Gunboat 55 named Cruising World’s 2015 Domestic Boat of the Year!

by Gunboat on 20 Dec 2014 The Gunboat 55 has been crowned Cruising World’s 2015 Domestic Boat of the Year. The publication’s annual competition is judged by a panel of independent judges. This year’s judges, Tim Murphy, Ed Sherman and Mark Schrader, were unanimous in their praise and selection.

Judging took place during the United States Sailboat Show in Annapolis in October; a thorough dockside walk through followed by sea trials in the days immediately following the show. After tallying the votes, the Gunboat 55 emerged as the obvious winner, taking not one, but two categories, 'Domestic Boat of the Year' and 'Best Multihull Cruiser.'

'I love the Gunboat,' concluded Sherman. 'It’s a high-tech product that’s assembled beautifully, with great attention to detail and high-quality equipment. It’s a good example of what American craftsmanship can be.'

The Cruising World judges aren’t the only ones who seem to have fallen hard for the Gunboat 55. The Boty accolades come hot on the heels of several other tremendous honors. Sail Magazine’s 2015 Best Boats were announced in November, with the Gunboat 55 again taking top honors. 'Major innovations,' 'advanced construction,' and 'jaw dropping aesthetics' outshone the other five nominees, earning the Gunboat 55 the coveted title of '2015 Flagship Multihull.'

The inaugural launch from Gunboat’s North Carolina production facility, the Gunboat 55 debuted at the Newport Boat Show in September, where she received exceptional praise. The Newport for New Products program showered the Gunboat 55 with awards, including 'Best New Sailboat 30ft+,' 'Best Overall Sailboat,' and 'The People’s Choice Award' for best product as decided by show attendees.

Amidst the flurry of success, Gunboat founder and CEO Peter Johnstone remains humble and gracious, expressing 'heartfelt gratitude to the entire Gunboat team for this major effort and milestone,' and praising Gunboat owners and crew for their 'ongoing faith, support and encouragement.'

Gunboat International is the world’s leading producer of high-performance, world cruising, luxury catamarans. Founded in 2001, Gunboat established a new market segment and has continuously driven innovation in the sailing industry. The Gunboat 55 is the newest series in the Gunboat lineage.