x yachts x 46 review

• BOAT OF THE YEAR
• Newsletters
• Sailboat Reviews
• Boating Safety
• Sailing Totem
• Charter Resources
• Destinations
• Galley Recipes
• Living Aboard
• Sails and Rigging
• Maintenance
• Best Marine Electronics & Technology

• By Tim Murphy
• Updated: July 3, 2006

In select pockets of the sailing world-Mount Desert Island in Maine, say, or Bristol, Rhode Island, or Port Townsend, Washington-one finds an extraordinary confluence of marine artisans. On the Jutland peninsula of Denmark, you’ll find such a community. That narrow strip between the Baltic and North seas is home to Paul Elvström’s sail loft; the hardware makers Andersen, BSI, and Frederiksen (now Ronstan); and the builders of Dragonfly catamarans-innovative engineers and sailors and craftsmen all.

One of the cornerstones of this community is X-Yachts. Founded in 1979 by a trio of racing junkies, Birger Hansen and brothers Niels and Lars Jeppesen, X-Yachts has grown from a builder of small IOR competitors to one of the world’s best-regarded creators of luxury performance sailboats, having launched well over 4,000 boats. Throughout the yard’s history, its directors have maintained an unwavering focus on the segment where cruising and racing meet. While their designs over the years may have oscillated back and forth across that line, none has ever strayed very far from it.

Last fall, Cruising World’s Boat of the Year judges sailed the X-46, a recent launch in X-Yachts’ Performance Cruising category. Our outing was in light air, conditions in which this boat was perfectly happy. In 8 to 10 knots true, we slipped to windward at 7.5 knots and effortlessly broke the 8-knot barrier as we eased sheets to a reach.

On deck, everything about the boat bespeaks performance. The German-style double-ended mainsheet leads from the gooseneck through blocks and under the deck back to the cockpit, giving a clean, efficient appearance. Some of the judges wondered what you’d do if you lost a tail into that conduit, but Michael Frank, the U.S. importer for X-Yachts, described a simple way to snake a messenger line to retrieve it. Such details as a recessed spray hood and a recessed headsail furling drum contribute to the deck’s clean lines.

Focal point of the cockpit is a giant, 66-inch wheel. While some judges found it excessively large, it brings the spokes close to the gunwales for optimal visibility, grants the leverage for fingertip steering, and avoids the complication, friction, and expense of twin wheels. The Jefa draglink system contributed to the most butter-smooth helm in this year’s 26-boat BOTY fleet.

Under power, the X-46 rated among the quietest quarter of the fleet, thanks in part to a saildrive transmission but also to ample insulation around the engine space.

The X-46’s interior is sumptuous, with pleasing details everywhere you look. The grain in the high-quality teak is carefully matched throughout; battens under bunks promote ventilation and comfort; a single lifting eye at the boat’s midpoint simplifies hauling and shipping. The boat is available with either a three- or four-cabin layout. If you prefer a U-shaped galley to a portside in-line galley, as our judges did, the four-cabin version offers that.

Like other X-Yachts, the structure of the 46 stands out. The boat’s backbone is a massive galvanized-steel grid that picks up all the rig, keel, and machinery loads, rendering the vessel uncommonly stiff. Biaxial glass over Divinycell orients the laminate strength where it’s needed.

If poetry in motion is what you’re after, get thee behind this wheel.

Tim Murphy, longtime director of CW’s Boat of the Year contest, is a Cruising World editor at large.

