Beneteau Press Release
Beneteau 373 Wins Cruising Boat of the Year "Best Value" November 20, 2003 : Rachel Sweeney Charleston, SC: The Beneteau 373 was awarded Boat of the Year by Cruising World Magazine for Best Value in the category of cruising boats under $200,000. The Beneteau 373 triumphed over the Catalina 387, Etap 37s, and Hunter 41. The ceremony was held at the St. Pete Boat Show marking the culmination of a three stage judging process that began last May. This year for the first time, Cruising World judges culled the field of possible entrants in an early nominating round. Nominees were announced in October and then were scrupulously inspected first on the dock and then on the water. The Beneteau 373 was chosen based on several of its signature traits from her larger sisterships such as the Beneteau 423 and 393. "This 37 footer features a stall shower, panoramic forward-facing windows that bring plenty of light into the cabin, and the same fiberglass grid system the manufacturer uses in its other models to ! take the sailing loads. All this for a sailaway price of $135,000 and a five year limited warranty on its structure," said Tim Murphy, Executive Editor. "For our purposes, I like seeing stall showers... the Beneteau 373 delivers a whole lot of bang for the buck," commented Bill Lee, Boat of the Year Judge. "The standout feature on both the 373 and its new little sister, the 323, is a patented wheel that rotates 90 degrees; it is Beneteau's answer to the industry-wide desire to open the passage straight through the cockpit from the transom, and it's simpler than twin helm stations. Designed by naval architects Berret/Racoupeau, the 373 replaces the 361, of which hundreds have been built since its introduction in 1999," said Murphy. The Beneteau 373 features the similar force disbursement components that Beneteau uses in other boats in its line, which all are tied to a fiberglass grid bonded to the hull that distributes all the sailing loads. "That grid system is superb", said Ralph Naranjo, Technical Editor. The Beneteau 373 will join the ranks of previous BOTY winners, an award series that has crowned the standout designs launched for the coming year for nearly two decades. The winners of the 2004 BOTY Awards will be featured in the January issue of Cruising World Magazine. Beneteau was also recently awarded as a recipient of the Marine Industry CSI Award for Excellence in Customer Satisfaction for auxiliary powered sailboats. The CSI Award, sponsored by the National Marine Manufacturers Association, acknowledges companies that are enrolled in the Marine Industry CSI (Customer Satisfaction Index) Program and adhere to the guidelines of the program achieving an average score of 90 or above for 2002. The Marine Industry CSI Awards were established to provide annual recognition to those companies which actively measure customer satisfaction to pursue continuous improvement, and ! which have achieved and maintained an independently measured standard of Excellence in Customer Satisfaction over the past year. "Beneteau USA is extremely honored to receive both the Boat of the Year Award and to be recognized as a recipient of the NMMA CSI Award. As our customer becomes increasingly demanding in this very competitive market, not only must we produce the best possible product, but we also must strive to deliver excellence in customer service. This recognition by our industry leaders is truly a positive sign that the whole team at Beneteau USA in combination with our dealer representatives are continuing to strive to deliver the best boating experience possible." said Wayne Burdick, President Beneteau USA.
