x yachts steel frame

Top Notch Performance Cruisers: X-Yachts of Haderslev.

• May 23rd, 2016
• On Location

I just love Denmark. Why? It´s a country with a rich culture and history (the Vikings!), it is situated between two oceans, the Baltic Sea with the admirable Danish South Sea and the wild, aggressive yet beautiful North Sea shores. So, having a couple of days here in Denmark is always very relaxing and nice – and, bonus, here we have some interesting yacht manufacturers and thus a lot more to see. Just 2 days after my visit to Luffe yachts in Kolding (which can be read here ) I was humbled by the chance to have a look onto the yard of famous X-Yachts in Haderslev.

X-Yachts has been founded 1979 – the year of my birth – and has since then a growing number of enthusiasts, fans, admirers and owners of course who swear these boats are the best you ought to buy when it comes to performance yachts. I am greeted by Flemming Ancher, X-Yachts Sales Director and passionate sailor by himself. Flemming will invest some 4 hours in our meeting, will answer astonishingly open and freely and will show me around in the holy halls of X-Yachts with granting me a thorough, long and exclusive look onto the brand new model X4.

“X-Yachts builds the best sailing yachts worldwide. That´s my earnest belief!”

How could I describe Flemming? He is a true Danish man, likes to throw a joke from time to time, as with all Scandinavians, speaks a perfectly fluent English and has this whimsical smile whilst talking: “I am sailing now for 25 years.”, he starts our conversation: “And I can say that I love all the aspects of sailing, being outside in nature and all the details which are connected to boats as well.” It seems like the perfect job for him: “It is! I have been a dealer for Dehler-yachts here in Denmark. They used to build high quality sailing yachts, sturdy and nicely done. Up until the point this brand went bankrupt, it has been a nice business. As I wanted to stay with the sailing community, after Dehler´s smashup there have been only two brands here in Denmark I considered worth working for: Dragonfly and X-Yachts.” Since joining the yard Flemming worked his way up from the after-sales services and the production department to his current status, sales director. He loves his job, this is clear after we had talked for some 5 minutes …

“You see, in this business you´ll have to be really, really, really effective in order to perform well.”, Flemming starts to answer my first question about X-Yachts in the market in general: “Margins are very tight, pressure from the competitors is high and the market in general is uncompromisingly hard.” He refers to the huge amount of used yachts currently flooding the market: “This keeps prices very low. With a high-priced brand such as X-Yachts, that´s a problem.” He refers to used X-Yachts which are still in a superior condition, albeit being 20 or more years of age: “These boats are so well built people will decide to go for a well kept used X-Yacht than to invest in a new one. That´s kind of hard.” Although, he admits, it´s nice and makes him proud to see all the classic X-Yachts in such a good condition still. “But you have to be inventive to draw attention from the costumers.”

This is why X-Yachts goes for quality. “You see, we want to make the best performing sailing yachts in combination with offering a unique sailing experience. That´s something we are always trying ourselves to get constantly better at with each new boat.” Example please. Flemming says, that sailing performance is a combination of a perfectly designed hull that must not be too wide: “This means less volume, we know that, but our boats are simply sailing faster than those roomy wide ships built by others.” Secondly and most important: “A yacht that is built for performing well above all has to be stiff. That´s the basic groundwork of our design philosophy: A stiff, stiffer, stiffest hull!” This is what the designers – and on top of the list is owner and chief-designer Niels Jeppesen (whom I´ve had the pleasure to talk to about Scandinavian Sailing Philosophy, read here ) – are striving to achieve with every single new boat made here. Made here?

“Well, we do have the assembly lines here in Haderslev. In general this means that an X-Yacht is built here, but her hull is not. Hulls are made in Poland where we do have a huge facility and many years of experience with making GRP hulls for yachts.” Isn´t that a contradiction, to have the stuff built in Poland, talk about highest quality and being among the higher priced brands in the market? “It totally isn´t! You see, in Poland we do have a high tech manufacturing site with a highly professionalized team. Poland is perfect for production because you have talented, young and well educated people with a high motivation combined with a relatively low cost structure. In the bottom line: Making stuff there is good because salaries are low.” He raises his trigger finger: “To put it right: Compared to other brands which are taking these savings and giving them to shareholders and other people, we do re-invest every Cent saved in better material. I will show you …”, says Flemming and takes out a sales brochure: X-Yachts hulls are made from the finest materials available, it´s almost as stiff as a full carbon hull, they do utilize the stiffer – yet more expensive – M-Foam for the sandwich-core which won´t be saw-cut. “And, each and every X-Yacht is full epoxy infused.”

“Epoxy Infusion does only make Sense when baked.”

Flemming is smirking as I am nodding my head upon the keyword “epoxy infusion”. Why is that? “Well, Lars, Epoxy is kind of a trend word now amongst yacht builders – which is good because epoxy infusion is a superior technology over hand laminating: It´s saving weight whilst being stiffer. But, you see, the true secret of getting a stiff hull with epoxy infusion is … simply baking it.” And this is what most of the other brands won´t do. “It´s expensive. It needs time. And you need to have these big ovens. That´s nothing when you want to build a yacht and sell it for 130.000 Euros. It´s simply too expensive. So they mostly tend to refer to an osmosis-protection when talking about epoxy, but we … we are doing it the hard way. We are baking each Yacht of our Xp-line, the new X4 and X6 as well, to achieve a single solid hull.” Also, with an X-Yacht all the bulkheads giving lateral strength and stiffness are part of the hull, not laminated or even glued to the hull. No squeaking either …

“We have rod rigging, take pride in our perfectly shaped lead bulb keels and of course we do have our steel or carbon frames. These are basically solid cages mounted tight onto the hull adding extra strength to the hull as well as to the keel bolts.” But as Flemming puts it: “Quality is a disaster!” Old boats do not vanish, they simply stay like forever, won´t lose stiffness and remain to fetch high prices in the market, despite being far less expensive than a brand new X-Yacht. “But we believe this is the right thing to do, you know. This is all expensive stuff but it results in real superior sailing yet making a boat very comfortable. All we do is intended to make the boat stiffer.” That’s why X-Yachts offers a unique service for owners: The “X-approved” used boat service, which Flemming shows me first. We enter a big workshop: “We have space for six yachts here, but you can see just two.” Used yachts are sold almost at an instant here …

