x yachts x4.3

Yachting Monthly

• Digital edition

First look: X-Yachts X 4.3

• Toby Heppell
• September 29, 2022

The first, second generation X-Yacht in the 'Pure' range, the X 4.3, has big boots to fill following a universally loved predecessor.

Product Overview

The new version of the X 4.3 has some pretty big boots to fill. Not only had X-Yachts sold more than 100 of the yachts, she impressed many on launch, with Yachting Monthly’s own Graham Snook stating that she was ‘One of the best boats I’ve ever sailed’.

That is not a huge surprise from the Danish yard, which has always had an impressive reputation when it comes to the sailing characteristics of their yachts.

Back in 2016 when that boat was launched it was one of the first in a new line of models in the X-Yacht’s ‘Pure’ range. Over the years that range has expanded to several models. But, significantly, this is the first second generation of a ‘Pure’ X-Yachts boat.

The hull shape has been redesigned to carry max beam further aft, which provides a wider transom and cockpit. The cines running aft finish much higher than previously, which should help increase stability when heeled but keep wetted area down when in lighter winds.

There have been tweaks on deck too and the rig is slightly taller than the previous generation. Layout below remains relatively unchanged, however.

X 4.3 specifications

Hull length: 12.67m 41ft 7in Beam: 3.99m 13ft 1in Draught: 2.2m 7ft 3in Displacement: 9,400kg 20,723lb Ballast: 3,700kg 8,157l Price: TBA Builder: x-yachts.com

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Boat Review: X-Yachts X4.3

Photo courtesy of X-yachts

In an alternative universe, I might be writing about how I test sailed the new X4.3 performance cruiser in a super-scary thunder squall, and the boat handled great. For it is true that when I sallied forth onto Chesapeake Bay with X-Yachts dealer Bob Rodgers aboard his new X4.3 Ringle (his, as in personally owned by him), and we spied said squall bearing down, we did consider for a moment that we might raise sail and carry on anyway. But then we noticed that the U.S. Navy’s offshore sailing team, in their squad of battle-hardened 44-footers, was dropping sail ASAP and scampering for cover. We reckoned if it was scary enough for the U.S. Navy, it was scary enough for us.

Our discretion was rewarded. When Bob and I reconvened about two weeks later on a gorgeous fall day on Fishers Island Sound off Mystic, Connecticut, conditions were perfect: bright sun and a very puffy northwest breeze.

The new X4.3, lest there be any confusion, is not the same as the old X4.3. In replacing what had been the most successful boat in their Pure X range, the circumspect Danes at X-Yachts did not simply fiddle about with old molds. Though the two boats look notionally similar, the latest iteration is an entirely new design, built with all new tooling. It is beamier aft, with a soft radius chine, to increase both initial stability and interior space in the aft cabins. The larger cockpit has a higher sole to boost vertical clearance over the aft berths. Up front, a longer integral bowsprit allows for larger offwind sails. A taller mast also helps improve light-air performance.

Photo by Billy Black, courtesy of X-Yachts

Construction quality, as on any X-Yacht, is superior. The vacuum-infused, post-cured epoxy hull is foam cored with fully bonded structural bulkheads and a collision bulkhead forward. The ballast bulb is lead, bolted and glued to a cast iron fin; the entire keel is coated in glass and epoxy. Rig and keel loads are carried by a galvanized steel grid incorporated into the hull. The interior, meanwhile, is superbly finished.

Bob’s boat Ringle carries the standard aluminum mast, which at 66 feet 6 inches is just a bit too high for the ICW. (The optional carbon mast is even taller.) She also carries the standard-draft, 7-foot-3-inch, torpedo-bulb keel. (There are both deeper and shallower alternatives.) Her interior layout sees one aft cabin deleted in favor of an enlarged aft head with extra storage behind it and dedicated space for showering. There’s another small head forward in the master stateroom, which features an island double berth. You can nix that second head if you like (I certainly would) and can also select twin aft staterooms, with both heads or just one—a total of four potential layouts.

On deck I found that Bob had specified natural teak for the deck and cockpit sole, eschewing the optional plastic Flexiteek. A nice touch. The transom is open, with a narrow fold-down swim platform beneath it. The working cockpit is very businesslike and ergonomic—twin wheels behind a full-width main traveler carrying a German sheet controllable from either helm; high coamings round the seats; a very solid table, removable for racing; a backstay on centerline with hydraulic tensioning; and a battery of six proper-sized Harken Performa winches, one electrified for hauling on the main halyard.

I’ve never been aboard an X-Yacht that didn’t sail well, and this one was no exception. We flitted about the sound under a single-reefed main and a 106% headsail and had no trouble fielding the sometimes boisterous gusts that rolled over us. Pinching well inside an apparent wind angle of 30 degrees, we made better than 7 knots in an apparent breeze of 18 knots. At just 32 degrees, she was fully powered up at 8-plus knots. Bearing away to a close reach, in a decreasing apparent wind, she was pushing up toward 9. Off on a broad reach, under working sails alone, she easily made 6 knots in just 8 knots of apparent wind. Fast enough for jazz, as they say.

The folks at X-Yachts took some trouble shaping the rudder on this boat, and it shows. The helm felt very smooth, with excellent tactile feedback. As those big gusts jumped on us, and the boat heeled smartly to them, the wheel loaded up not abruptly, but quite evenly. Holding on to more mainsail trim than was advisable, I found no hint of the rudder wanting to stall out.

My bottom line on this evolution is pretty simple: X-Yachts replaced an excellent boat with an even better one. Reason enough to pin it for one of our Top 10 Best Boats nods. And I am quite certain now we could have handled that squall no problem. 

LOA/LOD 43’ 5”; 41’ 7”

Beam 13’ 1”

Draft 7’ 3” (std); 8’ 2” (deep);  6’ 1” (shallow)

Displacement 20,723 lbs (std)

Ballast 8,157 lbs (std)

Sail Area 1,076 sq ft

Power Yanmar 45hp w/saildrive

Designer X-Yachts Design Team

Builder X-Yachts x-yachts.com

Price as tested $595,000

June/July 2023

Author:  Kraken Sailing

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X 4.3 Pure Performance

The redesign of x-boat’s most popular performance cruiser has speed for fast passages in a sleek, modern package.

When a boatbuilding company takes on the task of redesigning its most popular model, it probably has a good idea of what improvements to make. The X4.3, the first boat in the company’s Pure line of performance cruisers, was launched in 2016, with more than 100 boats built. Taking innovations in design from the subsequent models in the line, X-Yachts redesigned the X4.3 with a sleeker and more modern hull and deck.

Innovative features such as opening portlights that allow for better ventilation and adding a hinged acrylic companionway door were just some of the changes that improved life onboard. The biggest change—a complete redesign of the hull shape—required new molds. The wider stern sections above the waterline brought the maximum beam aft, and with soft chines, added more room for interior accommodations. 

X-Yachts are built in Haderslev, Denmark, a country tucked between the Baltic and North seas, where seafaring is in the DNA. With a reputation for producing fast, sexy racer-cruisers, the company splits it designs into Cruising, Xp performance and the Pure X-yacht ranges, which has five models including the X4.3. These performance cruisers are not designed to a rating rule, but are often seen winning races around the world. The new X4.3 has a PHRF rating of 37.

The chance to sail this new 43-footer was intriguing because the boat tested was the personal boat of Bob Rogers, managing director of Rodgers Yacht Sales, the U.S. importer for X-Yachts, and he had a hand in choosing options. 

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X4.3 review in SAIL magazine

Friday 11th August 2023

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