LOA 46′ 0″ (14.01 m.) LWL 40′ 4″ (12.30 m.) Beam 13′ 7″ (4.15 m.) Draft (std.) 7′ 11″ (2.40 m.) Sail Area (100%) 1,185 sq. ft. (110 sq. m.) Displacement 22,929 lb. (10,400 kg.) Water 100 gal. (380 l.) Fuel 53 gal. (200 l.) Engine Volvo 55-hp. D2-55/S; optional 75-hp. D2-75/S Designer Niels Jeppesen Sailaway Price $510,000 Contact X-Yachts, (203) 353-8118, www.x-yachtsusa.com

• More: 2001 - 2010 , 41 - 50 ft , Coastal Cruising , keelboat , monohull , Sailboat Reviews , Sailboats , x yachts
• More Sailboats

Meet the Bali 5.8

Celebrating a Classic

New to the Fleet: Italia Yachts 12.98

Leopard 40 Prelude Listed For Sale

The Moorings Expands in Croatia

C-Map Updates North America Charts

St. Vincent Court Orders Deportation For Hijacking Suspects

• Digital Edition
• Customer Service
• Privacy Policy
• Terms of Use
• Email Newsletters
• Cruising World
• Florida Travel + Life
• Sailing World
• Salt Water Sportsman
• Sport Fishing
• Wakeboarding

Many products featured on this site were editorially chosen. Cruising World may receive financial compensation for products purchased through this site.

Copyright © 2024 Cruising World. A Bonnier LLC Company . All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.

X-46 Standard

Sailboat specifications.

• Last update: 3rd April 2020

X-46's main features

• 2006: Cruising World - Boat of the Year: Performance Cruiser over 45'

X-46's main dimensions

X-46's rig and sails, x-46's performances, x-46's auxiliary engine, x-46's accommodations and layout, x-46's saloon, x-46's fore cabin, x-46's aft cabin.

Similar sailboats that may interest you:

X-46 Detailed Review

If you are a boat enthusiast looking to get more information on specs, built, make, etc. of different boats, then here is a complete review of X-46. Built by X-Yachts and designed by Niels Jeppesen, the boat was first built in 2003. It has a hull type of Fin Keel w/bulb and LOA is 14.01. Its sail area/displacement ratio 43.27. Its auxiliary power tank, manufactured by Volvo Penta, runs on Diesel.

X-46 has retained its value as a result of superior building, a solid reputation, and a devoted owner base. Read on to find out more about X-46 and decide if it is a fit for your boating needs.

Boat Information

Boat specifications, sail boat calculation, auxillary power tank, contributions, who designed the x-46.

X-46 was designed by Niels Jeppesen.

Who builds X-46?

X-46 is built by X-Yachts.

When was X-46 first built?

X-46 was first built in 2003.

How long is X-46?

X-46 is 12.03 m in length.

Member Boats at HarborMoor

Yachting World

• Digital Edition

Boat test: X-56 The Xtra mile

• Rupert Holmes
• March 14, 2022

The X-Yachts X56 is built to be the marque's new flagship, designed to combine luxury, style and power with a practical and seamanlike approach for extended cruising

Product Overview

Price as reviewed:.

Large cruising yachts are enormously appealing, but it’s imperative that they’re easy to tame in deteriorating weather. Yet if this is achieved through making the boat underpowered it will be a disappointment in lighter winds. Striking the balance between the two is therefore a key factor in establishing a successful new model, as X-Yachts would clearly like the X-Yachts X56 to be.

My first sail on the X-Yachts X56 was in very light airs, with just 3-7 knots of true wind, but even this revealed important insights about how well the boat might handle challenging conditions. With the Code 0 set we made speeds that belied its near 20 tonne displacement, hovering at around 80% of the true wind speed at an apparent wind angle of 45-50°. We achieved 2.8 knots of speed in just 3.5 knots of true wind, rising to a very useful 6.2 knots in 7 knots.

At the same time, it felt like sailing a smaller, lighter and surprisingly nimble boat. We even had enough steerage to tack with only the mainsail set in just five knots of wind.

A boat that’s so easily driven allows sail to be shortened well in advance of worsening weather, without losing much speed. At the same time, this design’s very high stability, achieved through a combination of deep draught with low-slung ballast and massive form stability, means fewer sail handling operations are needed – each sail plan works over a wider range of wind strengths.

Therefore an increase in wind of a scale that might force other boats to tuck in an extra reef can often be handled simply by trimming the sails to depower a little.

