De Antonio Yachts D46 Open Wins European Boat of the Year

Boot Düsseldorf, Europe’s largest boat show, hosted the awards ceremony where the leading European boating magazines announced their selections for the European Boat of the Year, across sailing and motorboat categories organised by length.

With its D46 Open, De Antonio Yachts became the first Spanish shipyard in history to receive this prestigious recognition in the highest category.

De Antonio Yachts was founded in Barcelona in 2012 by Marc de Antonio and Stanislas Chmielewski. In just six years, the shipyard went from being nominated for European Boat of the Year 2018 in the under-10-metre (30-foot) category with its D28 to winning the award with its largest model at the time, the De Antonio Yachts D46 Open, in the over-14-metre (40-foot) category.

The D46 Open is the brand’s largest model alongside its sister model, the D46 Cruiser. It features the innovative propulsion system that has become a hallmark of De Antonio Yachts across its range: concealed outboard engines. This solution improves performance while reducing maintenance costs. The yacht is also highly customisable, allowing owners to configure it according to their individual needs.

Its powerful stepped hull design, combined with the highest available engine configuration, enables the D46 Open to exceed 50 knots at top speed, while offering an impressive cruising speed of more than 30 knots. Its clean, straight lines give the yacht an attractive and contemporary appearance.

The D46 Open also offers an original deck layout designed for day cruising, together with up to three different interior configurations featuring one, two or three cabins, all of which include two fully equipped bathrooms.

The Spanish yacht beat other notable models including the Absolute Navetta 48, Azimut Atlantis 51, Bénéteau Swift Trawler 47 and Galeon 640 Fly.

The European Boat of the Year jury is made up of representatives from leading European boating publications, including Båtliv (Norway), BoatMag.it (Italy), Boote (Germany), Marina.ch (Switzerland), MotorBoot (the Netherlands), Neptune and Moteur Boat (France), Yacht Revue (Austria), and Náutica & Yates Magazine (Spain).

“It is an honour to be the first Spanish brand to receive this prestigious recognition and to position De Antonio Yachts alongside the world’s leading international shipyards,” said Marc de Antonio.

“We are extremely proud to have achieved this in just six years and in the largest boat category,” he added.

Stanislas Chmielewski also highlighted the comprehensive nature of the judging process, explaining that the jury evaluates every aspect of the yacht through extensive sea trials and assessments of build quality, innovation, design, retail price, as well as the strength of the company and its distribution network.

At the time, the company offered a complete range of eight different models between 8 and 14 metres: D28 Open, D28 Xplorer, D28 Deck, D34 Open, D34 Cruiser, D40, D46 Open and D46 Cruiser.

Annual production for 2019 was set at 40 units, divided between two production facilities.

Around 50% of sales were delivered in Spain, while the company had also established a strong international presence, with yachts delivered to several European countries as well as Australia, the United States, Mexico, Dubai, Saint Martin and Egypt, among other markets.