Design and Construction
X-Yachts built the X-79 at its Danish yard, though the company also had the design produced at other yards, and a portion were sold as home-completion kits rather than finished boats. The hull is hand-laid fiberglass in a sandwich construction, as is the deck, and the keel itself is iron. With a fin keel and spade rudder, the boat draws between 4.36 and 4.66 feet depending on load, shallow enough to tuck into modest marinas. At a displacement near 2,965 pounds and a ballast ratio of roughly 50 percent, the X-79 sits firmly in the "light racer" category by its displacement-length ratio of 170, yet carries enough iron low to post a capsize screening value of 2.48 — a figure that, per the yachtdatabase.com review, would bar it from ocean-racing acceptance by the screening formula.
Rig and Handling
The X-79 carries a fractional rig that the design record describes as more heavily rigged than every comparable sailboat in its class, effectively overrigged for its size. Sail-area-to-displacement runs 21.8 with the ISO reference sail and rises to 24.8 with a 135 percent genoa, and the Relative Speed Performance index lands at 99. A theoretical hull speed of 6.1 knots and a wetted surface near 215 square feet keep the boat quick in displacement terms without demanding extreme sail loads. Docking and close maneuvering typically rely on a 3 to 4 horsepower outboard rather than an inboard, a practical choice given the light build and shallow draft.
Accommodations
Below, the X-79 is arranged with a single cabin and berths for four to six, plus a galley and a toilet facility. The interior is finished in mahogany, consistent with period Danish production boats. Headroom is below average for the type, a trade the design makes for low profile and reduced weight above the waterline. The single-cabin layout favors a straightforward weekend cruiser or day racer rather than a partitioned charter interior.
Refits and Ownership
Because some X-79s left the factory as kits and others were built at secondary yards, fit and finish across the fleet can vary more than a single-source production run would show. The sandwich hull and deck, iron keel, and outboard-dependent propulsion mean an owner's ongoing attention centers on gelcoat and core condition at penetrations and on the keel-to-hull joint rather than on inboard machinery.
The Verdict
The X-79 is a compact, genuinely overrigged light racer that served as X-Yachts' foundational design and remains a pure expression of late-1970s Danish performance thinking. Its sandwich construction, modest draft, and simple outboard propulsion make for an undemanding small boat, while the low headroom and iron keel are the clear compromises.
Pros
- Significantly overrigged fractional rig for lively performance in its size class
- Shallow fin-keel draft eases marina access
- Sandwich hull and deck with simple outboard docking setup
- Established production run of 468 boats supports spares and knowledge
Cons
- Below-average headroom below decks
- Iron keel rather than lead invites corrosion vigilance
- Capsize screening bars it from ocean-race eligibility
- Variable build quality from kit and multi-yard construction