For my next trial, a few days later, we had 15-17 knots, accompanied by a large and confused sea. Upwind with full sail we made around 7-7.5 knots, with a comfortable motion, despite the sea state. There was no hint of slamming – the boat simply shouldered the seas aside, providing an impressively dry ride.

Bearing off just 5° saw the X-Yachts X56’s speed jump to 8.0 knots, demonstrating an ability to make good daily runs while on passage. On bearing away further, to a true wind angle of 110°, and deploying the Code 0, we accelerated to a relaxed and effortless 9-10 knots in 17 knots of true breeze.

Making good speed in light airs under Code 0. Photo: Mikkel Groth

X-perienced feedback

The test boat we were sailing is the 10th X-Yacht for this particular owner, having started with a 26ft X-79 many years ago. It’s set up for very long distance short-handed sailing – including transatlantic crossings – with the autopilot expected to be in use 99% of the time.

Because of this the X-Yachts X56 has twin parallel systems for redundancy, each with a permanently connected hydraulic ram resulting in a heavy helm without much direct feel. Even so, the boat itself was responsive at all times and was nicely balanced, with just a fraction of weather helm upwind.

X-Yachts offers a number of headsail configurations, with an 88% self-tacking jib on the main forestay as standard equipment. Our test boat, however, is set up with a more flexible arrangement, including a larger, marginally overlapping headsail, plus an inner forestay with a self-tacking furling staysail, and in-boom mainsail reefing. The latter is an option chosen by around 70% of owners buying a Pure X model from the X43 upwards.

We also had the benefit of a Reckmann electric top-down furler for the Code 0. This is mounted at the inboard end of the fixed bowsprit and makes the sail almost effortless to wrap away. Asymmetric spinnakers can also be flown from the tip of the sprit.

This means it’s easy to select the appropriate sail area for different conditions, with very little compromise on sail shape. It’s an excellent combination that should enable small teams to translate the boat’s potential into numerous easy 200-plus mile days.

Plenty of canvas both for sailpower and protection. Our test boat was set up to make sail handling easy, without compromising sail shapes. Photo: Andreas Lindlahr/EYOTY

Although the primary purpose of the self-tacking staysail is to avoid having to use an inefficient deep-reefed headsail in winds well over 20 knots, it also offers the enticing prospect of easy handling in confined waters.

Even in only 13-14 knots of true wind and an awkward sea state, with the staysail and full main we made around 6 knots close-hauled and, of course, were able to tack repeatedly without touching the sheets. It’s a great arrangement and illustrates how versatile it is to have a boat that will maintain speed, even when under-canvassed.

The standard rig has a keel-stepped triple spreader mast with oversized discontinuous rod rigging, while carbon spars are optional. Lines are led aft to winches on the cockpit coamings well ahead of the helm stations. In our case these were the beefy optional electric Andersen 72 units, which make for speedy sail handling and eliminate the need for powered headsail furlers.

Positioning the winches on the coamings minimises the number of deflections in each line that add friction and loads. The downside, compared to winches on a pedestal further inboard, is that they are harder to work, especially when short-handed.

I’m often critical of boats where sheets can’t easily be trimmed from the helm, but the loads of a yacht of this size make this impractical for much of the time. Once you accept that, it makes sense to position the winches where there’s ample space to work them.

There’s plenty to hold onto in the cockpit when the boat is well heeled. Photo: Mikkel Groth

Cockpit solutions

Three options for the mainsheet are offered: a German system with a simple padeye in the cockpit floor, or a recessed traveller. The third option, as fitted to our test boat, is a central pedestal with an electric winch. It’s an arrangement that works well and frees up the remaining winches for other operations.

Maximum beam is carried right aft, yet the cockpit doesn’t feel as though it’s defined by the wide open spaces of many of today’s broad transom, twin rudder yachts. This helps confer a feeling of safety and security at sea, yet there’s still plenty of space. On one of my test sails we had seven people on board, with no hint of it feeling crowded.

