X-Yachts Xc Serie

[Encre2Chine]

Hi All,
I'm on my way to the big boat show in Paris, invited to visit the new Xc45 and Xc42 from X-Yachts...very tempting to replace my Beneteau 31.7 now that my crew of 1 definitively caught the sailing bug and is almost up to speed with pretty much everything there is to know about driving and safety(reaching 3000 miles in 9 months )..I keep the navigation bit for later.
I know it probably is way out of the price range we normally consider on the forum, and that most of you guys are in the US where X-Yachts may not be that common..but I still ask : Anyone had the privilege to sail one of these boats ?
The budget for a brabd new boat is in place, but the hearts still balance between the Xc42, the Najad 401 and the Hallberg Rassy 43 Mk2. Najad and HR would be too slow for us I think, the idea being to continue going to the Phillipine, Thailand and Vietnam (from Hong Kong), but also keep on club racing between cans around Hong Kong Oh and..yes, I know, for such a budget we could get a nice 60ft, but that is definitively too big !
Thanks for sharing your thoughts

[paulk]

I saw my first X-Yacht at the Paris Boat Show, back when they were introducing the X99 and X103. (must have been late '80's). I got to spend about two hours with the designer (Jeppsen?) sitting in the cockpit because the French all wanted centerboarders. What impressed me then, and does still, is how sensibly they are designed to SAIL. Spars, fittings, and lines are sized appropriately, sail handling and line placement well thought out, and the interiors neat, simple, and strong enough to withstand use and even some abuse. My brother has a recent X372 that I've been aboard, and it's a beautiful boat. We saw a X42 in Northeast Harbor, Maine while we were cruising this summer, and though was also beautiful, it is a lot of boat. The skipper of that vessel had trouble maneuvering under power in a tight anchorage: windage became a problem as he slowed down. Going a notch smaller would enable you to handle the boat as a couple without having to find crew all the time, or worrying that your r/furler was draining your batteries.


Of course, one of the reasons we know how pretty these boats are is that we get to see them from all angles as we pass them in our J/36.

Looking at the posting date, I guess now the Paris boat show is over. C'était bien?
Bon vent!