“When an X-Yacht owner want to get a new boat he can give his used yacht to us. It will then undergo a thorough check and a complete refit. “If done so a costumer can be sure to acquire a boat that is like brand new.” And from as far as I can see, the boats in the hall looked amazingly fresh and new despite seeing a 15 year old model. X-Yachts did have a hard time during the economic crisis of the last years, as Flemming admits freely. “Recession is hard for the whole business, you see. Here at X-Yachts we´ve had pretty hard times too. But since 2014 it´s reviving and I guess we will be a profitable business again in 2016 or 2017.” Having sold some 350 boats in 2009 of which 260 alone have been the X-35, the smallest model of that time, the company has now sales of 60 to 120 boats per year: “That´s due to the crisis, again, but there´s also a trend towards bigger ships and richer costumers which results in less sales by numbers whilst achieving the same high turnarounds.” While some years ago the top-seller of X-Yachts have been the boats of some 35 feet in length, it´s now different. “People want bigger boats. Bread and butter today are yachts within the 45-50 feet range.”

“X-Yachts Clients are very loyal.”

We proceed into another big workshop where we stand next to a nice “little” boat: “This is our Xc 35”, says Flemming pointing to her sleek white hull with the distinct three stripes at the waterline, a trademark design of X-Yachts: “We did build this boat to attract young people. It´s our smallest boat yet offering all the advantages of an X-Yacht such as superior sailing qualities and luxury. But we have a problem …” Flemming explains, that it is very hard to get young clients to invest in a new ship (as I would resemble his target group perfectly, a starter in sailing, but I did opt for a used yacht too .) “Our clients are very, very loyal indeed. We have people buying their sixth X-Yacht here. But getting them connected to the brand is hard. That’s why we have built this Xc 35. We do not make a single Euro profit with that ship.” My jaw drops. “Believe me, this is not making money at all. We want to attract young buyers and have them enthused for X-Yacht quality. When they get older it´s our intention to have them as costumers for the bigger boats.” Just to get people attracted? Seems like a clever yet risky strategy … a brand new Xc 35 does come with a 200.000 Euro price tag.

Performance is the key? “Well, of course not. We can see that sailing qualities is one thing, the other is … luxury. Let´s be honest, an owner´s wife does have her voice when it comes to buying a boat and since we all want our wives to feel good, a yacht should offer at least some amenities. Thatswhy we have invented our Xc – cruising – line apart from the Xp – performance – line.” As Flemming puts it, Xc-boats are built with an emphasis on living conditions below deck. “It´s the classy cruiser but with nearly all features her performance-sisters do have as well.” Flemming is telling the story that when trialing the new Xc 35 yacht they were astounded that the yacht was still outperforming the polar-diagram predictions … they simply cannot fully explain why the boat is sailing so good, he adds winking. “Our product line is simple: We have the Xp line for performance oriented sailing, regatta and sporty, fast sailing. You wanna get a boat with classy shiplike-design? Than the Xc line is perfect for you. It will be looking nice in another 20 years to come as well.”

The Xc does incorporate everything that an Xp does have but with a strict emphasis on safety. “We went through the whole of the construction of the Xp and have asked ourselves: Would we really send somebody with this and that on a three year circumnavigation?”, Flemming says: “And so we did replace the carbon cage by a steel-made frame, the carbon mast with a well-tried aluminum mast just to be 110 per cent sure, added a little more volume for stowage and space and yet – this yacht is also faster than expected and performes so well!” One might compare an Xc to an Hallberg-Rassy  in getting performance and sturdiness and a beautiful boat. X-Yachts sales devide nearly 50-50 between Xp and Xc with a slight tendency to the latter. We stroll about and I come to see my absolute favorite yacht of the whole range. “Oh yes, the Xp 44. That´s a true beauty, I know!”, it seems that even Flemming has a crush here.

“This is my absolute personal hero!”, Flemming admits standing next to an Xp 44-hull. As he is talking, he mentioned his personal experience in sailing this boat. One needs to be a sporty (and well off) guy to be the right owner for this stallion, Flemming says: “It sails just fantastic! She is not an easy boat to sail, I must admit, because it takes some time to get to know her fully.” This is the reason why it´s only now that more and more Xp 44s will have their first regatta wins despite being sold to their crews and owners some one or two years ago: “It just takes time to get to know her. But we´ve won the Monaco Regatta and the Middle Sea Race recently with an Xp 44 and we are expecting to see more.” Though she isn´t a pure racer – offering a load of luxury an Xp 44 is a perfect boat for a sailing family as well. One may really enjoy sailing and life aboard. Though Flemming admits: “When it comes to a true Blue Water circumnavigation, I would choose an Xc boat.”

“Building Quality is above Standard at X-Yachts.”

We enter another hall where I can see five or six boats in different stages of the built. The hulls are side by side and workers are roaming about fitting different things to the ships. There´s no noise at all and despite people being busy to work through their tight schedules every time we walk by they seem to have a second to take a look, give a friendly nod or greet us.

I can observe all the different stages of building a hull. First the lower main shell is outfitted with everything from piping, cables, engine and saildrive, furniture and woodworks, tanks, electronic equipment and lighting – the complete interior will be installed and thoroughly tested prior assembly. Then the “marriage” takes place: With a crane the upper shell – or the deck – will be lowered, bolted and glued to the hull. When the upper shells arrives, it will come fully operational.

On another assembly line I can see some of the upper shells in different stages too. “When the deck-shells arrive, we will cut out the portholes, drill holes and stuff and install all the equipment needed on deck.”, Flemming explains. “We will also apply the decking to the shell. Mostly its real Teak decking, but we have an increasing number of owners requesting artificial decking materials, such as PVC.” (Read my article on synthetic decking here )

I ask whether every X-Yachtv still breathes the spirit of Niels Jeppesen. “Oh yes, Niels is not just a name giver or some kind of a e-minence grise”, Flemming answers: “He is still drawing the lines of every single boat built by X-Yachts. Every single. That´s because we still learn. We are constantly trying to get better.” Niels lives in Southhampton, UK where he maintains a small office. “Southhampton because he has his wife and family there and despite private things it´s where one of the most renowned universities for boat design has it´s headquarter. So it´s good to be there to have all these young, talented and motivated new boat designers in one place.” Still, upon submitting his drafts, the bulk of the work is done in Haderslev, Denmark.

