The new Xquisite 30 Sportcat looked like a drag racer, tugging at her dock lines at the Annapolis sailboat show. At 30 feet, she was by far one of the smallest boats in the water, but this carbon speedster looked like she’d give the big boats a run for their money. She was, in a word, enticing.
With a rotating carbon mast, carbon deck beams, displacement of just 1,872 pounds, an interior whose greatest luxury is a mattress, and a construction methodology that lets it be dismantled and fit onto a trailer and inside a 40-foot shipping container, this little rocket is just begging to be sailed fast and fun—and that is precisely its purpose, according to Tamas Hamor, Xquisite’s founder and CEO.
A cruising sailor himself, Hamor launched Xquisite just 10 years ago after deciding he could build a better cat and provide better service to boatowners. The company has since launched 50 boats built in South Africa—large, luxury bluewater cats—and now they’ve expanded into power cats as well.
With the 30 Sportcat, the company focus shifted from cruising to teaching. Hamor says that half of Xquisite’s potential owners don’t know how to sail but cherish the cruising dream, so the Sportcat was designed to train these buyers before unleashing them on his big boats. At Xquisite’s base in Freeport in the Bahamas, new owners can learn the nuances of sailing a catamaran and in the process have a bit of fun on this daysailer that is also perfect for island hopping and the occasional overnight adventure.
“That was the goal—the best training boat for people to learn how to sail, but it’s fast enough for people who know how to sail to have fun,” he says. Hamor wanted to create a boat that’s light, fun, and exciting to sail, without the complexities of daggerboards or foils (although daggerboards are an option). “The boat is super simple to sail. Everything is small. You have to use your hands, you trim the sails, you feel the rudders. Just with two fingers you can steer the boat. So this is how you learn sailing.”
The reason the 30 Sportcat is such a good teaching tool is that it is supremely responsive. Unlike a 50-foot cruising cat, every tactic on the 30 will either reward or punish you, and very quickly at that. That said, it’s a kick to sail when you pay attention.
In 14 knots of true wind, our speed bounced around 16 to 18 knots on the flat waters of Chesapeake Bay. The black North Sails 3Di foils were well flattened as we tacked back and forth with the headsail clew sliding along a track on the middle of a carbon cross beam and the mainsail controlled with end-boom sheeting connected to an aft beam. The 30 Sportcat will sail up to one-and-a-half times the windspeed on a beam reach and can pinch up to 35 degrees with optional retractable daggerboards.
The boat is light but has a lot of power. At just under 2,000 pounds, she carries 462 square feet of upwind sail area with the self-tacking solent and the main on a rotating carbon mast built by AG+. Partly, this low displacement is due to the e-glass and vinylester construction and carbon beams, and partly it’s because other than the hulls, she’s mostly netting. The standard version includes twin fixed keels with kick-up rudders that can venture into skinny waters with only a 2-foot-6-inch draft.
We sailed with only two of us aboard but four would be ideal, especially for racing. She’s rated for eight, but that would be cramped because you need room to move quickly in the tacks as you manage the long tiller that connects both rudders. Two tiny Harken winches managed the lines, and I sailed while sitting on the cockpit coaming, which is integrated into the hull tops. These perches are protected on the outside by short lifelines but could use nonskid because they’re slippery underfoot when wet.
Battery storage for running lights and potentially for an electric outboard is in the stowage box by the mast, where you’ll also find a charging port for your phone. Sail data is provided by an iPad with a special navigation app.
You can add a 10-hp outboard on a bracket for quick trips in and out of a marina, and after that, you’ll hardly need a motor at all. Electric outboard options from Torqeedo or Mercury are preferred so you don’t need to carry gas. The 30 Sportcat will motor at 5 knots, but if you want to make faster progress, you can put her on a trailer and tow her down the highway at 70 mph to your next sailing destination.
In case you’re thinking the 30 Sportcat is like a fancy Hobie, think again. Not only will this boat outperform any existing small cats out there, she can also be weekended if you’re adventurous. Just outfit the inside of one hull with a mattress or toss a sleeping bag on the trampoline and sleep under the stars. Add a chemical toilet in the other hull, strap a small cooler to the middle beam, and you can pack dinner for your overnight excursion. With the pullout ladder, you can even take a dip for a bath.
Xquisite delivers these Sportcats in a standard 40-foot shipping container and insists that the boat can be assembled by two. Training for assembly is also offered in the Bahamas, or company representatives will fly to wherever you are and assemble it for you as well as provide initial sail training.
Xquisite plans to build four of these boats per year with a base price of $285,000, which includes a code zero and fixed skegs. Adding a trailer, daggerboards, an outboard, and shipping will add up quickly, but the good news is that deliveries may be possible for this year, so you won’t have to wait if you secure a construction slot.
The Xquisite 30 Sportcat is an expensive daysailer to be sure, but Hamor hopes to build a fleet for one-design racing at some point and entice an entirely new audience. In the meantime, you can sail one of these head-turning boats for free if you sign a contract for one of Xquisite’s large cruising cats. It’s an intriguing enticement for sure.
LOA 30’4”
Beam 16’11”
Draft 2’6”
Air draft 43’4”
Displacement 1,872 lbs
Sail Area 462 sq ft upwind
Designer Francois Perus
Builder website xquisiteyachts.com
Base price $285,000
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August/September 2024