Helm station pods have ample space for big MFDs, plus controls for thrusters, windlass, Code 0 furler and so on. Photo: Mikkel Groth

Although the transom is open, helm stations are forward of the stern rail and there’s a central two-person bench seat aft that incorporates liferaft stowage. The back of the boat therefore doesn’t feel unduly exposed. Particularly wide side decks, secure deep bulwarks and a low profile coachroof all help to make it easy to move around when going forward. The optional low-profile sprayhood gives an aerodynamic shape and has obvious appeal to anyone with a racing background, but the sleek shape means there’s not full standing headroom beneath, so many owners are likely to opt for the full-height standard version. Both stow neatly beneath teak faced deck panels when not in use.

External stowage includes a large tender garage that will accommodate a 3.0m RIB, with a crane for launch, recovery and stowage. There are lockers under each of the cockpit benches, while the sail locker forward has enough room to be fitted out as a skipper’s cabin if required.

The cockpit table is a conventional central unit with two folding leaves and space for a drinks fridge. This means there’s no central walkway from the transom to the companionway but it doesn’t seem to matter, as the table is large enough for several people to sit on one side, keeping the other side clear other than at meal times.

Joinery is of a high standard, in a choice of Nordic oak or teak. Photo: Andreas Lindlahr/EYOTY

Pace with space

For a performance yacht with a hull length of just under 55ft there’s an impressive amount of internal volume, and with the X-Yachts X56 the yard has aimed to lift the style and level of interior finish to a notch above the existing models in this range. As standard the joinery is in a very attractive Nordic oak, with teak as an option. There’s a wide choice of soft furnishings and X-Yachts is happy to work with owners to create a style to suit their tastes.

Delving around the details of a new yacht’s interior can reveal much about how well it’s set up for long distance passagemaking and living on board for extended periods. X-Yachts has clearly spent a lot of time and budget to get this aspect of the X56 right, although the standard tankage is on the small side for anyone contemplating long periods of autonomy. Two choices are offered for the galley layout, with the test boat having a conventional U-shaped arrangement. The other option is a more open layout with a central island unit, but less worktop and stowage space.

The owner’s cabin is bright and well appointed. Photo: Andreas Lindlahr/EYOTY

Both should work well at sea, while allowing space for the cook to have assistance when in port. Stowage is very well organised in both cases and there’s provision for a huge amount of refrigeration, including a double-size top and front-loading unit, a drinks fridge and a further unit at the aft end of the central section of the galley. Our test boat also has a small dishwasher.

The full-width saloon has separate dining and lounging areas to port and starboard respectively. The latter has a deep domestic style settee with thick cushions, which helps make this a lovely space in which to relax, yet it’s a very practical arrangement for a serious sea-going yacht. There’s also a proper forward-facing navstation, although this is too far forward for easy communication with the cockpit.

The owner’s cabin is well lit thanks to a pair of hull windows, two opening overhead hatches and forward facing coachroof windows. There’s stowage to starboard in a big cabinet, under the aft end of the bed and in four useful eye-level lockers each side. Nevertheless, the total stowage volume is not overly generous for those who plan to sail in cooler climates and there’s no dressing table or desk area. On the plus side, the en-suite is nicely appointed, a good size, and with a separate shower stall.

Galley layout with the island unit option. Photo: Andreas Lindlahr/EYOTY

As standard a large single heads compartment aft, with separate shower, serves both the aft cabins and day time use. There’s also an option for a third heads, at the expense of some galley space and aft cabin stowage.

Both aft cabins are impressively large and don’t feel as though they are tucked away under the cockpit. They are wide enough for twin berths that convert easily to large doubles. There’s also provision for a washer/dryer in part of the port cabin’s big hanging locker.

Any yacht of this size is a complex entity that has potential to be difficult to look after, especially in far-flung parts of the globe. X-Yachts therefore steers clients towards a standard list of options. These are well proven products that engineers more or less anywhere in the world are likely to have encountered already and have established supply chains for spares. It’s a commendable policy that ought to reassure owners. In extremis, if neither a local engineer, nor the local X-Yachts dealer, is able to solve a problem, the yard can fly a staff member out to a boat anywhere in the world.