“It´s a game of Ping-Pong if you want”, Flemming tells me the story of how a boat is designed in the process: “When Niels´ ideas arrive we do have a team of engineers and designers here that will minister the details. All the practical solutions and different answers to all the thousands of questions which arise during the process.” These will be sent to Niels and either approved or further refined. “Niels has 37 years of experience in building yachts”, Flemming explains, “but he is still on fire like a child before Christmas when a new project takes form.” Just as the upcoming X4, is ask? “Oh yes. I will show you later …”

We stand on the upper platform looking down onto the hulls. Xp´s and Xc´s are lying next to each other, workers are roaming about like diligent bees. “We do everything to have the best possible product here”, Flemming says and points towards a still empty hull at the start of the outfitting process: “Let´s go downstairs to this boat, I want to show you the steel frame. Why? Because there is one thing we´ve never experienced with an X-Yacht and we are doing everything we can to never have it happen: A yacht losing her keel.”

“An X-Yacht should be the stiffest of them all.”

As we enter the hull – a 40 feet boat – I can clearly see the thick frame. It´s made of galvanized steel. A solid thick main frame right in the middle of the hull directly above the keel forming the later bilge. The steel seems to have 2 centimeters in thickness with a lot of bracing adding to rigidity. Three massive arms will derive from the mainframe to either side of the boat. There the arms are bolted with massive screws to the GRP-hull, bearing huge stringers in this section.

“Looks awesome, doesn´t it? With our Xp-models this cage will be made of carbon”, Flemming explaings, “which will reduce weight significantly. As this model is a cruiser we opted for steel.” I can imagine that hitting a reef or a stone with the keel would produce huge forces which could result in cracks of the carbon cage. “This is what I meant we added safety to the cruising models. Running aground can happen when cruising, happen more often that running aground whilst racing, so we opted for steel here.” Nevertheless, I can imagine 2 centimeters of carbon indeed is very rigid as well.

“The keel is then directly bolted to the frame here”, says Flemming as we are standing right on top of the steel frame. “The bore holes for keel bolts can be seen clearly. So you can imagine this adds significantly to stiffness, rather more than just having your keel bolted to the relatively soft GRP-ground construction of a hull and just having it secured with some counter plates made of steel (as it is the case with my King´s Cruiser 33, which can be seen here )

“You see, a keel is the ultimate part of a sailing yacht as it provides for the center of gravity thus producing the stability needed. That’s why we do invest a lot when producing our keels”, adds Flemming as we take a look onto different keels later: With X-Yachts an owner can of course opt for the three classic variants of keels: The shoal keel with it´s L-form, the T-keel with it´s lead bulb and fine sharp shaft and the deep performance keel, another derivate from the T-Keel. “We do produce the keels in a very costly way”, Flemming explains: “First the keel is assembled, bulb to the shaft, then it´s encapsulated with a baking form, GRP and epoxy is added. Afterwards we do take it out and sanding it smoothly to a perfect form. And when I say perfect, I mean perfect!” (Besides, here´s an article on keel-designs and their influence on the stability of a sailing yacht )

Last but not least I take a look onto the chain plates as I am currently working at the very same item by myself with the refit program of my King´s Cruiser 33 (read article here ). With X-Yachts the chain plates are made of Nirosta steel of course and fitted from the outside of the hull through the freeboard to be tightly bolted to a steel-cage laminated and baked into the hull as well. It´s so sad I cannot incorporate these stiffness-providing measures to my own boat …

“The X4 is our new Approach to the ultimate Dream Yacht”

I haven´t dare to hope for it but I took my chance and asked Flemming if it would be possible to take a sneaky look onto the all new upcoming yacht X4. He replied: “Sure, no prob. Follow me.” Oh, yeah wow. We drove 600 meters from the main area to another, even bigger, facility and entered the hall. The all familiar odor of glass reinforced fiber was again impregnating the air and as we entered the hall there it was: Right next to a big Xc 45 ready to have her underwater hull painted – the hull of the X4. “There it is.”, Flemming said, “Hull number 001. This is our new baby, the fine X4.”

We took a look from above and I could clearly observe the unfinished interior of the boat: This was the 3 cabin version with two large aft cabins and the big fore cabin, two heads, but as Flemming promised, there will be two more options to have the X4 customized with one head or even one big aft cabin. “With the X-line we try to add something new to our product range,” Flemming explains: “You have the Xc-boats for cruising, Xp-boats for sportive sailing and the smaller Xr range for racers. And with the X-line it´s a new approach. You see, our cruisers are timeless beauties. But we´ve had the feeling that a lot of owners want something more modern, more contemporary.” And this is how the X-line was born: High performance plus modern straight design.

The boat has a length of exactly 41 feet or 12.50 meters. A maximum beam of 3.95 meters and thus offering a spacious interior. “The owner´s cabin in the fore is huge”, says Flemming pointing towards to bow. It´s something like a master bedroom, light filled and roomy.” Looking to the aft cabins I notice the huge bathroom on the starboard side: The entry door to the cabin gives way to the lavatory on the left hand side, a huge drying locker for wet clothing and on the right hand side into the double berthed cabin. The woodworks air friendy and lighty colors and everything appears made with an emphasis on modernity and quality. “It will be a fantastic ship”, says Flemming, seemingly proud.

Proceeding into the saloon I again notice the sturdy steel frame bolted to the big stringers at each side of the hull. Flemming points towards the left and right parts of the bottom of the hull: “Here both fresh water and Diesel tanks will be mounted. As a matter of fact, it proves that putting heavy parts – such as tanks – to the lowermost part of the ship adds to her sailing properties and stability.” These tanks will be situated not only deep down in the ship´s hull but also near the center – the X4 will be a well-balanced boat.

Looking abaft I can see the then empty engine room with the massive footing and outlet of the saildrive, left and right of which the two big aft-cabins are clearly visible. Each cabin will have its own small stateroom with a drying locker. “With the X4 a crew of 6 people will find it very luxurious to travel around, though we do have two more berths in the saloon.” But if travelling with 8 people would be such a good idea … this is a decision of its own.

