X-Yachts XP 33 Sailboat Review, Specs, and Listings

Design and Construction

Jeppesen's design team gave the XP 33 a distinctive hull with a low freeboard and a fashionable hard chine aft, its beam carried all the way to a vertically cut transom that maximizes both sailing length and aft deck space anchor. The waterline itself is fairly beamy, and the flat, distinctive U-shaped sections forward generate considerable form stability even at rest. A T-bulb keel with a 1.7-ton lead bulb sits in two draft configurations — 6 feet 3 inches standard and 6 feet 10 inches optional — while the forefoot knuckle rides above the design waterline, a detail reviewers appreciated for the cleaner entry it implies. Structurally, the yard touts the light and strong result of vacuum infusion, vinyl ester resin, and a carbon frame anchor, and the hull is fully cored with a GRP floor system and carbon fiber reinforcement.

Rig and Handling

The XP 33 carries a tall fractional rig with swept spreaders on an aluminum section designed by X-Yachts, and she is the first model in the range to feature a retractable carbon bowsprit that pulls the gennaker tack roughly two meters forward of the forestay. That sprit makes handling large asymmetric downwind sails far easier than wrestling a traditional spinnaker anchor, though a conventional racecourse setup remains optional. On the water, test sailors found her enormous stability remarkable — barely heeling with two people on the side deck, and only about 25 degrees in 15 to 17 knots without full crew weight on the rail. The helm transmits pressure changes directly from the rudder blade, and two fingers on the perfectly balanced tiller extension suffice to hold her on the breeze; loss of control from detached flow on the rudder is, in their words, an alien concept. The keel never loses attached flow in bumpy seas, though her shorter keel-fin chord means she wants to be kept moving through maneuvers, and the weight concentrated amidships with the carbon rig can produce an abrupt bucking motion.

Accommodations

Below, the XP 33 is a study in compact performance-minded living. A long cockpit sits atop a hull whose interior is dominated by white fiberglass liner surfaces, with Fineline teak veneer in matte varnish where wood appears. The standard model omits a forward V-berth; instead, forward of the main bulkhead lies only the head, a sink, and an open sail locker, with the berth offered as a folding double for racing at extra cost. Mirror-image quarterberths run under the cockpit, a compact galley sits aft to port beside a small nav station, and a head spans the full beam forward of the settees without a door to the berth area. Headroom peaks at just 179 cm next to the companionway. Stowage is genuinely scarce, as batteries and the water tank consume nearly all space beneath the settees, and the pantry lacks efficient ventilation so cooking fumes escape only through the open companionway hatch.

Known Issues

The most documented shortfall is interior stowage, with batteries and tankage crowding out locker volume and the pantry's poor ventilation noted above. On hull number one — finished in a rush — reviewers flagged sloppy bonding of the vinyl hull coverings, a defect tied specifically to that early, hurried build rather than the series at large. The single forward hatch and companionway are the only openings apart from no opening ports, a weight-saving choice the builder promotes, with a partly openable window option offered for ventilation.

Refits and Ownership

Owners shopping the standard jib winches will find them non-self-tailing and better replaced with self-tailing units for cruising, while a composite Hall Spars mast is available at significant cost but loses the damping of the heavier aluminum spar. The auxiliary Yanmar diesel sits under the companionway ladder with very accessible service, and a single-point lifting eye eases transport. Removable cruising cabinets and cubbies can be added, and the folding bow berth rewards those who want dual-purpose accommodation.

The Verdict

The XP 33 is a taut, thoroughly modern cruiser-racer that rewards small crews with race-bred handling and a stiff, intuitive platform, while asking compromises in living space and ventilation that suit weekend and club-racing owners more than long-term liveaboards.

Pros

Exceptional stability and intuitive, balanced helm with direct feedback
First X-Yachts with retractable carbon bowsprit for easy asymmetric handling
Accessible engine under companionway and vacuum-infused carbon-reinforced structure
Competitive upwind and downwind pace with 6.7–6.8 kt VPP closehauled promise

Cons