Berlin/Cannes, 9 September 2024 – “And the Winner is ...” will be said six times on the evening of 28 November 2024, when the winners of the “Best of Boats Award” – BOB Award for short – will be announced at the award ceremony during BOAT & FUN BERLIN 2024. This will be the 11th time that Europe’s best motorboats will be honoured with the award in Berlin.

Honours will go to the most convincing new boat models of 2024, which have prevailed after numerous tests over the past twelve months. The 13-member expert jury, consisting of editors-in-chief and head motorboat testers from all over Europe and the US, thoroughly scrutinised the most interesting international motorboat innovations during test drives in numerous water sports regions. For the first time this year, they were supported by three young jurors.

What makes the Best of Boats Award so special, is that the jury considers future boat owners’ needs rather than the size of boat. Only boats that have been tested by several jury members are considered for selection. New products that are still under development therefore do not take part in 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 hundreds of boat tests, the 25 finalists for the Best of Boats Award 2024 have now been announced. As well as in the traditional categories Best for Beginners, Best for Family and Best for Fun, boats will once again be honoured in the categories Best for Electric and Best for Performance. A new category is Best Big Boats, which is dedicated to luxury motor yachts for long journeys up to 60 feet in length. It replaces the Best for Travel category. In the Best for Performance category introduced in 2023, particularly high-performance boats will once again be honoured. Best for Electric for purely electric and hybrid-powered boats has also been included as an independent category since the BOB anniversary year 2023.

The finalists of the Best of Boats Award 2024 are:

BEST FOR BEGINNERS

AMT 165 R (Finland)
Silver Seahawk (Finland)
Terhi 480 Cabin (Finland)

BEST FOR FAMILY

Jeanneau Merry Fisher 895 S2 (France)
Marex 440 Gourmet Cruiser (Norway)
Nautic 880 (Poland)
Targa 41 (Finland)
Yamarin 80 DC (Finland)

BEST FOR FUN

Axopar 29 (Finland)
FIM 440 Regina (Italy)
Parker 910 Odyssey (Poland)
Saxdor 400 GTC (Finland)
Wiszniewski W43 (Poland)

BEST FOR PERFORMANCE

Anytec 860 T (Sweden)
Hydrolift X-28 DC (Norway)
Sterk 31 WB (Germany)
Virtue V10 (Poland)

BEST ELECTRIC

De Antonio E23 (Spain)
Frauscher x Porsche 850 Fantom Air (Austria)
Lasai 22 GL (Spain)

BEST BIG BOATS

Astondoa AX8 (Spain)
Fairline 58 Squadron (United Kingdom)
Nimbus 495 Fly (Sweden)
Omikron OT-60 (Greece)
Riviera 4600 Sport Platinum Edition (Australia)

Print-quality photos of the finalists’ boats as well as logos of the Best of Boats Award 2024 are available for downloading and can be found in the media kit for the Best of Boats Award 2024.

BOB 2024: Model diversity and a wide-ranging spectrum of boats

The selection for the finalists of Best of Boats Award 2024 reflects the entire range of the current model year. This includes newly launched brands such as Lasai as well as the cooperation between sports car manufacturer Porsche and luxury shipyard Frauscher with an electric drive concept based on the Porsche Macan.

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 powerful performance boats – all common boat types are represented at the Best of Boats Award 2024.

BOAT & FUN: Premium partner and host of the BOB Award

The Best of Boats Award will be presented at BOAT & FUN BERLIN, which will take place at the Berlin Exhibition Grounds from 28 November to 1 December 2024. 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, 28 November 2024, from 6.30 pm in the exclusive ambience of the Marshall House.

BOAT & FUN BERLIN, premium partner of the Best of Boats Award since 2014, will once again host the festive winners' party for the best motorboats of the year.

BOAT & FUN BERLIN
28 November to 1 December 2024 | 10.00 a.m. to 6.00 p.m.
Berlin Exhibition Grounds

Additional information on BOAT & FUN can be found online at www.boot-berlin.com.

Press accreditation for BOAT & FUN BERLIN can be obtained online from October 2024 in the press section of BOAT & FUN.

Print-quality images of BOAT & FUN BERLIN for editorial use are available in our media database. Printable images of all finalist boats as well as logos of Best of Boats Award 2024 are available for download in the media kit ‘Best of Boats Award 2024’.

You can find logos for your own use in the press section of BOAT & FUN.

Additional information on BOAT & FUN BERLIN is available online at www.boot-berlin.com, on LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram.

About BOAT & FUN BERLIN

Water sports, outdoor adventures, camping fun – in the heart of Europe's largest region for water sports, BOAT & FUN offers event highlights covering all aspects of leisure and adventure in, on and around water. BOAT & FUN INWATER invites water sports enthusiasts to Werder an der Havel every year in late summer. The open-air boat show offers an atmospheric mix of the latest boats, test drives and sales pagodas along the picturesque promenade of Marina Havelauen. BOAT & FUN BERLIN traditionally invites visitors to the Berlin Exhibition Grounds at the end of November for the huge end-of-season event. The halls under Funkturm Berlin are organised according to theme worlds and offer a wide range of water sports and outdoor trends. From summer lifestyle- and test event in the Havelauen of Werder (Havel) to the huge end-of-season event for the water sports scene in the exhibition halls under Funkturm Berlin – BOAT & FUN is not just the “place-to-be” for fans of water sports and water tourism – fishing enthusiasts, campers and outdoor fans also get their money's worth here. Together with Europe's largest trade show on the trend topic of angling – ANGLING WORLD BERLIN –, AUTO CAMPING CARAVAN and Transporter Tage Berlin, BOAT & FUN BERLIN is Germany's largest boat and leisure trade show for water sports, angling, outdoor and camping. www.boot-berlin.com

About Messe Berlin

Berlin has been a trade fair destination for 200 years, and has been one of the most important such hubs for many decades. Messe Berlin – the state’s own trade fair company – conceives, markets and organizes hundreds of live events every year. It strives to be an outstanding host for visitors at all events, generate optimal business stimuli, and provide fair conditions for everyone. This concept is reflected in the company slogan: Messe Berlin – Hosting the World.