Test XP-19 

THIS IS A TRANSLATION OF THE TEST FOUND IN YACHT MAGAZINE ISSUE 14-2020

The XP-19 is agile as it steers over Lake Dümmer. The six-meter-long boat gets going well despite the gentle breeze, every little gust ensures noticeable acceleration, then the log climbs effortlessly up to 5 knots.

Andreas Budde is visibly satisfied. The new boat was his idea and was created under his leadership - first at a Polish, then at a Serbian shipyard. The Microton sailor Budde wanted a boat for a quick after-work sail, which is a bit more modern than the ones built by the strict construction rules for regatta Micros. So, he designed, together with a friend who is familiar with CAD software, a hull with distinctive Chines, steep Stem and a slightly longer hull length than a Microton. The prototype was created in planked construction over frames but was not completed at the Gdansk shipyard. Budde moved the hull to the shipyard in Serbia, which had built his previous Microton.

Here the hull was finished and the deck of Budde’s last micro was copied.

The mould was still waiting in a corner, and the entrepreneur appreciated the spacious cockpit anyway.

The prototype was finally used to create the tooling, in which our test boat, build number 1 of the XP-19, was built. The hull was produced as a full polyester laminate, the deck (in the area of the superstructure and the side deck) is constructed as a sandwich with a foam core and an inner shell.

The construction quality of the GRP parts is particularly good. The deck-hull connection is almost invisible, it is formed with an adapter piece that begins ten cm below the top of the hull and extends to the foot rail; it is fully laminated.

XP is the short form for express and should stand for speed. Budde recognised in good time that this abbreviation is also used by X-Yachts, so requested an agreement with the Danes: They saw no problem, especially since they do not have a yacht of the same size in their range.

The XP-19 is designed for one-day sporty Day-sailing. For this, all trimming devices are within reach of the control position. This is also very variable thanks to an adjustable length tiller extension.

The cockpit offers enough space for two or three sailors. At the tiller the boat behaves like a big dinghy, it steers very directly and accelerates in gusts immediately.

LIGHTWEIGHT

The agile sailing behaviour is partly due to the low weight in relation to the relatively large sail area. The ballast is also quite low. However, the boat does make a particularly good impression with a maximum of 3 Beaufort. It is heeling in gusts without weight on the gunnel, but it stabilizes again with the Chines in the water as she heels. Nevertheless, the toe-straps are especially useful, they also increase the dinghy feeling. And the small amount of ballast is made up for by two people on the edge. It would be nice to have shock cord or a batten that keeps the straps open so that they can easily be slipped on.

The sail/weight (displacement) ratio of over 5 illustrates the potential of the XP-19 but is sometimes misleading with such a small boat. Since this value is calculated from the weight of the boat and the sail area, it inevitably drops when the payload increases. With 650 kg displacement, two people with 80 kg each are an enormous payload. The XP-19 also becomes noticeably faster when Andreas Budde switches to the photo boat and the single-handed suitability is examined in more detail.

After an extensive upwind leg with plenty of wind shifts/gusts, which can be controlled very intuitively, it is time to go downwind. Now a gennaker would be nice - astonishing that Budde, who designed a sporty daysailer, didn't plan it! The idea fell on fertile ground for him though, so that he calculated the costs with the shipyard just a few days after the test. An extendable gennaker sprit, fairleads and the additional cleats/jammers for sheets and halyards add up to 1400 Euros. Then there is the gennaker itself. If the boat is sailed for two, certainly a must, but also a nice addition on your own.

UNDER DECK

The standard version of the cabin holds storage space for the sails and a place of retreat for rain showers; it was not primarily designed as a living space. Apart from storage compartments for equipment, it does not offer any comfort like pantry or toilet, not even upholstery is provided. This and a cooking grill are available as an option, which makes the XP-19 suitable for touring - with reduced comfort. The forward berth, for example, is only long enough when the head is placed on the saloon berth. And the saloon benches are too narrow at 48 cm wide for use as bunks.