A commercial success
The X-4° , the second boat in the Pur X range, revives the concept of a comfortable cruiser, which can occasionally line up at the start of the regatta with a potential for victory. It has been a real success since its launch. More than a hundred copies have been manufactured over the past two years. Five models, from 40 to 65 feet are in the 2019 catalogue and we are waiting for the announcement of a 56 and probably a 60 during the winter.
Modern lines
As with all models, the design comes from the Design Office headed by one of the three founders of the brand, Niels Jeppesen. The architectural choices are rather conservative, but executed with a certain modernism. The general line with the roof windows is closer to the Xp than the Xc.
A small 40 feet
A slightly marked bilge appears at two thirds of the length and rises towards the stern. Its straight bow with an optional bowsprit helps to christen it 4°, because the hull length is only 11.50 m (and not 13 m of a 40 feet). The unique rudder, designed in the shape of a whale's half-tail, is controlled by two wheel steering systems.
A steel frame for rigidity
The hull-deck connection is inside the flat edge which is an integral part of the sides. This process is made possible by the use of two half-moulds to infuse the shell. The T-keel is equipped with a torpedo bulb, like the performance range. Its sail is fixed to the hull by bolting on the famous galvanized steel frame which acts as a varangue and takes over the rigging forces. It is also used to sling the boat from a central point, proof of the designers' mastery of balance. However, instead of being laminated to the hull, it is now bolted to two thick fiberglass stringers integrated into the hull, making it even more reliable, practical and resistant in the event of a heel.
Quality that can be paid for in terms of manpower
Hulls and deck are made of epoxy resin/glass/cellular foam sandwich, vacuum infused and then cooked at 80° for 24 hours. The compromise between stiffness, strength and weight is therefore favoured as much as possible. The manual filling of the cutting fields, the reinforcements around the hull windows, the adjustment of the bulkheads in the deck counter moulds and the matt fabric layers under the gelcoat, are markers of the high quality of manufacture which still requires more than twice the time spent on the line than larger series models.
