X-Yachts Xp 55

True dual-purpose cruiser-racers are ever harder to find in today’s increasingly segmented sailboat market—which is one reason why our judges were so impressed with the Xp 55 from Denmark’s X-Yachts. This sleek attractive sloop, only recently arrived in the States, offers truly luxurious living accommodations in a performance design that will also make you look good on the racecourse. With a finely honed mix of useful cruising features, like a fold-down transom, dinghy garage and a large fold-away teak cockpit table, plus go-fast features like a finely sculpted high-aspect rudder, optional carbon rig and deep lead-ballasted T-bulb keel, this is one boat that will also not send racing crews sprinting for hotel rooms after the trophies are handed out.

Build quality is top notch. The boat’s foam-cored glass laminate is reinforced with carbon fiber in critical areas and is all set in vacuuminfused epoxy resin and post-cured in an oven. X-Yachts’ trademark super-strong keel grid (which is constructed of carbon fiber in its Xp boats) ensures that the boat’s high-performance keel with cast-iron fin and a lead bulb will stay firmly attached to the hull in a hard grounding. Meanwhile, belowdecks the quality of the joinerywork is superb and immediately sets this elegant craft apart from most other modern production boats. With a wide choice of quality hardwoods, from oak to teak to walnut, and a broad array of fabric options, each owner can dial in a distinctive look.

Best of all, the boat is a joy to sail. With its well-thought-out cockpit and line controls, the boat can be managed by a full-on race crew or by a couple or family on an extended bluewater cruise. With a choice between an aluminum or carbon rig, cruising or racing keels and even four-different bowsprit treatments offering a mix of sailhandling and ground-tackle options, the boat’s nature can be oriented most anywhere you like on a very broad cruising-racing spectrum. x-yachts.com