While many modern cruisers have become wide and voluminous, the Xc 35 retains a more restrained beam and a single rudder. She carries much of that beam aft, with a plumb bow, nearly plumb stern, and subtly sprung sheer that looks purposeful rather than bulky.
Design and Construction
The Xc 35’s defining structural feature is its massive load-bearing hull grid. This galvanized steel assembly anchors both the L-shaped ballast keel and the keel-stepped mast. It is screwed rather than laminated to the hull to avoid tension cracks. Three cross-members serve as floor timbers, and the grid includes a hoist point so the boat can be launched and retrieved with the rig upright.
Around the grid, X-Yachts built a vacuum-infused, Divinicell foam-cored hull laminate using biaxial E-glass and vinylester resin. Solid laminate surrounds every through-hull and extends across the high-load keel root. The deck is also a foam-cored biaxial laminate in vinylester, with aluminum or marine plywood inserts beneath the deck fittings. Inside, 16–20 mm marine-plywood bulkheads are securely bonded to the hull.
The hull carries 4,740 lb of iron ballast, for a 33 percent ballast ratio. A displacement-to-length figure of 203 points to a solid offshore cruiser rather than a lightweight weekender.
Rig, Handling, and Performance
The rig uses aluminum John Mast sections, discontinuous stainless steel rod rigging, and shrouds set well inboard near the coachroof. That arrangement requires more hull reinforcement, but it allows the boat to carry a 135-percent genoa on longer jib tracks. The more common 106-percent blade sheets inside the shrouds.
A double-ended German mainsheet runs aft below the sidedecks, with its tails led to the helm winches. Halyards and control lines lead to two coachroof winches. Test sailors found the Jefa steering direct and precise, and the boat remained easy to control in gusts without griping. One review, however, noted that she forgives few steering mistakes and calls for a sensitive hand.
In 15 to 22 knots of true wind, the Xc 35 made 6.6 knots under mainsail alone. With the 106-percent headsail and a reefed main, she reached 7.8 knots; under full sail at a 60-degree apparent-wind angle, she made 8.2 knots. Pinching to 30 degrees, she still topped 7 knots. In 2–3 foot seas, she sailed at better than 7 knots at 35 degrees apparent.
A 30 hp Yanmar, driving a two-blade Flexofold folding propeller through a saildrive, pushed the boat to 6.7 knots at 2,400 rpm and 7.3 knots at the maximum 3,000 rpm. The engine compartment is tight, but the machinery is accessible from three sides and well insulated against sound.
Accommodations and Stowage
The Xc 35 came in a single two-cabin, one-head layout. Its narrow stern rules out twin aft cabins.
In the saloon, two long, straight settees flank a fixed centerline table, and both make credible sea berths. The galley is aft to port, with a two-burner Eno stove and oven, a top-loading Isotherm refrigerator, and large twin sinks on the centerline.
The forward V-berth sleeps two comfortably and leaves room at the foot. The aft berth extends past the centerline, but the engine cover pinches the space, making it tight for two.
A full-size navigation station sits to starboard, ahead of the head. The head itself is generous, with a pull-out shower but no partition. The Jabsco toilet is oriented fore-and-aft, though the commode fitted to the test boat drew criticism for being too small.
Practical cruising stowage includes a hanging wet locker and a vast storage compartment abaft the head, accessible from the cockpit.
Deck-Layout Concerns
Period reviews found more to criticize in the deck trim than in the structure. The mainsheet led to the top of the companionway, while the boom attachment sat forward of its midpoint, making trimming awkward. The test boat’s simple bridle arrangement was also judged unsatisfactory. X-Yachts said a traveler option would be introduced to improve leech control.
The test boat’s head commode was described as ridiculously small, with larger units promised. That boat also lacked a pass-through from the head to the cockpit seat locker.
Options and Ownership
The standard self-tailing Harken Performa winches can be exchanged for stainless Andersen units. An optional GRP furling boom is available for owners who don’t want in-mast furling.
Other options include a fixed, aluminum-framed cockpit windshield for greater helm comfort, plus adjustable jib leads with barber inhaulers for crews who actively tune their sails. X-Yachts also indicated that a traveler would become available for better leech control.
The Verdict
The Xc 35 is a thoughtfully engineered small cruiser. Its steel grid and foam-cored laminate reflect serious offshore intent, while its sailing numbers—near hull speed upwind and strong performance in modest seas—support the case for its SAIL award. The beam-aft hull and single rudder keep the boat from feeling like a barge.
There are compromises. The aft accommodations are tight, and some early deck-trim details call for owner attention. Even so, the boat combines substantial construction with capable sailing performance and a practical two-cabin cruising layout.
Pros
- Galvanized steel hull grid, screwed to the hull for stiffness without tension cracking
- Strong upwind and reaching performance under modest sail area
- Full-size navigation station and cockpit-accessible aft stowage, both uncommon in the class
- Well-insulated Yanmar installation with access from three sides
Cons
- Aft berth is tight and restricted by the engine cover
- Mainsheet layout and test-boat bridle drew criticism; a traveler was to be a later option
- Early head commode was small, and the head-to-locker pass-through was missing on the test boat
