Design and Construction
The X5's structure reflects a serious offshore brief. Hulls are solid glass below the waterline and cored above, while the deck, cabin top, and all furniture are cored as well, and vinylester resin is used throughout the build. The 24mm Lloyd's-certified marine plywood bulkheads are hand-laminated directly to hull and deck, a method that belongs to the builder's composite practice. At just under 40,000 pounds displacement with a 26-foot-3-inch beam and a 4-foot-11-inch draft, the platform carries a capsize ratio of 3.08 and a comfort ratio near 15.8 — figures consistent with a voyaging catamaran rather than a coastal weekender. Test sailors noted an impressive number of seagoing details built into the boat, from accessible through-hulls to mission-critical gear laid out for service at sea.
Rig and Handling
The sail plan is built around a square-top main, a working self-tacking jib on an inner forestay and furler, and a big genoa on a second Harken furler forward. The whole arrangement is designed to be easily handled alone while the other half of the crew sleeps below. At the raised port helm station, all control lines lead to a central bank of electric winches controlled by foot pedals rather than buttons. The builder chose aluminum over carbon fiber for the rig because it is more forgiving in electrical storms. In 8 to 10 knots of breeze with North sails set, the X5 made 7 knots closehauled and saw the speedo jump to 7.9 on a reach — and the test crew simply called her a beautiful sailer.
Accommodations
The boat we tested showed an owner's cabin with en suite head and shower filling the starboard hull, and double cabins with en suite heads and showers to port, while a four-cabin charter layout is also offered. Overhead of the fixed-glass windscreen, a clever battened bimini can be slid open to view the sails above or closed with a sweep. The cabin top's sweeping curves and window array give the interior a bright, unconventional character that matches the exterior's distinctive appearance.
Systems and Equipment
The X5's Mastervolt CZone electrical system, integrated with a full suite of Garmin electronics, is impressive, and the boat carries one of the best applications of digital technology seen on a yacht, with triple redundancy described as aircraft-grade. An iPad ships with the boat storing maintenance schedules, owner manuals, and serial numbers of all equipment, and from that iPad an owner has complete control of all onboard systems. The boat also comes loaded with a watermaker, a genset, and a well-provisioned galley as part of its voyaging inventory.
Refits and Ownership
Accessibility to through-hull fittings, shaft seals, and other mission-critical gear is excellent, a detail that pays dividends for owners performing their own maintenance. The cored construction above the waterline and the digital-control architecture mean that an owner's intervention is straightforward when a system needs attention, and the supplied iPad documentation reduces the friction of tracking every serial number and service interval.
The Verdict
The Xquisite X5 is a purpose-built ocean voyager with an unconventional silhouette and a genuinely thoughtful systems layout. Its rig and sail plan reward short-handed passage-making, and its construction details show a builder who understood offshore service. The limited production run means any example is a relatively rare find, but the boat's documentation and access points argue for manageable ownership.
Pros
- Designed, built, and equipped for long-distance voyaging from the first hull
- Sail plan handled solo while crew rests, with foot-pedal electric winches at the helm
- Excellent access to through-hulls, shaft seals, and critical gear
- Aircraft-grade triple-redundant digital control via iPad and CZone
Cons
- Only fourteen built in the original generation, limiting market presence
- Aluminum rig chosen for storm tolerance rather than ultimate weight savings
