{"id":133368,"date":"2024-10-31T06:39:08","date_gmt":"2024-10-31T06:39:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mby.com\/?post_type=review&p=133368"},"modified":"2024-10-31T06:40:06","modified_gmt":"2024-10-31T06:40:06","slug":"xo-explr-44-review-unique-in-the-world-of-all-purpose-adventure-boats","status":"publish","type":"review","link":"https:\/\/www.mby.com\/reviews\/wheelhouse-walkaround\/xo-explr-44-review-unique-in-the-world-of-all-purpose-adventure-boats","title":{"rendered":"XO EXPLR 44 review: unique in the world of all-purpose adventure boats"},"content":{"rendered":"

Things weren\u2019t originally supposed to be this way. When XO embarked on a project to build its new flagship, it began as the EXPLR 12. That expanded by a metre during the design stages to become the EXPLR 13, but rather than invite any negative numerical associations, XO ditched the metric approach, added another couple of feet and ended up launching the XO EXPLR 44 instead.<\/p>\n

So what do you get for all that extra length, breadth and volume?<\/p>\n

Well in terms of the concept, the XO EXPLR 44’s luxury and flexibility are designed to take it well beyond the Nordic states and northern Europe and make it a real part of the conversation in the Mediterranean and the Caribbean too. In terms of the basic design principle behind that ethos, that\u2019s also quite simple.<\/p>\n

As you would expect, it uses a walkaround design with a central pilothouse and open fore and aft decks. But by raising the aft deck, as well as the bow, and then keeping the central pilothouse section relatively deep-set, the idea is to generate a pair of private cabins at opposite ends of the boat, while keeping the profile (and the windage) well in check.<\/p>\n

\"\"

Responsiveness and agility are way sharper than you would expect at this kind of size<\/p><\/div>\n

As far as the aesthetic goes, it certainly works. With its plumb bow, muscular haunches, hidden anchor and vertical ranks of sail-yacht-style windows, this is a very cool looking boat. That purposeful look is ably augmented by the granite grey colourways, tinted windows and aluminium construction too. But what we really want to do is get on board and see how this unusual arrangement impacts on the cabins themselves…<\/p>\n

A tale of two cabins<\/h2>\n

The forward cabin adopts much the same approach as that of the award-winning DFNDR 9. It involves a double bed in the V of the bow with easy sundeck access through a right-angled swing-up hatch built into the foredeck\u2019s island sunbed.<\/p>\n

\"\"

Movement around this boat is safe and simple<\/p><\/div>\n

Some ply-lined storage spaces beneath the bed enable you to use it for baggage without compromising your bow thruster or batteries; and aft of the bed there are storage cabinets on the port side and a changing seat to starboard, as well as a wetroom-style heads compartment with a clever shower door dividing the space in two.<\/p>\n

But of course it\u2019s the aft cabin that feels particularly fresh. Accessed by means of a hinged seat on the port side of the pilothouse dinette, you step down into an atrium with open access to the lounge and sleeping area aft. There\u2019s also a door that leads forward into a separate heads compartment, as well as a huge one-piece window that looks aft over the stern deck.<\/p>\n

This is the place that has gained the most from the 44\u2019s length increases so space feels very strong and the fact that the cockpit furniture is so low-slung also works well, enabling you to see aft over the outboard engines when the backrest is folded flat.<\/p>\n

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It\u2019s virtually an open boat when you want it to be<\/p><\/div>\n

The aft cabin itself occupies a huge footprint. On the test boat, it is split into a pair of large fore-and aft benches, one on either side, with handy storage behind the backrests. There\u2019s decent room to sit up and use this as a lounge but such is the space on offer that you can also split it with a transverse or fore-and-aft bulkhead, creating either two single cabins or an aft crew cabin and a separate space further forward.<\/p>\n

As things stand though, the cabin is kept bright and pleasant thanks to a set of skylights and hatches out onto the raised aft deck, plus panoramic letter-slot windows that look out past the Mercury outboards. The impact of all of this, of course, is that the various engineering units \u2013 your diesel heaters, AC units, calorifier and generator \u2013 have to be redistributed elsewhere on the boat. But while the bulk of that is located beneath the pilothouse floor, the Seakeeper retains its natural place in an aft cabinet between the two benches.<\/p>\n

