I have really liked X-Yachts. I''m not an engineer or NA like some here, but I will give you my $0.02 worth.
I understand you interest in making the boat as "automatic" as possible. In essence you will be singlehanding a pretty big boat! Electric
winch assist is great. I have never been a fan of either in boom or in mast
furling. I would rather go with slab reefing with
lines lead aft. You can change your main sail area MUCH quicker that way, not lose any performance, and save some money, all at the same time. Plus, I know that in boom/mast
furling has come a long way, but wouldn''t it be a pain for something to jam when you needed to shorten sail quickly?
I''m also a big believer in a more traditional salon layout, but hey, "The times the are a changin" as the imortal bard once said...
I have an older Charlie Morgan designed Heritage One Ton. A 37'' sloop that has held up pretty well. One area that I am constantly struggling with is the steel hull matrix. (Jeff... I decided against your encapsulation recomendation. While a great idea, I just didn''t think I would ever be able to get ALL the rust off before applying the
epoxy. I''m trying a system of rust converters the Navy uses, along with barrior coating and bilge coating. First season has held up well. A little touch-up this winter and I hope the big pain becomes a little pain every season.) What does all that mean to you? Steel has a tendancy to rust, no matter how well you prepare it. "Rust never sleeps" as the OTHER imortal bard once crooned. With that said... If you are saving money by dropping the mainsail
furling, go with the stock aluminum
rig, and drop the money into making the hull matrix out of STAINLESS STEEL!!! No more rust!
The X-46 is such a lovely yacht, I am quite jealous! Good luck with her.