The new Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 440 has won the Most Innovative award in the 2018 Boat of the Year prizes by Cruising World Magazine.
“The Boat of the Year judges do not award a Most Innovative prize every year. It takes something particularly inventive and original that catches their collective eye. For 2018, there was such a boat, which is why they pinned the title on the Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 440, a pioneering, groundbreaking design.
“This boat impressed me both at the dock and under way,” said Tim Murphy. “When a high-production boatbuilder brings a new model to market, and because we’re considering this boat for an innovation award, we should ask two questions: Which features are innovative in the context of previous Jeanneaus, and which features are innovative in the entire market where this boat competes?
“Compared to previous Jeanneaus,” Murphy continued, “the 440 introduces the innovation of separating the mast compression post from the cabin’s main bulkhead, which is moved forward in this boat, trading more interior volume in the main saloon for less volume in the master cabin forward. That’s a major change from previous Jeanneaus in this size range, and provides for a much more spacious main saloon, but this change alone wouldn’t merit a BOTY award for Most Innovative.” Murphy noted the portable 12-volt Isotherm cooler and portable grill as interesting features, but also not enough to warrant special recognition.
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