On a more detailed level, time and effort have obviously been expended on ensuring deck gear is easy to look after. For example, fastenings for turning blocks and other fittings are accessible via access panels in the deckhead, which facilitates maintenance.

The construction of X-Yachts is also worthy of note. Since 2018 this has been of epoxy infusion, with hulls baked at 70˚C for 24 hours. It’s much more expensive than using conventional polyester resins, but results in more reliable laminates, as well as a lighter vessel that’s both stronger and stiffer.

JP54 boat test

Xp44 boat test

Check out our pick of images from the latest Yachting World boat test, the Xp44. You can read more in…

Xc50 boat test video

Here’s the video from our boat test on X-Yacht’s new flagship cruising model. The full report is in the YW…

If you enjoyed this….

Yachting World is the world’s leading magazine for bluewater cruisers and offshore sailors. Every month we have inspirational adventures and practical features to help you realise your sailing dreams. Build your knowledge with a subscription delivered to your door. See our latest offers and save at least 30% off the cover price.

Overall the concept behind this design and its general set up is very impressive. The X56 is a real sailor’s boat, but one that also offers enormous comfort and style. It’s bang up to date, yet the execution is extremely seamanlike and well thought through, making it one of the most appealing yachts of its size that I’ve sailed for a long time. A slippery hull shape combined with powerful rig will minimise the amount of time spent under power, yet the massive stability will be enormously reassuring in heavy weather. The sail plan of our test boat suits this design perfectly, providing plenty of power when necessary, while allowing the boat to be safely snugged down well ahead of challenging weather.

The X-46 is no longer in production. To see an overview of the current range please visit the Yachts page. You can also visit the overview of Previous X-Yachts Models .

Join our Mailing List

Join our monthly email mailing list to get all the latest information and news from X-Yachts directly in your inbox.

Yachting Monthly

• Digital edition

X-Yachts X43 review: fast passage making in comfort

• Theo Stocker
• August 25, 2023

X-Yachts’ latest model, the X43 promises to be a fast passage-making cruising boat that’s fun and engaging to sail but won’t scare your socks off. Theo Stocker went to find out how well the X43 toes the line

Product Overview

Price as reviewed:.

You know the stars have aligned when you get Force 4-5 and bright sunshine, as well as a boat, crew, photographer and RIB all in the right place at the right time. Conditions could not have been better for testing the Mark 2 version of the hugely successful X-Yachts X43. This was going to be fun.

We were lucky to have Pieter, the proud new owner of Lexi aboard, and as we motored down the river, he told me why he’d chosen this boat. ‘I previously owned a mass-produced 38ft family cruiser, which was great, but I wanted something a bit bigger and with three teenage children who really enjoy sailing, we needed more for them to get involved with on the boat. We wanted something that was really engaging to sail. I looked at Grand Soleil, Arcona and X-Yachts. I liked the X46 and my wife liked the X40, so we settled on the X43, and we’re both happy it’s the right size to have gone for.’

While Grand Soleil and Arcona are more on a par with the X-Performance range numbers wise, there are relatively few direct comparators to the X43 – perhaps a Dehler 42, or the slightly heavier and older Sweden Yacht 42. In short, this ‘Pure-X’ boat ploughs something of its own furrow between cruiser/racers and more dedicated cruisers.

It’s clear to the see the appeal of a proper sailing boat with plenty of canvas and single rudder steering for decent performance, combined with a reassuring amount of ballast and the creature comforts of deep-fill mattresses, microwave and coffee machine.

The wide cockpit makes sail handling and manoeuvres easy, but can feel a little exposed. Photo: Richard Langdon

More than just skin deep

Now, cosmetic surgery comes in all shapes and sizes. When it comes to boat models, design updates are often pretty superficial – a chin-tuck here, some filler there – new windows, extra cushion fabric options, and maybe a tweak or two to the deck layout. Far from a simple facelift, however, the new X43 has undergone a full-scale transformation of its rear end.

