Based in Helsinki, Finland, XO Yachts recently introduced their new, aluminum-hulled EXPLR 44 for adventurous cruisers. The 44 has many interesting design features beginning the walk-around decks and high bulwarks, the enclosed pilot house and the 1350-horsepower delivered by the outboards.
XO Yachts EXPLR 44 has a lot of current, Finish-design aspects that we have seen in Axopar and Saxdor express cruisers. The bows is plumb, the sheer straight and angled upward and the hull carries a hard chine all the way aft. The look is almost military in its severity.
But the real story here is the EPLR 44, like the other boats in the XO line, are built of welded aluminum with robust scantlings designed to withstand rough seas and even encounters with the ice and bergy bits of the north.
The benefits of aluminum for hulls lies in the material’s great durability and high strength-to-weight ratio. With a 5mm hull-plate thickness built on 8mm frames and stringers, the hull, which has a 22-degrees of dead rise all the way aft, provides a quiet and very soft ride in choppy and rough seas.
Aluminum is also low maintenance if properly constructed and fitted with zincs and electrical bonding. Hulls can be burnished and left unpainted, or they can be primed and Awlgripped.
XO offers two outboard options, the twin 600-horsepoer and the triple 450-horsepoer versions. The later dishes up a top speed of over 50 knots.
The stylish-looking pilot house, helm and small dinette can be enclosed with sliding glass doors and climate controlled with both heat and AC. This feature will appeal to those who like to go out in all weathers and explore remote regions.
The efficiency-type galley is in the pilothouse where it is built into the back of the helm’s bench seat with a small stove, sink and fridge. A larger U-shaped dinette sits outside on the afterdeck where sundowners and meals will be taken in pleasant weather.
The accommodations are simple but sufficient. The forward cabin has a V-berth and an en suite head with a shower. The after cabin, down its own companionway, has twin berths and a smaller head. This innovative cabin arrangement makes excellent use of what otherwise could be dead space aft.
The XO EPLR 44 is a go-anywhere, go-anytime sort of boat that can get you dreaming of high latitudes, polar bears and the midnight sun. Or, maybe just exploring your home waters in a speedy express cruiser that is stylish and unique. Read more. https://xoboats.com/xo-fleet/explr-44/
