BEST LUXURY BOATS | TRADE-A-BOAT HALL OF FAME 2014

Trade-a-Boat’s most glamorous and ambitious project to date, the inaugural Hall of Fame, is a collection of our favourite vessels. Each was tested over the last year or so, some personally by the editor, others by our highly rated contributors.

Each of these luxury boats claims a throne in a different segment of the market. This is important to recognise because, as you will see, the range of boat styles available is too broad for an apples-to-apples comparison. To qualify for the Hall of Fame a boat had to be more than just pretty. It had to spark our imagination, to inspire us to dream of adventures and experiences yet to be had.

For example, the Riviera 445 SUV, which reigns in the Family Friendly category, is more than well presented. Its layout, tones and particularly its cleverly arranged three-times single-berth children’s cabin made us feel immediately at home. It inspired visions of the family tucked up together in that cabin after a glorious day playing in the sun, sand and surf.

The inaugural Hall of Fame has been an opportunity to leap into the future, focusing considerable multimedia expertise on the very best the Australian boating industry has to offer. This year, each vessel is presented as a king of its category. In many cases the photography was shot specially for this project, as was the video.

BEST LUXURY BOATS

Here are (in alphabetical order) our selections for the Trade-a-Boat Hall of Fame 2014. See the test as it was published originally, plus check out the video and photo gallery for each.

	PRODUCTION SAILBOAT CATEGORY BENETEAU SENSE 55 Originally tested in France by sailboat guru Kevin Green, the Beneteau Sense 55 struck a chord with the Trade-a-Boat team. Even though it is more than two years since the test was published, for Jeff Strang it remained his favourite production sailboat. Here’s what Kevin had to say… Read the Beneteau Sense 55 review
	SPORTSBOATS CATEGORY CHRIS-CRAFT HERITAGE LAUNCH 32 Often described as the world’s finest boats and certainly one of the most iconic, Chris-Craft released its delectable new Heritage Launch in Australia last year. We were so impressed, the Launch 32 made the finals of Hall of Fame straight off the dock. Watch the Chris-Craft video and read the review
	OCEAN EXPLORER CATEGORY HAMPTON 700 SKYLOUNGE A high-level of luxury masks an otherwise pragmatic and most seaworthy oceangoing craft. With a potential to skip around our island continent in less than three fuel stops, the Hampton 700 Skylounge booked its berth as the Hall of Fame’s blue-yonder explorer. Watch the Hampton 700 Skylounge video and read the review
	SUPERYCAHTS CATEGORY HORIZON P110 TRI-DECK At 110 feet and 125 tonnes, the Horizon P110 Tri-Deck was Trade-a-Boat’s biggest challenge ever and it could have made Hall of Fame on those merits alone. However, a private cocktail party in the guise of a test proved the first class credentials of the mid-sized superyacht. Watch the Horizon P110 Tri-Deck video and read the review
	LIFESTYLE CATEGORY JENNEAU PRESTIGE 550 Sometimes it only takes a boat show and an approving partner to upgrade to the luxury of a Prestige 550 flybridge, as one Sydney owner discovered. Watch the Jenneau Prestige 550 video and read the review
	FLYBRIDGE CRUISERS CATEGORY MARITIMO 73/88 Run a tape measure along the Maritimo 73 Serendipity and she stretches out beyond her official length appellation to near 88 feet. This mighty Australian boat is built to circumnavigate our island continent and waters beyond. Watch the Maritimo 73/88 video and read the review
	FAMILY FRIENDLY CATEGORY RIVIERA SUV 445 Built to fill a widening gap between specialist vessels, the new Riviera 445 SUV is billed as a jack-of-all-trades. Watch the Riviera SUV 445 video and read the review