2018 BOAT OF THE YEAR

Our editors parsed the pros and cons of several worthy finalists. And the winner is ...

BBoating awards the 2018 Boat of the Year honors to the Yamaha FSH 210. This versatile, jet-powered crossover center-console garnered the accolade for a number of reasons. First, a review of our comprehensive Boat of the Year selection process. In any given year, Boating editors test roughly 120 different makes and models of boats, ranging from speedy, nimble PWCs to rumbling and spacious diesel-powered cruisers. This team also brings more than 100 years of combined professional boat-testing experience to the table. (I am not counting our team’s personal boating experience in this figure, which would increase it.) There exists no other group of experts with such a depth and breadth of experience. The choice for Boat of the Year is a decision forged in the crucible of this team’s experience. It is a choice for the boat that excels in its category more than any other boat excels in any other category.

Yamaha’s affordable, jet-powered center-console for boaters seeking a multimission vessel resulted in a well-designed boat that proved versatile, finely crafted and laden with innovation. Its best feature? Our jaded testers, a staff of all ages and genders, unanimously declared the boat fun and refused to give it back! —Kevin Falvey