New XP 50 50-footer from X-Yachts
Niels Jeppesen and his design team have introduced the plans for the new XP 50, which will be added at the top end of X-Yachts’ performance line, Jochen Rieker has the details
After the XP 44, which was nominated for European Yacht of the Year and the XP 38, the XP 50 is already the third model in the performance series of the Danish builder, who expects to launch a total of 85 boats of this line, including four of the XP 50. These are respectable numbers for a builder in the upper market segment and the XP series appears to duplicate the success that was enjoyed by the XC cruising line over the previous two years.
The XP 50 is the latest in the performance line of X-Yachts
This comes at no surprise, because X-Yachts squarely focuses on excellent sailing qualities and painstaking weight control that already starts in the development phase,. Yet their performance models are also full-fledged cruising boats.
This is especially true for the XP 50, perhaps more so than for her predecessors. The Danish builder who also has a loyal following in the Med, offers the boat with twin biminis and a light sprayhood that can be opened forward. The stern garage, which has a power door that can be lowered to double as a swim platform, has room for a dinghy, albeit at 2.3 metres a rather small one.
The space below deck is large, bright and airy and in reality the lavatory walls are NOT transparent
Compared to the XP 44, the 50 adds little added functionality below deck by offering three cabins with double berths and two lavatories. However, the 50 has perceptibly more floor space, headroom and storage. The tanks are tucked away under the floorboards, which helps lower the center of gravity. The biggest bonus of the XP 50: when not in use, the sail locker in the bow doubles as bosun’s cabin.This story is republished courtesy of YACHT Magazine, Europe’s leading sail magazine.