Everything forward of the shrouds remains unchanged from the original 2016 model, but from the shrouds aft, it’s a completely new hull. The boat is no beamier than the Mark 1, but that beam is carried all the way aft to supercharge its form stability with a stern fully 50cm wider. Drag-inducing wetted surface area has been reduced by lifting the rounded hull chines up and out of the water. This boat then has, in theory, both better light wind performance and better strong wind performance, but I’d have to take X-Yachts’ word for it on the light wind stuff.

First impressions were good. The test boat, fresh out of the wrapper, looked stylish, slick and neat. The S-shaped stem adds support for the Code-Zero tack near the base of the fixed carbon bowsprit; the tack point at the end is for asymmetric spinnakers that don’t require high luff tension.

A wider stern and higher chines give more stability when heeled and less drag in light airs. Photo: Richard Langdon

The broader stern, coupled with some extra space taken from the aft sidedecks, creates an enormously spacious cockpit, but with two table options to provide bracing. Add in the new higher soft hull chines aft, and she starts to look a lot more fleet of foot than the Mk 1.

Hidden from sight, the deep single rudder has been updated to make it both more powerful and slightly less balanced to provide better feel on the helm. Countless other small tweaks – larger hull windows, raised helm seats to keep your backside dry, a moulded recess for the self-tacking jib track (covered if not fitted) – contribute to a thorough refinement of an already highly successful model with more than 100 built since 2016.

Chainplates are neatly hidden within the moulded toerails, and stanchions are neatly fitted. Photo: Richard Langdon

This is only the second model designed by the in-house design team since the retirement of X-Yachts co-founder and lead designer, Niels Jeppesen, but it remains every inch an X-Yacht.

Shifting gears

A brisk Force 4 barreled up the Solent from the south east, and built through the day. With wind and tide together, the seas were flat, but as the tide turned, the chop would build. Full canvas was set to see how and when we would need to start shifting down the gears.

It took us a moment or two to get settled down – jib car positions, mainsheet traveller, halyard tensions, vang, outhaul and backstay all helped balance the power from a fairly generous sailplan. It was reassuring to feel through the wheel when the boat was, and wasn’t, properly in her stride, which is hard to replicate with a twin-rudder boat.

ockpit coamings offer a comfortable and secure seat for crew, with good views forwards from the wheel. Photo: Richard Langdon

In 14 knots true wind, we found that sailing at 32º-34º the speed settled around 7 knots, topping out at 7.2 knots with just over 20 knots across the deck. Pinching 5º higher saw the speed drop to 6.5 knots. That’s not bad going for a boat this comfortable. With the true wind speed creeping up to Force 5 (17-18 knots) and 30º of heel, it was finally time to put a reef in. Unsurprisingly, with a more sensible sail plan, she sat up to 20-25º, the helm eased and the speed climbed.

Where a pure performance boat might punish inattention, a good cruising boat should be a little more forgiving. Munching sandwiches and chatting over lunch on one of the beats, I wasn’t watching the telltales closely. It was easy to sail by feel and the boat didn’t stray from 28-32º to the wind, though pinching saw the speed down at 6.5 knots. While a bit of concentration found us the missing half-knot plus, the boat had happily sailed on in the right direction.

Coachroof jib tracks give a tight sheeting angle, with lines neatly ducted back to the cockpit. Photo: Richard Langdon

Prudence prevails

Our top reaching speed under plain sails was 8.2 knots, which was surpassed once the Code Zero was up on a broad reach, lifting us to a comfortable 8.5-9 knots, with the occasional foray above 10 knots in the gusts. Had we been racing, an asymmetric spinnaker might have been risked for some more double-digit speeds, but that’s not how she’d be sailed when cruising, and with both sailmaker and owner looking on, prudence prevailed.

While out there, I tried to overpress the boat, bearing away with the sails pinned in hard. The amount of grip from the single rudder was impressive, and she didn’t let go, even as the helm loaded up in complaint. Only at close to 45º of heel did the boat start to overpower the rudder, though never out of control. A slight luff and an ease on the sheets had her back at heel.

