X-Yachts X-43

When Danish production yacht builder X-Yachts launched its first X-43 in April, it already had orders for some 20 over the next 12 months. Sailing on the first boat launched, I felt envious of those buyers (including, I believe, one Australian) because, quite frankly, the X-43 is a beautiful boat.

At around $555,000 before you start talking sails and instruments, it's also a very expensive boat. We won't be seeing it in bareboat charter fleets, or at knockdown 'boatshow special' prices. Buyers will more than likely be people who have owned previous boats and know exactly what they want in a performance cruiser; people who believe that quality is worth paying for - and who can afford it.

Unfortunately I fall at that final hurdle - but that didn't stop me enjoying every moment of our sail on the X-43 on the English Solent, out of the south coast yachties' heaven called Hamble.

John Lawrence of X-Yachts UK was kind enough to take us sailing on Hoddox, just a couple of weeks before he would race the boat in the X-Yachts Gold Cup 2003, hosted by a local yacht club.

X-Yachts has been running an annual international event for its owners since 1998, attracting fleets of up to 80 boats for an event that (like the popular 'marque' regattas organised by Nautor Swan) is highy social but also hotly contested.

Racing does, after all, play a large role in the X-Yachts story, starting with the little X-79 and later the X-99 - which have both become successful one-design classes - and moving on to more recent winning performances in IMS cruiser/racer categories both in Europe and Australia for the IMX-40, which the Danish company has followed up with the IMX-45.

With its undistorted lines, sumptuous interior and inclusions like the cockpit dodger/sprayhood, the X-43 clearly has more on its mind than just racing - but even a cursory glance around the deck and rig will assure you that performance is also a priority. Quality hardware, including ball-bearing blocks all round, rod standing rigging and hydraulically adjusted backstay as standard - the list goes on.

(And by the way, Hoddox did go on to win the Sports Class E for boats over 11m LOA in the Gold Cup.)

This all-new model has been launched, X-Yachts says, to fill the gap between the X-412 and the X-442. It's worth noting that those two models have been around since 1990 and 1993 respectively. This is not a company that rolls models in and out on a whim or by the season. The company says its goal with the X-43 is "to offer a yacht model which, after some years, will establish herself as a trendsetter as well as become a modern classical model". New X-46 and X-40 models are also due to follow soon.

DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION
X-Yachts has an in-house design team headed by Niels Jeppersen, one of the company's founders. The stated goal with the X-43 was to focus on "key elements", including: "A modern, yet elegant and smart hull and deck design with emphasis on clean undistorted lines, wide side decks, low and smooth coach roof; "Cockpit layout appealing to the experienced cruising sailor as well as to the experienced racing sailor."

Both the hull and deck include GRP/foam sandwich construction to save weight and establish a rigid construction - with a steel girder then bonded into the hull to carry keel and rig loads - and allow high rig tension to be carried for better sailing performance. Attention has also been paid to the location of all heavy items on board, to enhance performance upwind and down.

The fin keel has a moderate-sized trailing bulb carrying lead ballast, and the rudder is a high aspect blade.

ON DECK
At the bow is a split pushpit rail and the anchor locker, with deck-recessed electric anchor windlass, which can be removed easily when preparing the boat to race.

The standard layout has a headsail roller furler drum positioned under the foredeck, but the test boat's racing inventory included the North 3DL No 1 headsail set from a Tuff Luff twinfoil headstay.

The standard package includes laid teak in the cockpit and aft bathing/boarding platform, while the first boat has full teak decks. The dodger is a well-engineered inclusion, housed in a recess on the coachhouse moulding with a cloth cover zipping up over it to keep it out of the way when not in use.

The fractional rig is by Sparcraft, with white powder-coated anodised aluminium mast and boom. A carbon mast can be fitted as an option. The tapered mast is keel-stepped and has three sets of swept-back spreaders.

The Nordic carbon composite spinnaker pole is an optional extra.

