For weeks, the jury has been reviewing new models, studying designs and discussing concepts. The 21 nominees for the European Yacht of the Year 2027 Award have now been finalised. Some were to be expected, whilst others come as a surprise. Already the compact models show just how many different ideas can be brought to life within a few metres. In the The medium-sized yacht segment Familiar travel concepts meet new hybrid forms. And among the top nominees It is now almost impossible to say definitively where performance ends and luxury begins.
It is this blend that makes this year’s models so interesting. It reveals a great deal about the direction in which yacht building is heading. Multihulls are no longer a niche phenomenon; crossover models are breaking down familiar categories; and classic, mass-produced cruising yachts are becoming increasingly rare amongst the new models.
What makes the ‘European Yacht of the Year’ award so special
The European Yacht of the Year Award was launched by YACHT magazine and presented for the first time at boot Düsseldorf in 2004. Today, the jury comprises twelve sailing publications from twelve European countries. This brings together a variety of markets, sailing regions and sailing traditions. The representatives of the specialist magazines jointly select the candidates and then sail them during comparative trials lasting several days. No boat can win on the basis of drawings, technical specifications or a well-executed presentation alone.
How Europe’s Yachts of the Year are chosen, explains jury chairman Jochen Rieker in the YACHT podcast, offering insights into how the process came about and how it unfolds. The immediate impressions whilst sailing, the functionality of the deck layout, the boat’s behaviour in rough seas and the quality of the fit-out then form the basis for the deliberations.
Multihulls are moving into the mainstream
Seven of the 21 nominated boats are multihulls. This means that multihulls make up a third of the entire field. A few years ago, catamarans and trimarans would have been significantly less well represented in such a selection. This high number shows just how broad the segment has become. Multihulls are no longer defined solely by living space and suitability for charter. Alongside spacious cruising catamarans, lighter and performance-oriented designs are now competing. Trimaran and unusual hybrid designs are also expanding the range on offer.
This makes the comparison more challenging for the jury. A fast trimaran follows different design priorities to a heavy cruising catamaran. Nevertheless, both can appeal to similar target groups when sailing performance, space and ease of handling are combined.
Classic production cruisers are becoming a minority
Conversely, it is striking how few conventional cruising yachts from mass-production ranges have been nominated. With the Dufour 39 and the Sun Odyssey 455, only two new models from the former high-volume segment have made it onto the shortlist.
This does not mean that classic cruising yachts have become irrelevant to the market. However, the list of nominees suggests that a large proportion of development work is now being channelled into more specialised designs. Shipyards are looking for boats that combine multiple requirements or stand out more clearly from existing model ranges.
The boundaries between family cruisers, performance yachts, blue-water boats and luxury yachts are becoming increasingly blurred. Today, a spacious cruiser is often expected to be both easy to handle and remarkably fast. Sporty models are being fitted out to be more comfortable, whilst cruising catamarans are expected to offer greater sailing performance.
Traditional categories are hardly relevant any more
This development is most evident in the ‘Skaw A’. It combines an extremely wide scow hull with retractable foils, a sheltered cockpit and an interior that is unusually spacious for a boat of its length. The boat is designed to combine the speed of a racer with the space of a multihull. Its price and construction, however, place it closer to a luxury yacht. It would therefore be premature to assign it definitively to any of the conventional classes.
This year, the jury will not finalise the categories until after the test week. The classification of candidates by hull length is, for the time being, intended solely to provide an overview. In this way, the procedure responds to a market in which an increasing number of boats fall between the established segments.
Nomination as a ticket
In mid-October 2026, the candidates will have to prove themselves in the bay off Palma de Mallorca. The jury, comprising twelve European sailing media representatives, will gather the yachts at the jetties of the Club de Mar and put them through their paces in a head-to-head comparison. Only out on the water will it become clear whether the promised characteristics actually add up. Ample space can come at the expense of sailing performance. An ambitious rig must be manageable, and an innovative deck layout must function properly even during manoeuvres. Equally important is whether the construction, fit-out and equipment match a boat’s specifications and price.
Just how varied the results of such comparative tests can be, shows the selection of yachts of the year for 2026, at which a cruising catamaran, a trimaran, an aluminium explorer and a compact performance cruiser were honoured.
The winners of the new award category will be announced in January 2027 at the Flagship Night organised by Delius Klasing and boot Düsseldorf.