We proceed to the outside of the hull where I can observe the still uncovered GRP/epoxy material. “You can clearly see the knife-cut M-foam here.”, says Flemming: “As I could see it with other brands where the foam is cut by saw, this leaves big sections between the foam-squares. These kerfs have to be filled with epoxy which in our view is a waste of precious material on the one hand and doesn´t add to stiffness very much on the other hand.” Knocking on the hull produces a full sound but to be honest, I have to trust Flemming regarding this point as knocking on the thick hand laminated GRP hull of my 40 year old King´s Cruiser will produce a similar sound.

The X4 will see water within the coming weeks as she is scheduled to go on sea trials soon. “We want to have the first yachts of this new type delivered in Summer 2016”, says Flemming: “And there´s a lot of work still ahead.” I can see it: The hull misses her keel, engines and electrics have to be installed and there´s a rig to be to be mounted still. We leave the unfinished X4 001 and I have the impression that this is going to be a very beautiful boat. Additionally I do like the 40-feet-class as this size offers in my eyes the best compromise between “big enough to offer some space” and “small enough not to cost too much”. In any case, an X4 is way out of reach for me here.

“The X6: Our new Flagship.”

Speaking of out-of-reach: Proceeding through the hall back to Flemming´s bureau we pass two more hulls. Big ships. Grey color, again, three stripes of X-Yachts at the waterline: “Impressive!”, I say. Flemming points towards the hulls: “This is the X6, our new flagship.” This battleship will have a length over all of 63 feet, being 5.4 meters in width at her widest point. This is truly a big ship and a redefinition of building a yacht for X-Yachts.

Taking a look into her hull again I am astounded of the vast variety of huge cabins: The X6 will offer three to four cabins and a whole new experience of luxury. As I stand in the unfinished saloon with its some 360 degrees view. Clearly, this yacht is a nice sailing toy for somebody who already has everything. But putting luxury aside, I am looking forward to see the X6 in the water under full canvas.

X-Yachts is reacting to a market of growing sizes and richer people wanting bigger boats as anybody can view when taking a look onto the 62 feet X6 sailing yacht. I am still glad that despite these megalomaniac projects they are still building yachts of convenient sizes such as the 35 to 44 feet range. And as we walk through all the hulls I´ve had the pleasure to visit today we come alongside my all-time favorite: The Xp 44.

A perfect Day in Haderslev

As we proceed into the office of Flemming I thank him for taking his time and showing me around, answering all my questions and letting me take pictures of every corner I wanted to have a look at: “You see, we have no secrets. Building yachts is no rocket science”, he says and laughs: “Building good yachts on the other hand needs dedication and a strong will. We don´t want to make a product that suits everyone. I often hear the complaints of high prices and stuff. But I must say – looking at this Xp 44 – what do you want? Do you want high quality, a stiff hull and superior sailing performance? Than you ought to be willing to pay the price for it.” Flemming describes the ongoing discussion about pricings with buying a car: You can´t go for a Porsche but willing to pay for a Fiat.

“I know that other brands sell their yachts for half of our price. I know that.” He is referring to the big brands like Bavaria, Beneteau or Hanse: “But you know what? They put out a hull within three days. It´s not good. This is my firm belief. These hulls are soft compared to ours. Of course, they offer a lot of space but they won´t perform well.” He also refers to the built in equipment: With X-Yachts the stable, lighter and yet better performing rod rigging is a standard commodity, just as Anderson Winches of Veijle not too far away from Haderslev, a well known brand with which X-Yachts has a long standing tradition of outfitting the boats are working together for new developments. “An X-Yacht features an holistic approach to sailing – to superior sailing”, Flemming concludes our wonderful forenoon.

As I am saying goodbye to Flemming I cannot really leave the compound. Too much do I feel drawn to these wonderful boats: I really like X-Yachts for their understating design yet their clean, very distinct lines. The white hulls, black carbon masts, low freeboards promise the hell of a ride. As I am strolling the company´s own small marina where the boats are finally outfitted for the handover to their new owners, it´s again the Xp 44 I am admiring most.

With a sigh I leave take with me the memories of a perfect day here at Haderslev, the hospitality and openness of Flemming and thus being filled with enthusiasm and joy, even though I presumably am never going to own one, it´s still a pleasure to dream …

I look forward to the coming season and hopefully a chance to see the X4 floating – if not so, then at the latest during the upcoming Hanseboot-fair here in Hamburg, where I had last year admired X-Yachts as well .

Thanks Flemming Ancher for taking me around & Greetings to Haderslev.

