Two nominations for Highfield’s 9.20m crossover
Highfield Boats has secured two major European award nominations for the ADV9, its 9.20-metre adventure crossover RIB. The model has been shortlisted in the Best RIBs category of the Best of Boats Award 2026 and in the RIB category of the European Powerboat of the Year 2027.
The nominations follow a year in which the ADV9 has been tested by international boating journalists and positioned as the flagship of Highfield’s expanding ADV range. For Leisure Boat Guide readers, the significance is straightforward: this is a sub-12m boat being assessed not simply as a tender or open RIB, but as a capable weekender with a protected cabin and broader cruising role.
Cabin comfort added to a RIB platform
Highfield says the ADV9 was designed in Europe by VOM Creations and launched at boot Düsseldorf in January 2026. Its layout combines a flush deck and wide beam with direct swim-platform access, while the enclosed accommodation can provide up to four berths, a galley and a head for longer days or short cruising trips.
The builder also highlights slide-on tubes intended to simplify replacement and reduce the consequences of damage around docks, alongside a non-stepped hull intended to keep handling predictable and make trailering or floating-dock use simpler. Highfield quotes performance of up to 50 knots, placing the ADV9 firmly in the high-performance end of the family and adventure-boat market.
What the awards will decide
The Best of Boats programme selects nominees after full-scale testing by an international jury of boat journalists, while the European Powerboat of the Year is judged by editors and test directors from leading European motorboat publications. Highfield says the latter award evaluates more than 100 new models each year, with the winners announced during Flagship Night at boot Düsseldorf.
The nominations do not constitute an award win, but they give the ADV9 two independent opportunities to be measured against competing RIBs and crossover boats. The model is already listed in the Leisure Boat Guide production database, where its verified 9.20m length keeps it squarely within LBG’s under-12m coverage.