There is a Sparcraft solid boom vang and the halyards and sail controls - including the single-line reefing system - lead back under coachouse panels to banks of Easylock Maxi clutches and a pair of Anderson 46 self-tailing two-speed winches.

The primary winches mounted on the cockpit coamings are Anderson 52STs, while there is another pair of 46STs for the mainsheet tails, led back from the mastbase through recesses in both sidedecks in the 'German system' which is a standard feature on most racing boats of this size.

The mainsheet runs on a traveller by Frederiksen (now part of Australian company Ronstan), positioned across the cockpit seats and steering binnacle. The genoa cars are also ball-bearing models by Frederiksen and are set up with barber haulers to adjust their fore and aft position on the tracks.

The Navtec haydraulic backstay system is operated by a handle at the transom.

A large stainless steel frame on the steering binnacle supports instruments (here a B&G autopilot and a Raymarine RL70C chartplotter/radar unit), and there is a big Suunto D-135 compass on the binnacle.

B&G h1000 electronic instruments have been positioned on the first boat's coachhouse.

Gas struts on the cockpit seat lockers are part of the standard issue and make a nice touch. The cockpit seat lockers are large though not deep, and there are two big transom lockers as well as a dedicated compartment for the gas bottle(s) - although we couldn't work out how to hinge it out.

The engine throttle, rev counter and controls, plus shorepower plug, are in a recessed space immediately to starboard of the steering wheel, while to port is another recess housing the hot/cold cockpit shower.

There are strongpoints around the cockpit for attaching safety harnesses. The sheerline is completed with a teak toe rail.

INTERIOR
The X-43 is available with a choice of four interior layouts, namely Classic and Modern three and four cabin. The boat we sailed was the three-cabin Modern version.

Classic signifies the more traditional saloon layout with a self-contained galley area to starboard of the companionway and navigation station to port, plus a central saloon table and settees to both sides of the hull.

The Modern layout brings the galley forward and to port, running it in-line fore-and aft and substituting a longer U-shaped lounge to starboard, with offset table and central two-seater bench. The navigation station is placed aft of the settee, to starboard.

Both the three and four-cabin layouts include two bathrooms, the larger of the two positioned forward of the main bulkhead to starboard, while the other is positioned to port of the companionway.

Both layouts also include three double-berth cabins, one in the bow and the other two in the aft quarters. The four cabin layout squeezes in an extra twin bunk cabin forward of the main bulkhead, on the port side opposite the forward bathroom, replacing the hanging locker, shelves and twin-seater lounge otherwise enjoyed by the forward cabin.

Quite simply, the interior is spacious and lovely, with excellent quality cabinetry (teak solids and veneers), off-white leather settees and blue and white striped fabrics. An 'edging border' detail is carried throughout the timberwork, including the floorboards, which are teak veneer panels rather than the usual teak and holly striping.

The nav seat is comfortable and has a very stylish electrics panel mounted on a panel on the outer wall, with easy access to the business end simply by opening the panel with two push buttons.

The galley has countertops of moulded 'high-tech granite'. At the aft end is the top-opening fridge. Above is a cupboard, plus a decent amount of storage in shelving behind sliding perspex doors.

Next stop moving forward is the three-burner stove and oven with grill, then twin stainless steel sinks, with mixer tap for the pressurised hot/cold water supply.

Underneath is a dedicated rubbish bin area and shelf storage space. A nice touch is the positive return on each of the four galley drawers, which are magnetised to click shut when they are nearly closed.

The central bench seat provides a useful bum rest for galley slaves and its base provides handy storage for safety gear, spare deck gear and toolkits. The settee squabs simply Velcro into place (a detail that didn't yet seem fully perfected on the first boat).

There is also storage space inside the saloon table, and open storage area behind the settee back rests. Under the forward end of the settee are the deep cycle gel batteries (locked into position by an aluminium bar) and a Mastervolt battery charger. Under the aft end of the settee is the water tank.