While not a planing hull, this boat will exceed hull speed under Code Zero or asymmetric. Photo: Richard Langdon

Similarly, when overpressed with the Code Zero up, I was always able to force the bow back downwind to bring the boat more upright without needing to ease the sheets. This is in part thanks to the boat’s significant form stability, and her impressive ballast ratio of 40%; the cast iron keel with lead bulb at the bottom of it makes for a very low centre of gravity.

While a racing boat crew would see this as speed potential, for a cruising boat, it buys you a safety margin in bad weather and more stable, solid cruising in good weather. The boat tested had two reefs in the North Sails Norlam Xi main and a 106% genoa. Light wind sailing wasn’t something we got the chance to try on our test, but reports of the hull concept first trialled on the flagship X56 suggest that this hull is easily driven in the light stuff too, for which the owner had specified both large asymmetric and symmetric running spinnakers.

Little details also make a big difference, and I liked having the ability to furl away the stack pack sail cover and appreciated the clips fitted either side of the gooseneck to allow the lazyjacks to be hooked back when not in use. There were mast steps to reach the top of the stack pack, which is high as the boom has been kept above head height for crew in the cockpit.

Under engine, 2,200 revs got us to 7 knots in flat water, and 6.5 at 2,000rpm, with a Yanmar 45hp motor and saildrive transmission fitted with a three-bladed folding prop, upgraded from the two-bladed folding standard. Access to the engine is excellent from the front, as well as via large removable moulded panels on both sides in the aft cabins. The compartment also houses the 24-litre calorifier.

Once on a beat, the X43 will just want to keep going without asking too much of the crew. Photo: Richard Langdon

Sleek and functional

On deck, the layout is clean and functional. At the helm, large composite wheels are mounted with Jefa steering on pedestals with chartplotters, autopilot, and bowthruster control. A lifting foot chock for the helm was easy to deploy single-handed. Mainsheet winches can be reached from behind the wheel but are more comfortably used when sitting astride or ahead of the wheels.

While there’s no stern seat, the helm seat on the tail end of the coaming is comfortable under way. Numbers were visible on the coachroof mounted B&G Triton 2 displays, though to see the chartplotters you have to stand up; a pedestal repeater visible when seated would be nice.

Deck hardware and controls are good. The T-sheeted mainsheet worked well with high-spec blocks eliminating friction under load, and the 50ST Harken Performa winches were more than up to the job, with the port coachroof and starboard mainsheet winches being powered. The hydraulic backstay tensioner controlled the 2-spreader keel-stepped aluminium John Mast spar.

Two opening hatches each side and a large deck hatch ensure good ventilation in the stylish saloon, finished in Nordic oak. Photo: Richard Langdon

Neat touches include the chainplates being hidden below panels in the moulded bulwarks, and the cleverly routed ducting for most lines on deck.

The cockpit’s additional width is enormous. While there are bracing chocks on the centreline, for cruising one of the two removable table options would make the cockpit feel more secure. The bathing platform is optional too, though I can’t see many owners going without it, especially as it folds level with the cockpit sole so as not to interupt the clean lines and open feel.

Stowage on deck is good. In the three-cabin version we tested there’s a sole-depth cockpit locker extending aft under the coaming for long items, plus two hull-depth lazarette lockers. Between them sits a large gas locker with space for two big bottles of gas – an unusual arrangement that works well.

If you go for the two-cabin version, the cockpit locker becomes a huge hull-depth space that can be accessed through the aft heads.

Stowage abounds in the galley, and there’s a microwave in the overhead locker. Photo: Richard Langdon

At the bow, there’s a good deep anchor locker abaft the below-deck headsail furler, with a watertight bulkhead between it and the cavernous hull-depth forepeak locker. This is also a watertight compartment, but it can be drained into the main bilges via a seacock in the forward cabin. Little details like this and the absence of rough edges in out of the way places reveals the quality of build.

Practically elegant

Practicality continues as you head below, noticing as you do that the companionway hatch doors fold back into recesses, hiding rope bins for the halyard tails.

