VX One Sailboat Review, Specs, and Listings

Design and Construction

The VX One's hull is a study in controlled aggression. Writing in the VX One Design review, a test sailor described a square-top main, low freeboard, fine plumb bow and a wide stern with a hard chine that softens as it runs forward along the topsides anchor. That chine is not cosmetic: the boat develops maximum righting moment and power from her hull form when heeled slightly onto it at speed in waves anchor. The structure itself uses biaxial E-glass fabric infused with vinylester resin either side of a Divinicell foam core, with components glued together using a structural adhesive that chemically becomes part of the assembly anchor. The keel is an extruded and anodized aluminum fin built for shape retention and durability, carrying a lead bulb beneath; the rudder is a high-performance carbon-glass profile. On the water, the ballast bulb dragged the boat back upright after a capsize-style wipeout, with the spreaders staying just above the waves anchor.

Rig and Handling

Bennett's rigging philosophy is KISS — keep it simple — and the boat wears it well. A clear-coated carbon mast, boom and gennaker prod are paired with a GNAV, an above-boom vang that leaves the crew a clear path across the boat during tacks and gybes anchor. The self-tacking jib runs on a Harken radial track with a recessed furler, and a barber hauler lets the crew change gear in different sea states; both jib sheet and barber hauler lines exit a single swivelling double jammer under the foredeck. A skiff-style mainsheet comes directly off the boom, and a floor-mount modification exists though most crews revert to boom mounting. Downwind, a large-mouth gennaker launcher and single-line halyard retrieval system make asymmetric spinnaker work approachable, and the spinnaker chute is generous enough for easy hoists and drops on a two-patch kite anchor. The VX One review recorded she lit up in 12–16 knot breeze with gusts to 18, hitting 16 knots downwind with ease, and a prototype earlier registered 13 knots on a GPS before a slow reaction to a puff ended the run anchor.

Accommodations and Cockpit

There is no cabin in the traditional sense — the VX One is an open boat — but the cockpit is thoughtfully laid out. It is simple and uncluttered, with storage for day gear and provisions plus under-deck paddle stowage anchor. Side decks are comfortable for hiking, and feet tuck under hiking straps; test sailors noted they kept feeling in their legs even after a long beat anchor. The wide, shallow, open cockpit carries toestraps and a smattering of control lines, and you can sail her without hiking like an Olympic gold medallist anchor.

Ownership and Class Structure

The class welcomes all sailors with no owner-driver restrictions and no paid professional programs at this level anchor. Around 100 boats were built to strict one-design rules by the time European expansion began, with the first launched in the USA in 2012 anchor. The lifting keel raises on the main halyard, so the boat trails on a combi trailer behind a normal saloon car and cranes via a single-point lift. A slightly de-powered version was offered for lighter sailors or newcomers, and a turbo-charged variant losing the bulb and adding trapezes and a masthead spinnaker was envisioned but not the standard boat anchor.

The Verdict

The VX One succeeds as a rare thing: a genuinely high-performance keelboat that ordinary sailors can drive hard without exhaustion. Its chine-driven hull, carbon simplicity and forgiving stability make it a compelling club racer and a surprisingly fun daysailer.

Pros