It’s not easy to smile when it’s 39° F outside and blowing 20-30 knots, but the X-Yachts Xc 47 had no problem making that happen during my test sail in the Baltic Sea in November. Hull #1 performed like a racing yacht, on and off the wind, yet carried all the comforts desired for extended cruising. This innovative design even carries features that I have yet to see on any other sailboat.
The X-Yachts team set out to create the best cruiser ever built. An ambitious goal, but one which they put every bit of their passion into achieving. From an interior mock-up that even heeled over, to over 200 design hours solely dedicated to perfecting the rudder shape, each aspect of the Xc 47 was carefully considered. X-Yachts focused on establishing simplicity, natural light, space, and ventilation throughout the interior and deck space. The build quality was exceptional, leveraging X-Yachts’ renowned grid system, composites expertise, and going back to the drawing board with the systems layout to truly redefine accessibility.
The Xc 47 is the first boat in the world to be outfitted with Oceanvolt’s brand new and overall DAME Design Award-winning HighPower ServoProp 25, thanks to X-Yachts’ development partnership with Oceanvolt. While electric propulsion is logged as an option, the Oceanvolt arrangement combined with the 11-kw Fischer Panda generator was such a beautifully engineered solution, allowing for kilowatts of energy generation while underway, that it would be tough not to tick the box.
Stay tuned for a full review of this new boat in the April issue of SAIL.