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X-41 One Design: Review

• By Alan Andrews
• Updated: December 13, 2007

X41Review368

X-Yachts’ new 41-foot racer is the boat with which you do anything and everything. With stellar performance, clean design, and attention to detail in its hardware, construction, it was a standout in a crowded field of crossover designs, boats as well suited for racing as they are for cruising. In our light-air tests this boat sailed well and this performance has been confirmed in other conditions by winning several major events last summer and fall.A first look at the X-41 shows a slight rake to the stem, and the stern has powerful cross sections and a small amount of overhang, indicating this boat is all waterline. At just under 12-feet wide the X-41 has moderate beam, and the 8-foot T-bulb keel provides more stability than some similar boats. The carbon-fiber Nordic mast, six winches, halyard clutches, and sail control hardware all say this boat wants to race.During our test sail the X-41 accelerated well in only 6 knots of wind. With two sets of aft-swept spreaders and chainplates on the rail, jib LP is limited to 106 percent but the foretriangle is tall, about 95 percent of mast height, and the rig was sized with the small jib overlap in mind. Sail controls are also in place to easily adjust the sails, powering up in the light and de-powering in more breeze with jib in-hauler tackle hidden in the companionway hatch rails. The main trimmer has no need to leave the weather side as all controls are within reach.The helm on this boat feels great; smooth with no friction in the Jefa rudder bearings and steering components controlled with a 67-inch carbon wheel. Upwind there is a touch of weather helm pressure to keep the helmsman happy and in touch with the boat’s feel. The helmsman has terrific visibility from the weather side with the jib telltales, oncoming waves, and up-course breeze all visible. Downwind the helm is again light and responsive, but also positive.Off the wind the X-41 sets a 1,577- square-foot masthead spinnaker on a traditional spinnaker pole. Our speed on the GPS was 5.5 knots in just under 6 knots true-wind speed at a true-wind angle of 130 degrees. Maneuvers went smoothly with the cockpit laid out so headsail trimmers were not elbowing the main trimmer.Typical of many boats this size, the spinnaker sheets share the cabin-top winches; halyards and afterguys lead to primary winches. Dual-diameter Harken Quattro drums on the cabin house accommodate for the different line speeds required by a light-air spinnaker sheet trim and the last centimeter of a heavily loaded halyard. Harken three-speed primary winches have the range of speed and power to handle jib sheets and afterguys.There are toe rails forward of the mast only, and the lifeline stanchions are located all the way outboard, within an inch of the rail, which puts the lower lifeline further outboard so it’s easier for crew to hike hard. At the bow the twin groove headfoil has a jib-furling drum set below deck to take full advantage of available luff length. The interior of the X-41 will work well for distance as well as day racing. Aft on each side of the boat, under the cockpit, are double berths with pipe berths. The mid-cabin settee/berths sleep another body to weather on hinged platforms. For the serious racer, the cabin table pulls off its base, revealing a stainless steel tube that now serves as a grab bar/divider to keep the headsails where they are stowed instead of in a pile to leeward.X-Yachts builds the X-41 of E-glass and PVC foam sandwich. Vinylester resin is used for the outside layers for resistance to osmotic blistering and polyester resin thereafter. By using female mold tooling, X-Yachts can vary core thickness and density to remove weight from lightly loaded areas of the hull while maintaining extra strength in high-load areas. Where there are high local loads, such as near the keel frame, the rudder bearings, and other through hulls, the foam is replaced with solid fiberglass. X-Yachts has used galvanized steel frames with single-point lifting attachments throughout their history and it is interesting to see this heavy item is smaller in the new, lighter models to where it supports only the keel and mast. The rest of the structural support is supplied by the molded fiberglass liner. The result is less structural weight and less chance of corrosion over time. Further saving weight of toe rails and fasteners, the X-41’s deck is bonded to the hull (with modern adhesives this has become standard boatbuilding procedure). X-Yachts have paid a lot of attention to both the broad-brush concept and also to details with the X-41. They have a combination of hull shape, keel, rudder, and rig that sails as a raceboat should, is relatively easy to keep in the groove, and is winning races. The sail-handling areas and interior work well, and many hardware details add to the mix. Even their manufacturing details help create a boat that not only sails well but is built efficiently so they can deliver the base boat at about $375,000.

For SW ‘s complete 2008 Boat of the Year coverage, click here

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X4³ 15 Pages

Catalog excerpts

LUXURY LINES The X4 3 is the second model in a new range, aimed at the discerning sailor and his crew. It utilises advanced, proven technology and build techniques which only incorporate first class components, enabling the exploration of new uncharted horizons in comfort. X-Yachts´ background being the builder of the most winning production yachts for more than three decades, is mirrored in the X4 3 ´s technical specification. Vacuum infused epoxy / sandwich hull, galvanized keel hull girder pioneered by X-Yachts since 1981, epoxy encapsulated low gravity lead keel faired to original keel...

DESIGNER’S COMMENTS THE STORY BEHIND THE DESIGN The X4 3 ’s hull is designed to meet the demands from sailors who want to enjoy sailing in a wide range of conditions. Achieving comfort when sailing to windward in a rough sea was an essential prerequisite in the X4 3 hull design. Generous stability, modern displacement and a powerful yet easy to control sail plan offers smooth sailing through the waves. Unlike mainstream modern yacht designs, the X4 3 is meant to be enjoyable and easy to handle in more than just ‘reaching’ conditions. A lot of focus was put on the upwind performance and sea...

One of the best boats I’ve ever sailed. GRAHAM SNOOK, YACHTING MONTHLY X-YACHTS X4

The X4 3 combines many of the qualities found in both the Xc and Xp range into one perfectly formed yacht. As with all X-Yachts weight distribution is key to performance and comfort at sea. On the X4 3 all the heaviest equipment has been placed as low as possible and as close to the centre line as possible. This greatly reduces pitching and slamming as well as increasing the Hydraulic backstay adjuster righting moment. The steel frame synonymous with X-Yachts also features on the X4 3 . The steel frame is bolted to the inside of the hull and takes all the loads from the keel and mast. This...

Optional teak on side decks. CLEAN & FUNCTIONAL The X4 3 rewards the owner with a deck and rigging The double ended mainsheet system with a track layout, designed for the discerning sailor. Above: Integrated teak foot chocks provide a safe stable platform for the helmsman to stand when the boat is heeled. Foor chocks can be folded flush into the cockpit floor when not in use. recessed into the cockpit floor ensures mainsail controls are within easy reach of the helmsman, while Fractional double spreader, tapered silver anodized the coachroof mounted jib tracks aid pointing. aluminium mast...

MULTIPLE CHOICE The X4 3 comes with a variety of optional additions on deck to ensure you can perfectly tailor the yacht to suite your personal needs and style. FIXED WINDSCREEN The optional canvas sprayhood fits neatly into a recessed trough when not in use. For extra protection from the elements you can also opt for a fixed windscreen with the canvas sprayhood fixed to this. TEAK DECKS Laid teak decks with seamless joints can be added to the side decks and coachroof. COMPOSITE WHEELS Composite wheels give a modern look to the cockpit of the X4 3 FOLDING CLEATS Upgrade to folding mooring...

HULL TRIM STRIPES The standard X43 comes in a white gelcoat with light grey (RAL7035) waterlines and sheerline stripes. However we have options for the boat to come in a number of colour-ways displayed below. Black grey hull with pure white stripes Dark blue hull with pure white stripes Graphite grey hull with pure white stripes Light grey hull with pure white stripes White hull with black grey stripes White hull with dark blue stripes White hull with graphite grey stripes White hull with light grey stripes HULL STYLE OPTIONS EXTERIOR FABRICS Choose between light grey (Swela 37362), dark...

BATHING PLATFORMS The Stainless Steel swimming ladder stowes neatly behind the optional fold down bathing platform. Above: Standard teak on cockpit sole and seats, and the optional composite wheels. OUTDOOR LIVING The cockpit space on board the X43 is not only designed to removable easily stowable version. Both offer plenty of space be functional and safe while at sea but has also to create a luxurious outdoor living space. The optional fold down swimming platform creates a perfect The twin wheels and recessed mainsheet track mean the area for relaxing as well as easy access from the water...

