Tamas Hamor, founder of Xquisite Yachts, has his camera on every detail of hull No. 1 of the Xquisite 60 Solar Sail as we reach down the Chesapeake Bay. He’s more like an anxious owner about to take possession of the boat rather than the CEO of the company that built this powerful machine, which dwarfs his silhouette on the foredeck.
“In a way, I build boats for myself,” he shouts over the wind. “The details matter.”
Although this is the first time Hamor has sailed the boat, it’s hardly her maiden voyage. She just crossed the Atlantic, 8,000 boisterous miles from Xquisite’s boatbuilding facility in South Africa and threading the needle between two hurricanes in the process. A quick overnight spiff-up, and she was open to the public at last October’s Annapolis Sailboat Show just hours after arrival, which spoke volumes about the company, the design, and the team.
Hamor spent a decade sailing over 100,000 miles with his family on various catamarans before launching the company. His insights on what makes a solid multihull cruiser are experience-based and thoroughly refined, although available technologies are still catching up with his vision for a bluewater cruiser that can be managed by two and sailed by one as the other rests.
The X60 was five years in development as Xquisite ventured in a new direction with Bill Dixon Yacht Design. Per the design brief, the target was a semi-performance catamaran capable of carrying an unbelievable amount of equipment and gear to provide all the comforts of home and then some.
“Most of the weight of a cruiser is in the equipment, not the boat itself,” says Hamor. “We had already optimized our construction and layup process, so in the X60, we decided to spread the weight of the equipment over a longer waterline for better performance.”
The X60 is sleeker and more angular than her predecessor, with slimmed arch supports, a chine near the waterline running the length of the hull, and long windows with opening portlights. The rig is massive, and it needs to be to power up this 55,000-pound platform. A carbon boom joins an aluminum, nearly 90-foot mast that carries a downwind sail of over 2,800 square feet. Xquisite furnishes a suit of four sails including a square-top main, a self-tacking solent, a genoa, and the top-down furling gennaker.
With the help of cameras, hydraulics, and advanced monitoring technologies, Hamor contends that the X60 can be sailed by a couple. However, this design isn’t for the technology-shy because the promise of push-button shorthanded sailing is based on multitudes of systems that can’t fail if that promise is to be kept.
Dixon’s directive was to design a slippery boat capable of sailing 80% of true wind speed. We didn’t quite reach that on our test, making good 9-10 knots in 14-15 knots of true wind at 70 degrees apparent wind angle. With her fixed keels that draw nearly 6 feet when the boat is fully loaded, she tracked well and handled nicely until the mainsheet jumped the sheave on the boom-mounted block, ending the test and our ability to experience her full potential. However, that gave us time to explore the innovative stowage options, the cutting-edge power management systems, and a few wonderfully clever details.
As the name implies, the 60 Solar Sail is designed for life off the grid with exceptional onboard energy autonomy and an optional alternative propulsion system. She can be fitted with up to 7kW of solar capacity and 60kWh of lithium-ion batteries to support propulsion and house loads without a genset. Our boat was powered strictly by twin 100-hp Yanmar diesels, but the hybrid system adds twin 15kW inline electric motors between the combustion engines and the saildrives. Silent running under electric alone is possible, and when under sail or diesel power, the motors regenerate energy to the battery bank. By definition, a parallel hybrid means you’re carrying the weight of two propulsion systems, which seems less efficient but is quite practical.
“A parallel hybrid gives you more options than twin electric motors tied to a single genset range extender,” says Hamor. “And that provides versatility and redundancy.”
The onboard comfort and navigation systems are copious and power hungry. A quick survey of the equipment showed a residential style two-door refrigerator, twin induction cooktops, a 50-inch TV, a washer/dryer, a dishwasher, air conditioning, a 22-inch Garmin MFD, a wine cellar, a 42-gph watermaker, an electric carbon dinghy crane, two bow thrusters, and more. That’s why the X60 depends on a 48V electrical system which offers significant power management efficiencies. Onboard systems are monitored via C-Zone digital switching, which is standard.
The solar array seems omnipresent, as it must be to keep everything running. The tempered glass panels on the bimini, arch, and coachroof are hinged and vented, which increases their efficiency and longevity over embedded plastic panels. Solar panels also extend aft over the end of the arch, providing shade over the platform and tender below but still allowing enough light through for an interesting effect.
The transom is a bit of wizardry. The toy garage below the seat can hold three full-sized stand-up paddleboards, while the locker below the nearby galley module on starboard hides a dive compressor to fill the tanks tucked into their dedicated locker below the cockpit steps. Overhead and embedded into the arch is a shower, so when you’re done swimming or diving, you can rinse off your gear as well as yourself. With the expansive platform and access to all kinds of toys, the aft deck has a beach club vibe.
The X60 is loaded with superyacht hardware including two electric Reckmann headsail furlers, an electric pad eye on the composite sprit for the top-down gennaker, and hefty pop-up cleats. Instead of lifelines, a solid railing runs the perimeter of the deck for safety offshore. The cameras mentioned above are in strategic locations including at the top of the mast to check on the furling of the Code 65, aimed into the sail bag to ensure a clean furl of the mainsail, and even in the anchor locker so the helmsman can see the angle of the chain and raise the hook without assistance.
Conveniently at deck level, the helm is a cocoon protected by an aft-swept, glass, double-wide windshield and a slick hardtop, so when hull No. 1 spent 36 hours bashing into Atlantic head seas, the delivery crew remained somewhat comfortable. The C-shaped coachroof lounge on the “fly deck” is directly connected to the helm station so the skipper never feels alone on watch. The clever shade system integrated into the V-boom elicited a collective “whoa.” Electric “bat wings” deploy on struts creating shade for the lounge below. For anyone who’s tossed a tarp over the boom for sun protection, this is that, but on Star Wars-evoking steroids.
Xquisite shines a light on liveaboard comfort, mimicking the home experience wherever possible. The galley island has bar-top seating and the nav station in the port forward corner is a real onboard office with a full sized desk. The three-cabin owner’s version stretches the owner’s suite along the entire port hull. The athwartships bed is king sized and low for easy entry, the head is large and bright, blackout and privacy shades cover the windows, and there’s even a walk-in closet. It’s hard to imagine what else a distance cruiser would covet.
Under diesel power, we made good 7.1 knots at 2,200 rpm and 10.1 knots at 3,200 rpm. Range and speed stats under electric power would have to wait until the hybrid system was installed after the show. The Bay was relatively flat on test day so we didn’t experience the conditions needed to evaluate how the 3-foot, 5-inch bridgedeck clearance would do when pushing into a chop.
There are some options offered like the hydraulic version of the swim platform, additional batteries, and more drinks refrigerators, but overall, Tamor believes in delivering a comprehensive cruising solution as a standard offering. Xquisite even includes their famous cockpit table with its embedded world map, the signature toolkit in its own dedicated drawer in the salon, and a full set of spares for key parts.
What’s Hamor’s biggest challenge today? Capacity. Xquisite expects to build about four hulls per year of the 60 Solar Sail and they’re already booked out to 2026 despite the $3.6 million price tag. In fact, five units sold from the initial plans alone.
The company, which just celebrated its 10th year, has a training, maintenance, and fine-tuning facility in the Bahamas where they welcome existing and prospective owners. This center plays a key role in the brand’s appeal, because when you buy an Xquisite, you’re not buying a boat so much as a lifestyle with a built-in support system. And those are the details that really do matter.
LOA 65’ 8”
Beam 29’ 2”
Draft 5’ 4”
Displacement 55,000 lbs
Sail Area 1,862 sq ft (w/ self-tacking jib)
Xquisite Yachts
