Aquila 45 Sport Nominated for 2027 European Powerboat of the Year

Sport Power Catamaran Earns Recognition at Its European Debut

The Aquila 45 Sport power catamaran has been nominated for the 2027 European Powerboat Award, with the shortlist revealed during the Cannes Yachting Festival — the same week the model makes its European debut.

The Aquila 45 Sport is nominated in the catamaran category, alongside four other power catamarans. German marine publication BOOTE organizes the award, with nominees traditionally announced during the Cannes Yachting Festival and winners decided by a professional jury of editors and test directors from Europe's leading powerboat magazines. The jury scores each boat on workmanship, safety, handling, design, use of space, and value for money, meeting in November to vote. Winners are announced at the boot Düsseldorf boat show in January 2027.

The heart of the all-new Aquila 45 Sport is an aft cockpit engineered specifically for entertaining — a deck that opens to the water and gives everyone aboard somewhere to be. Around it, bold new styling drawn from contemporary luxury SUVs and advanced double-stepped hull technology serve one clear mission: stretch any day trip into something more remarkable. Designed by Aquila in partnership with Clearwater, Florida-based Yacht Design Works, the 45 Sport is built as a single-mold, vinylester-infused composite structure over a closed-cell PVC foam core, with no wood in any structural part and none below the waterline.

Here is what the judges will find aboard.

ROOM TO ENTERTAIN

Two fold-down terraces open the 4.57 m (15'0") beam to 5.88 m (19'4"), turning the aft cockpit into a 19-foot social space at the waterline. A convertible U-shaped sofa and manual high/low table shift the same footprint from dining to lounging, and an integrated swim ladder with teak steps makes getting in and out of the water something nobody has to think about. A 0.60 m (2'0") draft with the outboards raised puts shallow anchorages and sandbars within reach. The 45 Sport is certified to carry up to 29 under CE Category D, 20 under Category C, and 10 under Category B.

SPEED AND CAPABILITY

Twin Mercury Verado V12 600 HP outboards drive top speeds above 50 mph, with efficient cruising at 38-40 mph. The double-stepped hulls do the quiet work — the stable, dry ride that makes a long run feel shorter than it is. Less time spent getting there, more time spent doing what you came to do.

360 VISIBILITY

The four-seat helm sits behind a low dashboard with sightlines open in every direction, so a boat with 1,200 horsepower behind it never feels like more boat than you signed up for. Docking, running an inlet, or picking a line through traffic, you can see what you're doing — and the captain stays part of the group rather than parked away from it. Controls for switching, audio, lighting, navigation, and engine functions are laid out so everything is where you expect it.

ROOM TO RELAX 

Below deck, a well-appointed cabin with private head turns a long day into an overnight — accommodation most boats this size and type don't offer at all. An optional advanced lithium system extends time at anchor without running a generator.

SEE HER FOR YOURSELF

The Aquila 45 Sport is making its European debut at the Cannes Yachting Festival, September 8-13, 2026. See her next at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, October 28 - November 1, 2026.