Below, it’s a sensible, practical layout – L-shaped galley to port, heads to starboard, C-shaped saloon seating and an aft-facing chart table against the forward heads bulkhead. The galley, including the microwave in the overhead lockers, includes good amounts of stowage above, behind and below the work surfaces, a top-opening fridge and an upright pantry locker abaft the three-burner gas cooker.

The heads, to starboard, would be a generous space on the two-cabin version, but here it has been split into two; the door opens to the sink and lockers, with a door aft for the starboard cabin, and a door forwards into the toilet and shower compartment. It’s slightly odd access to the aft cabin, but otherwise makes excellent use of space. It’s a shame there’s no wet locker, but a removable wet hanging rail is an option in the shower.

Tick the option for the en suite owner’s heads if you would like more privacy in the forward cabin. Photo: Richard Langdon

Solid and silent

The chart table is small but functional and would fit a leisure folio chart. There’s a bookshelf and switch panel above it, but on this boat no instrument displays were fitted. On the two-cabin version this becomes a full-size forward facing nav station. I’d have liked a couple more handholds around the bottom of the companionway for moving around below while heeled.

In the saloon, the elegant table is surrounded by C-shaped seating and folds out to serve the straight starboard settee, supported by a fixed base housing the obligatory bottle stowage. Both settees are long enough to make decent sea-berths. Tanks are beneath the seats, with 340 litres of water to port and 200 litres of diesel to starboard, which keeps weight central, though limits saloon stowage to the inboard ends of the C-shaped seating and the overhead lockers.

This is more than compensated for with the stowage beneath the double bed in the forward cabin, the base of which hinges on gas struts to reveal four large bins below, as well as the overhead lockers and the upright locker to starboard. You’d get even more if you don’t opt for the en suite heads on the port side, though I’d be reluctant to sacrifice that in the owner’s cabin.

In the aft cabins, this boat had the option of pipe-cot sea berths above and outboard of the generous double berths, in place of longitudinal shelves. Whether they’re regularly used as sea berths or not, they’d make extremely useful stowage in which to dump kit bags or children. Horizontal grained Nordic oak joinery and bulkheads, coupled with a moulded headlining throughout gives the boat a crisp, clean feel, with removable panels for maintenance access.

Part of the reason the boat sails so well is its stiffness. The hull is vacuum-infused, post-cured epoxy laminate over a foam core, while the deck is hand laid-up polyester resin over a foam core. As with boats of this calibre, bulkheads are bonded in, and there’s also a steel frame taking the keel loads with additional reinforcement from carbon box sections. Under way in chop, there wasn’t a single squeak or rattle – this is a beautifully built boat with the performance to back it up.

Enjoyed reading this?

A subscription to Yachting Monthly magazine costs around 40% less than the cover price .

Print and digital editions are available through Magazines Direct – where you can also find the latest deals .

YM is packed with information to help you get the most from your time on the water.

• Take your seamanship to the next level with tips, advice and skills from our experts
• Impartial in-depth reviews of the latest yachts and equipment
• Cruising guides to help you reach those dream destinations

Follow us on Facebook , Twitter and Instagram.

This boat is undeniably fun to sail; engaging on the helm, responsive to being sailed well and reassuring in a blow. If you are after a racing machine, there are other performance cruisers that are faster, including from the X-Yachts Performance range. Similarly, the X-Yachts Cruising range offers a more sedate boat that would be better suited to blue-water cruising. But the Pure X range has found a niche in the market for fast cruisers. There were a couple of tiny niggles: the slightly odd access to the aft cabin through the heads might grow on me, but I wasn’t sure, and I’d have liked a wet locker somewhere on board; I thought it could do with a couple more handholds around the galley and the bottom of the companionway. But that’s nit-picking. This is a boat pretty devoid of hidden gremlins. Craftsmanship is top-notch throughout in both finish and construction, making a very stiff boat with a fresh, modern look. The design developments over the Mark 1 appear to have made a materially better boat with more power, more feel on the helm, and more stability.