The boat was designed during the long tenure of Niels Jeppesen, who led X-Yachts’ in-house design team from the company’s founding in 1979 until late 2021. By the time the Xp 50 arrived, X-Yachts had moved its high-performance models to vacuum-infused epoxy construction. The Xp range also replaced the builder’s traditional steel keel frame with a lightweight structural carbon-fiber keel grid.
Design and Construction
The Xp 50 is light for a cruising boat, with a displacement-to-length ratio of 134. Its length-to-beam ratio of 3.38 puts its beam squarely within the modern normal range for beam.
That beam carries all the way aft to a very wide transom. A near-plumb stem and vertical transom leave only 5 feet 2 inches of total overhangs, giving the boat a contemporary, volume-driven profile. Multiple boot stripes help disguise the high freeboard, while the dodger folds into a recess in the coaming over the aft end of the cabintrunk.
Promotional material describes a slimmer upright waterline for lower surface area, paired with additional topside flare for power. Form stability isn’t achieved through flare alone: the boat carries 11,332 pounds of lead in a bulb. Draft options are 9 feet 10 inches and 8 feet 8 inches. An exceptionally deep, knifelike rudder backs up the lateral plane.
Rig, Deck, and Handling
X-Yachts offered two rig options. The standard choice is an aluminum stick with a slightly shorter rig. An optional carbon stick adds a few extra square feet of sail area and raises the sail-area-to-displacement ratio.
Masthead chutes tack to a short, fixed sprit. Under-deck sheet leads and a maxi-boat-style mainsheet system reflect the boat’s race-derived pedigree.
The side decks are wide beside the twin wheels, and there’s a broad seat aft. Long cockpit seats run alongside the wheels, while a cockpit table appears to retract into the cockpit sole. At the transom, a garage door hinges down electrically to form a large swim platform—a practical cruising feature that sits comfortably alongside the performance hardware.
Accommodations
Below, the Xp 50 can accommodate three couples. Mirror-image staterooms lie aft, with a V-berth double forward. Two heads serve the cabins, and each has its own shower stall.
In the galley, the sinks sit almost on the centerline, a useful arrangement for cooking while heeled. To port, a squared-off, orthogonal dinette makes efficient use of the saloon. The nav station is small, though the review notes that the era of needing a full chart table has passed.
With three double berths, two proper heads, and a protected centerline galley, the Xp 50 was clearly intended to cruise with guests as well as race.
Verdict
The Xp 50 is a considered response to the demand for a boat that can be raced hard on Saturday and loaded for a couple of weeks aboard on Sunday. Its light hull, deep bulb, and carbon-grid structure belong firmly to X-Yachts’ performance lineage. The three-cabin layout, twin heads, retractable cockpit table, folding dodger, and electric swim platform keep it practical as a cruiser.
The maxi-style deck gear and fixed sprit are unapologetically race-minded. Its wide transom and tall freeboard look modern rather than classic, but the overall execution is coherent.
Pros
- Light displacement and a high beam-to-length ratio for a modern performance cruiser
- Two rig options, including a carbon stick with a higher sail-area-to-displacement ratio
- Three-couple accommodation with two shower-equipped heads
- Centerline galley sinks and an orthogonal dinette well suited to cruising
- Electric folding swim platform and folding dodger add genuine cruising utility
Cons
- Deep draft—up to 9 feet 10 inches—limits access to some shallow cruising grounds
- Small nav station by traditional standards
- Race-derived deck gear demands familiarity from shorthanded crews
