Design and Construction
Richards gave the Vago XD a hard chine hull whose rocker lets it handle like a dream during maneuvers, a point Chuck Allen made in his 2007 Sailing World review anchor. The flared gunwales supply flotation and a good righting moment, so the boat stays forgiving when heeled yet resists capsizing. The hull is built by the rotomold method in a tri-skin foam sandwich of polyethylene, a construction that period reviews found durable, stiff, and inexpensive. The Vago line itself was first built in 2005 by LaserPerformance in the United Kingdom and the United States, and the XD carries the same sharply single-chined, raked-stem, plumb-transom form as the standard boat.
Rig and Handling
The XD version carries 30 more square feet of sail area than the standard Vago and adds a trapeze, which Allen described as making it a ton of fun to sail mostly because of the speed. Several key design features let this 13'9" rocketship get on a plane sooner than similar dinghies anchor. The Gnav vang system mounted atop the boom opens up the cockpit and helps the Vago separate itself from traditional small dinghies, while the fractional sloop rig, transom-hung rudder on a tiller, and retractable daggerboard complete the straightforward control layout. An asymmetrical spinnaker may be flown from a retractable bowsprit for downwind pace.
Accommodations and Cockpit
This is a dinghy, not a cabin boat, but the spacious cockpit enables you to tack and jibe with ease, and the open layout created by the Gnav vang makes crew movement unhindered. With the daggerboard removed the boat can be beached or transported on a trailer or car roof rack, underscoring its role as a go-anywhere trainer and racer.
The Verdict
The Vago XD succeeds as a versatile planing dinghy that pairs Richards' hard-chine hull with rotomolded durability and a generously sized race rig. It is quick to plane, easy to maneuver, and well recognized by the one-design community, though its intermediate-to-advanced rating and trapeze workload mark it as no mere beginner plaything.
Pros
- Hard chine hull with rocker for dream-like maneuvering
- Rotomolded polyethylene tri-skin foam sandwich is durable, stiff, inexpensive
- 30 sq ft more sail than standard Vago plus trapeze for real speed
- Spacious, open cockpit thanks to Gnav vang atop the boom
- Named Best One-Design Dinghy by Sailing World
Cons
- Rated intermediate to advanced; not a first boat for novices
- Single trapeze and larger rig demand active crew effort
