2016 European Power Boat Of The Year awards - Finland Axopar Boats wins

• Axopar wins top award at European Power Boat Of The Year awards.

• Axopar 28 receives top spot in Up To 35ft category.

The Finnish Axopar 28 is the middle model of a three-boat range sitting between the entry-level Axopar 24 and the new Axopar 37.

At the 10th European Power Boat Of The Year awards at the end of January, a panel of senior European boating journalists awarded the crown to the Axopar 28 in the Up To 35ft category, rewarding its handling, price to performance ratio, and innovations including five modular deck layout configurations designed to suit a wide range of preferences, all based on the same twin-stepped hull.

Axopar COO Jan-Erik Viitala said: “We share this award with [our] partners, our worldwide dealer network and of course the skilled and dedicated craftspeople who design and build our boats.”

Earlier in January, the Axopar 28 came out on top at the Motor Boat Awards, hosted by the UK’s Motor Boat & Yachting magazine. One of nine nominations in the Sportsboats & RIBs category, the Axopar 28 was described as: “A boat that has it all; searing performance, a fantastic hull, brilliant deck spaces, somewhere to sleep and looks to die for.”

These wins come on top of last November’s Best For Fun award at the Best Of Boating (BOB) Awards at the Berlin Boat and Fun Show.

CEO Sakari Mattila said: “To win three independent, industry-recognised awards went way beyond our initial expectations for the Axopar 28 and proved our philosophy for bringing exciting and innovative boats that are great to drive, well-executed and offered at the right price to market is a powerful act to follow.”