SPACIOUS LIVING Danish design and architecture is famous for its clean, Numerous deck and hull portlights allow for ample timeless style. It showcases luxury whilst also being light to flood in, gifting the interior with a bright and functionally designed to work either out on the open roomy ambiance. seas or moored up in harbour. Plentiful storage space throughout allows for an Superior quality, detailed interior carpentry and materials used sets it apart from mass produced one can retreat to when the weather outside is less boats, producing an exquisite, natural interior. uncluttered,...

The spacious saloon has a large dining table with The nav station is the X4 3 ’s communication centre as integrated wine bottle compartment on port side and well as the main hub for the yacht’s electrical systems. can accommodate 6 guests comfortably. The standard layout offers a forward facing nav station (Image above features Layout Option 1 featuring aft Stylish bookshelves located behind the nav station and saloon seating together with the upper cabinets (bottom hinged doors) on either side of the saloon provide ample storage for your items.

OWNER’S CABIN Owner’s cabin located in front of the mast comes with The X43 comes as standard with Nordic Oak furniture and plentiful storage throughout including the two large double with teak without koto laminated floor. wardrobes with shelves and hangers and storage space under the double berth. The optional owner’s cabin heads and shower replaces the port wardrobe space and creates and luxurious self All berths have marine plywood support with ventilation contained owner suite. holes for improved comfort and air circulation.

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X-362 Sport - Steel Frame

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All, I'm having some difficulty finding information on this maker and this model in particular (Maybe if I spoke Danish I'd have more luck). They seem to be well regarded generally with the major area of concern being the steel frame. Does anyone have any information on how well the galvanized steel frame laid into the glass on these boats (or other X-Yachts) has held up with time? Is it completely sealed in, or can it contact moisture in the bilge? Is there any way to survey the steel? Will it significantly impact electrolysis? Other than the steel frame, the boat fits what I am looking for quite well, so I am keenly interested in your thoughts. Thank you for your help.  

Hmmm.... a picture is worth a thousand words. Thank you for sending. I wonder if galvanizing the steel as they do helps the situation appreciably?  

I have not personally heard of any issues with the few folks with X's in Puget Sound. The steel in the Cal vs the steel being used today in many of the European yachts with "steel" frames like X-Yacht does, seems to be a better quality stainless. I am not sure of what grade steel Cal used either. There is a fellow that post regularly on AS forums that is into X yachts, I believe lives in Denmark or close by. He might be a better person to get an answer from frankly. Or some of the other European folks that have access to more boats to guage if the framework is a problem. For me personally, I would not worry a lot. If there was a real issue, I would feel you would find enough posts online or equal about the issue(s) of their, and others steel frame work. Which frankly, looks way different that the piece shown from the C40. That looks like a steel version of a wood frame I have on my boat. marty  

Marty, Thanks for the post. I follow your logic. If I spent a lot of dough on a boat and the frame rusted out of it, I'd whine like crazy. As much as I've scoured the internet, I would think I'd have seen some of that. I'll check out sailing anarchy and see what I can find. -Adam  

You might find something on SA too, I was refering to AnythingSailing where I believe there is a fellow with an Xyacht to two in the past. If one showed up in my slip in place of my Jeanneau.......I'd be a very happy camper. Especially an X34 or better yet, a 35. I do not know as much about the 362 you are looking at. I know a few locals with 119's, that luv them. Nice boats. marty  

A friend chartered an X-95 for a couple of years. The owner wasn't sailing it and couldn't get the price he wanted. Eventually after sustained neglect she broke away from her mooring and was wrecked. When my friend had it the rust on the frame was exfoliating in bloody great sheets. The gate valve on the coolth through hull failed. On the otherhand it sailed smartly and the interior woodwork was quite good. It's been a lot of years since the X-95 was built. Maybe they've gotten better.  

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MOSCOW CITY PLOT 12 EURASIA TOWER

Scope of work, project duration, project description.

Built by ENKA the Eurasia Tower, a Multifunctional Business Complex on Plot No.12 of MIBC Moscow-City, is a high-rise building, consisting of A class offices and residential areas, with a total construction area of 210,000 m 2 . Owned by TECHINVEST, the tower is located in the Moscow-City region on the Krasnopresnenskaya Embankment.  The high-rise section has 74 floors, reaching a total height above ground of 302 meters.

The Eurasia Tower is situated on a three-tier podium in which there is dedicated space for entertainment, restaurants, and shops. Approximately 110,000 m 2  is reserved for office space with residential apartments occupying a further 22,000 m 2 . The five underground floors are for technical premises and parking for more than 1,000 cars. The external design of the building is a combination of classical and modernist styles.

The 3,000 mm thick, 10,000 m 3  raft foundation under the tower, rests mainly on 1,500 mm diameter piles, 25 m in length, together with 1,200 mm diameter, 18 m piles.  Hot rolled profiles and plates were fabricated at Çimtaş and transported to Moscow using river vessels. A self climbing formwork system was utilized for casting the core structures.

During the construction of the Eurasia Tower, more than 29,000 tons of structural steel, 80,000 m 3  of reinforced concrete and 170,000 m 2  of metal decking were used.

The structural design of the Eurasia Tower was developed by collaborative work between the Thornton-Tomasetti Engineers, ENKA Design Office and Gorproekt.

The Eurasia Tower project with its completed mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems in the shell and core stage was handed over for operation in late 2013.

Unique Challenges

• More than 10,000m 3  concrete was casted continuously during foundation works within 72 hours
• Transportation of massive steel sections to the construction site was only possible at night shifts due to traffic conditions in Moscow
• Lifting of massive one-piece heavy equipment (55 tons in weight) to upper floors of the building
• More than 56 tons of electrodes were used during welding works at location
• The thickest steel plates used on column base for this work is 400 mm
• The largest Build-up box column section was 750 x 750 with 230 mm thick plates
• The torque capacity of every bolt used on the site was controlled and tested
• The erection of steel outrigger columns, above the 200 m elevation (above the 50 th  floor), despite heavy wind and severe winter conditions (-40 Celsius)
• Erection work at high elevations reaching up to 300 m (74th floor)

ENKA Scope of Services

In main contract, ENKA`s scope of work consisted of procurement and construction. Following the award of shell and core works addendum contract, mechanical, electrical, roof insulation, limited architectural works and continue with the supply, installation and commissioning of lifts and escalators were additionally included in scope of works.

