The 2017 Boat Reviews Are In

02/22/2017

Oh, the 2017 boating season is so close, we can practically smell the sea air! In the scant few weeks until spring arrives, we can always get our boating fix by checking out some of the hottest new boats on the market. We scoured our favorite sites for their reviewers’ takes on the 2017 models and compiled three of our favorites just for you. Enjoy!

Alumacraft Trophy 175 (Boating magazine)

alumcraft

Boating ‘s Jim Hendricks calls the 2017 Alumacraft Trophy 175 a perfect fit for fishing in the Minnesota lakes. Makes sense, as the North Star State is also home to Alumacraft’s headquarters. Hendricks likes the smoothness of the 17-foot-8-inch hull’s ride, powered by Suzuki’s new DF140A four-stroke outboard with Lean Burn Control technology. The Trophy 175 also features a fully carpeted deck and three pedestal seats, with four mounting bases in the cockpit and one each on the bow and stern platforms.

 

“Though built for fishing,” Hendricks concludes, “this rugged aluminum boat can double as a family water-sports fun machine on a warm day at the lake.”

Read the full review

Visit the 2017 Alumacraft Trophy 175 web page

 

Lagoon 630 Motor Yacht (Boats.com)

French builder Lagoon is earning rave reviews for the  630 Motor Yacht, the flagship of its power catamaran line. For a quick preview, check out Boats.com’s First Look Video:
 

 

Reviewer Zuzana Prochazka calls the Lagoon 630 “a big cat,” and with good reason: her aft deck is nearly 250 square feet, and the interior is an impressive 900 square feet. The designers aimed to reinforce the highly successful Lagoon 620 in order to handle different kinds of forces, and it looks like they succeeded. “Now two feet longer with reinforced compartments to hold larger engines,” writes Prochazka, “this Lagoon 630 cruises at 10 knots and there are very few places she can’t go.”

Read the full review

Visit the 630 Motor Yacht web page

 

Diam 24 One Design (Sailing World)

Sailing World’s choice for 2017 Boat of the Year and Best Multihull, the Diam 24 One Design was designed to be easy to sail and technically accessible. “It’s built for racers looking for something a little more exciting, but [who] want strict one-design racing,” says Duncan Ross of ADH Inotec, the Diam 24 One Design’s French builder. Check out Sailing World’s video homage to its favorite boat for 2017:
 

2017 Boat of the Year Overall Winner: Diam 24… by sailingworld
 

Racing enthusiasts will find everything they need in the Diam 24 One Design, including all the cordage, the anchor, the Torqeedo 3HP, three sails and a launching trolley. It’s also designed to come together quickly; Ross says it takes less than an hour to go from fully dismantled to sailing.

 

“Dynamite to sail” were the words Boat of the Year judge Chuck Allen uses to describe the Diam 24 One Design. “The long cockpit in the center hull lets you sit comfortably in the middle of the boat if you have to,” he continues, “and it feels a bit like a sportboat in that way. But in real breeze, you’re going to be sitting out there on the float and loving it.”

Read the full review

Visit the Diam 24 One Design web page

 

If there’s a boat show in your area where you can lay eyes on one of these gems live and in person, be sure to check it out. And, if you’re already working on this year’s Christmas list …

 

 

 

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