New this year was the presentation of a Lifetime Achievement Award

True to tradition, Boat of the Year winners were announced on the opening day of the In-Water HISWA Boat Show in the Netherlands on Wednesday. New this year was the presentation of a Lifetime Achievement Award for Dutch designer Gerard Dykstra.

There other award winners are as follows:

Start-up Award

Watt Boats, a young company of nautical sector management students who thought of recycling old lifeboats from cruise and commercial ships and equipping them with electric propulsion. The lifeboats come off ships in Bangladesh. The judges lauded Watt Boats for “helping to save the earth by working innovatively and sustainably with existing, usable but discarded boats that would otherwise have gone into the shredder”

Tender Innovation Award

Woodler 28, a fast open-cockpit tender with a unique construction method combining an aluminum underwater hull with a mahogany hull. The essential speed is nicely low, and the boat maneuvers easily. However, there are some minor improvement points: The standing position could be better, and handles are missing.

Motorboat Innovation Award

Super Lauwersmeer 54 SLX. The jury unanimously selected the Super Lauwersmeer. “Ultimately, the innovation criterion in competing yards was the deciding factor.”

Sailboat Innovation Award

For the Saffier Se 24 Lite. After counting the scores for design, construction, sailing characteristics, innovative character, value for money and success of the concept, all scores were close to each other but still revealed one unanimous winner: The Saffier Se 24 Lite excelled in all aspects.