The forward cabin is very generously sized and equipped. The vee-berth forward has a foam mattress on a slatted base to promote air circulation in the storage space underneath for sails, etc. The dimensions seemed adequate to me, but apparently X-Yachts will extend the bunk by another foot or so on the subsequent boats. Above on both sides are storage compartments with outward-opening doors and positive locks. (There are catches to hold all the cabin doors open if preferred.)

The forward cabin also houses a bench seat where you can sit and kick off those boat shoes or change your clothes. A split hanging locker/wardrobe is aft to port (there's one of these units in each of the aft cabins, too) and there is another large shelved cabinet on the starboard side, adjacent to the bathroom.

Both bathrooms have Jabsco manual toilets (though on a boat in this price range it would be nice to see an electric toilet), and hot/cold pressurised water supply. The lack of a separate shower stall may disappoint potential buyers, but the forward head makes an effort to avoid the pitfalls of the combined toilet/shower recess by placing the toilet roll holder and other storage within the vanity unit, which has good access.

Both bathrooms have water hoses with nozzles to serve both the hand basin and shower, but it would be a much tighter squeeze to shower in the aft bathroom - with a couple of wall-mounted towel hooks staring me right in the face, I wouldn't like to get thrown around in there at sea.

Besides the double berths in the aft cabins, there are also single pilot berths affixed to the hull sides. Rather than the usual web of ropes and pulleys used to pull these bunks up when the boat is heeling (to prevent the occupant from tumbling out) X-Yachts has incorporated a system whereby the anodised alumium outer strut of the bunk can be slotted higher on the bulkhead. Without having tried it, all I can say is that it looks like a neat system.

Natural lighting and ventilation both seem well catered for throughout, and there are plenty of individual reading lights and so on, indicating that the evenings are well catered for, too. The stylish hull windows improve natural light in the aft cabins and saloon.

Skylights and port lights have chrome-polished aluminium frames and there are Sky Screen roller curtains/mosquito nets under the skylights in the forward cabin and saloon.

The hot water service is under the aft starboard bunk, while the fuel tank is under the port bunk. The engine, a Volvo Penta MD2040 38hp saildrive, is in the standard position under the companionway, though it has been reversed so that access to belts, pumps and so on is at the back, through panels on the inboard side of the two aft cabins.

The engine seems well soundproofed and the forced cooled air ventilation is via sound-insulated piping. The exhaust outlet is underwater at the stern, which means you don't hear the familiar sound of water burbling away. It's quieter, although checking that there is water running through the system is a little more challenging than usual.

PERFORMANCE
X-Yachts confidently predicts the sailing performance of its new performance cruiser will be "the best for any production 43ft cruiser/racer on the market".

Time will have to tell on that score, but what I can say on the strength of our daysail is that this is a powerful, well-mannered and comprehensively equipped yacht.

It's surprising what a difference extra length can make to the feel of yachts over about 12m LOA. At 12.94m (42ft 5in) LOA, the X-43 feels substantially bigger than 40-footers, as though it's in a different ballgame altogether.

Steering is an extremely pleasurable experience; vision is good from either side of the cockpit from the large Danish Jefa wheel, and the floor is scalloped in this area to provide good foot bracing when the boat is heeled, without having raised edges or steps that could get in the way of a careless toe.

If the mainsheet needs to be dumped in a hurry it's within easy reach of the steerer, as are the main traveller control lines. Best of all, the rack and pinion steering - which I'm told utilises needle bearings - is just so direct and responsive, you feel like you're about to pilot the boat smoothly to victory in a world championship.

We sailed the boat in a light breeze that built up to around 15kt. With four of us onboard we were able to set and retrieve the spinnaker without fuss, and the boat was easy to handle even when having to push it up onto a tight reach to avoid one of the Solent's many shallow no-go zones. Upwind the boat felt powerful and closewinded, accelerating smoothly out of tacks.

It seemed a great shame that we wouldn't be sticking around for the Gold Cup, or a long-range cruise afterwards. This really is a boat in which you could thoroughly enjoy either, or both.

Vanessa Dudley travelled to England to test sail the X-Yachts X-43 as a guest of North South Yachting.

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