Contrasting Cruisers

One of the most fascinating things about sailboats is the different ways that sailors, naval architects and builders will approach a single design problem. The result has been a bewildering array of rigs and hull forms over the years, and in the case of the two boats we’ll be looking at here, a couple of very different cruisers.

X-YACHTS X5⁶

First, let’s look at the newly unveiled X5 from Denmark’s X-Yachts, the latest installment in the company’s “X” performance-cruising wondered whether it wouldn’t somehow get all mixed up between X-Yachts’ already existing “P” performance and “C” cruising line. However, it has clearly done just fine, spawning a number of great yachts, including the X4, winner of the best performance-boat-over-30ft category in 2021 Best Boats contest.