Significant Features and Accomplishments

• The Eurasia Tower and Naberezhnaya Towers (Block C) both of which were constructed by ENKA, are the only operational high-rise steel structure buildings in the Russian Federation
• The Eurasia Tower is one of the tallest (310m) high-rise buildings in Europe with 74 above ground and five underground floors
• The steel frame of the Eurasia Tower consists of 2,300 columns and 9,000 beams and was fabricated by ENKA’s subsidiary Çimtaş, utilizing seven CNC cutting and drilling machines and two robotic welding systems.

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• Payware Airports and Scenery Reviews

Scenery Review : Moscow City XP by Drzewiecki Design

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By Stephen September 24, 2016 in Payware Airports and Scenery Reviews

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You fly for hours, anticipating your arrival, wanting to take in the area and the views of another country far away from your departure airport. The airport and the area you leave from is detailed and visually full, and you know you have a great airport scenery waiting for you at the other end of the flight, then when you arrive...

...  Nothing, but flat plain emptiness and the same boring standard X-Plane basic scenery, worse there is no OSM (Open Street Map) data in the tile either, so there is no road or autogen detailing in there as well, just well nothing.

When Drzewiecki Design released their UUEE Sheremetyevo Airport XP , I loved it because it was like a visitor from the Cold War past, the Soviet era, and it was also great scenery and great choice of a destination to fly to from any of the capitals of Europe...  but that was it, just this great airport in the middle of nothingness, bland....   zero ville.

Now Drzewiecki Design has released "Moscow City"  a scenery package to compliment their UUEE Sheremetyevo, and boy how much a difference this release has done to this totally boring area.

To get the full first impression effect I flew JARDesign's A320neo from EFHK Vatnaa, Helsinki to UUEE Sheremetyevo which is flight Finnair AY153 which is a daily 9.25am service.

First Impressions

I was surprised to start picking up scenery still quite away out from central Moscow, as I approached my 6000ft transition altitude. Here there was buildings and houses and the physical visual notes you were arriving somewhere.

Looking hard at the horizon through the A320's windows and you could see the iconic silhouette of Moscow city.

The scenery provides lite versions of all Moscow's Airports, this is UUWW Vnukovo, which was easily recognisable as you flew over. As you fly closer to the centre of the city the density of the objects below becomes quite heavy as the landscape fills in. You have all kinds of infrastructure including, blocks of flats, tower blocks, factories, housing, skyscrapers and almost everything that makes up an urban landscape, in all there is 2000 custom-made buildings that makes up this impressive scenery.

A note here in that you don't get that rolling as you move feeling effect where as it just suddenly appears in front of you and then quickly disappears behind as soon as you have flown out over the area. There is a slight effect of that as there has to be, but only in the far distance and as you can see from the images the views in every direction are widespread and visually it is very good to excellent.

The "Seven Sisters" or "Stalinist skyscrapers" built from 1947 to 1953 are all in the scenery with their "Wedding Cake" architecture or officially  Russian Baroque               - Gothic style. Most famous is the Moscow State University, front and centre of the image below.

Central Moscow is excellent and extremely realistic, and you really need a travel guide to pick out the landmarks and detail, but it is hard to miss the Red Kremlin complex  and St Peter's square from the air.  Both sides of the aircraft is visually full until you have crossed right over the city.

I am not a fan of the generated 3d OSM scenery, but this is very good in blending in perfectly with the X-Plane default scenery and giving you a smooth transition from country to urban and back again with great realism.

Over the city and turning north towards Sheremetyevo, another Moscow airport UUMU Chkalovsky is represented on the turn.

The city skyline is now easily visible on landing at Sheremetyevo, and that really helps in the arrival factor, more so in that the cities building infrastructure spread now comes up and around the airport to fill the gaps to the city itself, and making the original  Sheremetyevo scenery that was so open and lonely in the old X-Plane view is now a big part of the whole in this combination. No doubt it really brings this always good scenery now alive and very usable.

Sheremetyevo Airport

Before we move on to the city itself. It is important to note the area around UUEE Sheremetyevo itself.

Compare the large image above to the earlier image at the start of this review to see the amount of change there is around UUEE Sheremetyevo with the addition of this Moscow City package. The two sceneries are of course meant to be used together, and in reality it would look odd if you had Moscow City scenery installed without the Sheremetyevo scenery included to fill out the northern areas. A highlight is that both sceneries together form a single whole, as the areas between the airport and the central city area are well filled in and that gives you a huge area of coverage and the full visual aspect.

To get a closer lower look at the Moscow Center I commandeered Dreamfoil's lovely Bell 407.

There is a 4.000km² total area covered with this scenery here, and you have expect some sort of building replication to cover all that ground. There is of course but as well in the fact there is also enough variations as to not keep it all interesting and not obviously visually obvious.

The closer you go to the central area, the variations in the buildings change there in style and density as well. And then more of the iconic buildings start to appear as you get closer in again to the middle. The business district is excellent, with a lot of business towers and the more modern futuristic skyscraper architecture that stands out in every view point in eye scans across the city.

The more recent is in tune with the more older Stalinist era that makes up the Moscow skyline.

The Kremlin Complex and the Cathedral of Vasily the Blessed (St Basil's) is excellently represented and so is "Red Square"

There are Orthodox churches everywhere and all the big icons in the Moscow Cathedral Mosque, Cathedral of Christ the Savior, Grand Arena of the Central Lenin Stadium, Otkrytive Arena and department stores, museums and power stations and more....

I did have issues with many buildings floating, including the Kremlin. I tried both "Runways follow terrain contours" on and off with no flattening of the objects and there is no information in the manual either on how to fix the problem.

Night lighting is very good, yes there is again a repeatable pattern to the majority of the hundreds of the apartment blocks that does stand out, but the more individual buildings do all have that personal touch and some buildings look really very good.

The highlight here is the business district which looks magnificent and is very realistic from any direction at night as is the lit Stadium.

Although away from the central area the Ostankino Tower that stands 540.1 metres (1,772 ft) tall, and is the tallest freestanding structure in Europe and it looks great at night and is a very good position indicator from the air from any direction.

Included Moscow Airports

As noted also included in the scenery are seven airports and several helipads.

UUWW Vnukovo

The futuristic Vnukovo International is very good for a lite version, with great terminals and lots of small detailing. Only thing missing is the static aircraft and a bit more ramp equipment, but otherwise it is highly usable.

