The 21 best boats of 2025 in the final of the Best of Boats Award: International jury announces the 21 finalists for the Best of Boats Award 2025 in five categories. The award ceremony will take place on 27 November 2025 in Berlin.
‘And the Winner is …’ will be said five times on the evening of 27 November 2025, when the winners of the ‘Best of Boats Award’ – or BOB Award for short – will be announced at the award ceremony during BOOT & FUN at OutVenture Berlin. This is the 12th time that Europe’s best motorboats will be honoured with this important industry award in Berlin.
The award honours the most impressive new boat models of 2025, which have prevailed after numerous tests over the past twelve months. The 16-member expert jury, consisting of editors-in-chief and head motorboat test from all over Europe and the USA, thoroughly scrutinised the most interesting international motorboat innovations during test drives in numerous water sports regions.
New to the jury this year were Terje Bjørnsen (Norway), Chiara Riveruzzi (Italy) and Geoffroy Langlade (France), who have strengthened the team in important regions.
What makes the Best of Boats Award special is that the jury’s verdict is based directly on the perspective of future boat users, rather than on boat length. Only boats that have been tested by at least four jury members are considered for selection. New products that are still under development therefore are not eligible for the BOB Award.
The intensity and scope of the test runs characterise the competition and make the Best of Boats Award a seal of approval for the special quality of the selected boats. Both nationally and internationally, the award is one of the most prestigious honours in the boating industry.
After an intensive season with almost 300 boat tests, the 21 finalists for the Best of Boats Award 2025 have now been announced.
In addition to the traditional categories Best for Beginners, Best for Family and Best for Fun, boats will be honoured for the first time in the category Best for Adventure, which is dedicated to closed sport boats. Introduced in 2024 and back again is the category Best Big Boats, which is dedicated to luxury motor yachts for long-distance cruising up to 60 feet in length.
BOB 2025: Model diversity and a wide-ranging spectrum of boats
The selection for the finalists of Best of Boats Award 2025 reflects the entire range of the current model year. Innovative concepts such as the environmentally friendly Hydra 530, made from PE, are just as much a part of it as modern interpretations of classic US day cruisers such as the Sea Ray SDX 270 Surf, a combination of family boat and wakeboard sports boat.
Well-known boatbuilding nations such as Finland and Poland are much better represented this year than last year. From beginner sports boats and family cruisers to long-range big boats and exciting adventure boats – all common boat types are represented at the Best of Boats Award 2025.
BOOT & FUN: Premium partner and host of the BOB Award
The Best of Boats Award will be presented at BOOT & FUN at OutVenture Berlin, which will take place from 27 to 30 November at the Berlin Exhibition Grounds. The award ceremony together with the jurors, representatives of international shipyards, their CEOs and international members of the boat industry will take place on Thursday, 27 November 2025, from 6.30 pm in the exclusive ambience of the Marshall House.
