 Perseo, commenting: “This is a yacht that combines exquisite detailing with effortless performance and a near perfect blend of cutting edge features and timeless style.”
This year the ‘Outstanding Service Award’, sponsored by Lombard, was presented to Landau UK. This category is based on direct feedback from Motor Boat & Yachting readers who said the company stood out for its concern for customer needs and its technical knowledge which helped customers enjoy their boating experience to the full.
The final award of the evening was the ‘Judges’ Special Award’ which for the first time went to an entire category of people, the 28,000 RNLI volunteers who deliver a world-class emergency service without cost to the end user or the tax payer, for no reward and often at great risk to themselves. Hugo Andreae commented: “The skill, bravery and dedication shown by these volunteers in the most demanding circumstances is truly remarkable.”
The 2017 Motor Boat Awards Pre-Dinner Drinks Reception was sponsored by International Paint while after dinner guests enjoyed a celebratory drink at the Motor Boat Awards Post-Dinner Bar, sponsored by Lumishore.
WINNERS OF THE MOTOR BOAT AWARDS 2017
Sportsboats and RIBs
Winner: Axopar 37
Highly Commended: Invictus 240
Sports Cruisers up to 45ft
Winner: Marex 310
Sports Cruisers over 45ft
Winner: Princess V58
Wheelhouse and Cockpit Cruisers
Winner: Boarnstream Elegance 1300
Highly Commended: Seaward 42
Passagemakers
Winner: Azimut Magellano 66
Highly Commended: Leopard 43 PC
Flybridges up to 55ft
Winner: Sunseeker Manhattan 52
Flybridges over 55ft
Winner: Princess 75 Motor Yacht
Highly Commended: Azimut 72
Custom Yachts
Winner: Riva 76 Perseo
Outstanding Service Award
Winner: Landau UK
Judges’ Special Award
Winners: The RNLI Volunteers