UUDD Domodedovo

The oldest of Moscow's International airports is Domodedovo. Again it is quite devoid of static aircraft and I am not crazy about the blue terminal glass work, but it is still a very workable scenery to use and has a lot of well made objects.

UUBW Zhukovsky

Zhukovsky was a major aircraft testing facility since the  cold war years, with most of the major Russian Experimental Design Bureau's having facilities here. It is also now used by the Ministry of Emergency Situations! and cargo carriers. It was also used as a test site for the Soviet Buran  reusable Spacecraft because it has the world's second longest pubic runway at at 5,402 m (17,723 ft). Mostly it is a collection of very large hangars but has a lot of static aircraft in storage.

UUMO Ostafyevo International Business Airport

A former military airbase. Ostafyevo features a new modern glass terminal, and caters primarily to business aviation.

UUMU Chkalovsky

Chkalovsky is a military logistics airport that is famous for it's support for the Russian Space program and transport to Star City and the Yuri A. Gagarin State Scientific Research-and-Testing Cosmonaut Training Center. Yuri Gagarin left here on his final flight before crashing by the town of Kirzhach.

UUBM Myachkovo Airport

Myachkovo is a small General Aviation Airport that is owned by the Finpromko company. Cargo aircraft up to the size of the Ilyushin ll-76 freighter can also use the airport.

UUMB Kubinka

Kubinka has been a significant Russian military airbase and large airshows are held here to show off the Russian military might.

There is also provided UUU1 Kremlin Airport, within the Kremlin walls, but I couldn't get it to work? There are two pads in H1 and H2.

Your first thoughts after reviewing this excellent Moscow scenery is not with this actual package. You then wish that you could have this extensive scenery at London, Rome, Madrid, Berlin and the list could go on with any of your favorite European Cities, and don't count a load in the Middle East and Asia. But a London scenery like this would certainly be a godsend in our X-Plane world. Drzewiecki Design has already done Warsaw and Manhattan, so there is always hope.

It is not cheap either and you need to add in their UUEE Sheremetyevo scenery package on top of that as well. But you get an awful lot of ground covered here for your money, with the area covered here that is extensive...  huge and flying into Moscow will never be the same again.

A few areas to note in one that in my case a few of the buildings floated, the download is huge load at 1.4gb and this Russian area is not the best for navigation aids and programming FMS units as most waypoints are not recognised. Most of the airports ILS coordinates also have to checked and recalibrated (Drzewiecki Design do provide all the correct coordinates) so there is a little work to do to set up repeat services but the work is worth the results.

Not only is the actual Moscow city and all it's buildings supported, you also get seven (if lite versions) of Moscow's other airports included as well, but the framerate processing of all this huge amount of objects and scale is pretty good to excellent. Framerate does hurt more on a lower (helicopter) level and certainly you need a computer with a little extra power is in no doubt required, but overall for the size of the area the scenery is extremely efficient.

Yes I was impressed by this Moscow City Scenery, as this once very barren area of X-Plane is now a very attractive repeat destination as nothing can give you a greater fulfilment than seeing your destination appear in the distance and then give you a huge visual experience as you fly over and approach your destination.

Moscow City certainly delivers that and more...  Just more sceneries like this please!

Moscow City XP by Drzewiecki Design is NOW available! from the X-Plane.Org Store here :

• Extremely detailed model of Moscow metropolitan area in Russia
• Almost 2000 custom-made buildings and other objects, all high quality, FPS-friendly and with night textures
• Whole Moscow center done in 3D as well as all other important landmarks - museums, palaces, skyscrapers, towers, bridges, railway stations, Zara stores...
• Trains, ships, 3D people, cars, airport vehicles, static aircraft - anything you can imagine
• About 4000 sq.km of photoreal 0,5-1m/pix terrain with autogen
• Sceneries of all surrounding airports including UUWW Vnukovo, UUDD Domodedovo, UUBW Zhukovski, UUMO Ostafyevo, UUBM Myachkovo and UUMB Kubinka, with all airport buildings, detailed layouts, people, airport vehicles and more
• Very detailed Kremlin model with newly constructed heliport

Requirements

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Installation and documents:

Download for the Moscow City XP is 1.47gb and the unzipped file is deposited in the "Custom Scenery" as four files:

DDZ Moscow City XP (3.99gb) - Yes GIGABYTES!

DDZ Moscow City XP Layer 2 (30.20mb)

DDZ Moscow City XP Documents (1.0 mb)

ZZZ_DDZ Moscow City XP Terrain (20.10mb)

Installation for Windows comes with an .exe installer that deposits the files in the correct order required (however I still moved the ZZZ- folder to the bottom via the INI text install list.

Installation Instructions are provided for Mac and Linux

You need to check all airports ILS coordinates are correct, instructions are provided.

Documents: Two documents include

Moscow City XP MacLinuxinstall

Moscow City XP Manual (seven pages)

Review System Specifications:

Computer System : Windows  - Intel Core i7 6700K CPU 4.00GHz / 64bit - 16 Gb single 1067 Mhz DDR4 2133 - GeForce GTX 980/SSE2 - Samsung Evo 512gb SSD 

Software :   - Windows 10 - X-Plane 10 Global ver 10.50

Addons : Saitek x52 Pro system Joystick and Throttle : Sound - Bose  Soundlink Mini

Plugins: JARDesign Ground Handling Deluxe US$14.95 : WorldTraffic US$29.95

Scenery or Aircraft

- Airbus A320neo by JARDesign ( X-Plane.OrgStore ) - US$59.95 : A320neo Sound Packs by Blue Sky Star Simulations ( X-Plane.OrgStore ) - US$19.95

- Bell 407 by Dreamfoil Creations ( X-Plane.OrgStore ) - US$34.95

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• 7 months later...

Thank you for this very thorough (as always) review. I just bought it (it's on sale) and have only one disappointment so far: Red Square has no ILS or any landing aids at all for that matter. And what a nightmare of an approach! Also I was hoping the package would include an add-on that gives my c172 a big cup holder for my Stoli. Otherwise the scenery is gorgeous. What a country!

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Do you know X-Yachts Qualities? - The steel frame

vrijdag 12 februari 2021

Do you know X-Yachts Qualities?  – The steel frame

By a new series, Torben Kornum explains the essential components which provide the quality, performance, and safety in the X-Yachts design.

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