\"\"

The new flagship takes much the same bow cabin design as we saw on the award-winning DFNDR 9 and ramps it up with extra length<\/p><\/div>\n

Neatly splitting the fore and aft cabins, the pilothouse is basically divided into two sections \u2013 a starboard dinette that can be converted into an occasional double bed and a transverse pantry unit that houses the two helm seats on its leading edge.<\/p>\n

These are framed on both sides by large sliding doors, the idea being that the crew can get in and out on the starboard side, even when the skipper\u2019s in his seat, simply by sliding the pantry forward. In practice, the aperture at the skipper\u2019s side does feel a shade tight but it\u2019s just about doable \u2013 and it\u2019s no trauma heading out through the port door instead if you need to. In spite of the low profile, the headroom is also excellent in here and while the roof makes a great spot for solar panels, bikes, kayaks and SUP boards, the fact that it also features plenty of skylights and opening hatches means that ventilation for the pantry\u2019s single burner is plentiful.<\/p>\n

\"\"

Access to the bow cabin<\/p><\/div>\n

That said, it might be worth opting for extra seating in here instead of the pantry because there\u2019s a very serviceable wet bar in the aft cockpit. Built into the aft end of the pilothouse structure, it features a generous worktop, an electric barbecue and a sink with a tap. And yet, thanks to some really painstaking work by the XO engineers, this supremely low-profile unit is actually no thicker than your fist. That means it\u2019s able to perch astride the aft atrium window without obstructing the view \u2013 and it does so with such perfect anonymity that, until you lift the lid, you have no idea it\u2019s there at all.<\/p>\n

Enjoy the silence<\/h2>\n

With those twin Mercury 600s on the transom, this boat is astonishingly quiet. It registers just 45 to 50dB at displacement speeds, which is not dissimilar to the hum of a fridge, and it only increases, through the mid 60s at cruising speeds, to around 73dB at the 46-knot top end. The fuel readings make interesting reading too.<\/p>\n

\"\"

The aft cabin comes with a heads compartment and a central atrium plus massive views across the cockpit\u2019s low-level furniture<\/p><\/div>\n

As you push from 3,000rpm to 3,500rpm, your speed doubles from 11.5 to 23 knots, while your fuel flow rate actually drops from 6.7L\/Nm to 6.1. If that\u2019s to be expected from these 600s as they ease up into the higher gear, what\u2019s more surprising is the fact that if you add another ten knots, this boat is actually marginally more efficient at 33 knots than it is at 23. Things do go off a bit of a cliff beyond 40 knots but the refinement remains brilliant throughout…<\/p>\n

The attitude is flat, the tracking is straight, the handling is clean, the visibility is superb, the ride is soft and the noise remains conspicuous by its absence. Access to the side decks is also excellent and, in spite of the fact that the test boat\u2019s joystick is rather bizarrely positioned on the left-hand side of the right-hand helm station, the ergonomics are strong too.<\/p>\n

\"\"

You can swap the wheelhouse pantry for extra seating and cook at the cockpit wet bar instead<\/p><\/div>\n

The wheel is adjustable, the sliding seat is equipped with impact mitigation and there\u2019s a bank of traditional offshore-pilothouse-style displays on a fibreglass plateau above the tall windscreen.<\/p>\n

In terms of power, the new EXPLR 44 delivers some exciting options too. You can apparently rig this boat with a pair of 350s but XO equates that to inflicting a 1-litre Fiesta engine on a Porsche and when you drive the test boat, you can\u2019t help but concede they have a point.<\/p>\n

\"\"

The wet bar is so shallow, you don\u2019t even know it\u2019s there<\/p><\/div>\n

You start off with respect for the power and for that long keel by keeping your fast turns controlled and circumspect. But by the end of the day, you find yourself launching into frothy 3-boat-length 180s with all the hooligan vigour you might more commonly reserve for a flat-bottomed jet boat when nobody\u2019s looking.<\/p>\n

Better still, when you throw it through a hard, fast turn, your shallower outside prop celebrates the occasion by flinging a 10ft rooster tail in the air, without the slightest perceptible loss of grip or pace. It doesn\u2019t quite possess the snap and fizz of a boat like the outrageous DFNDR 8 but given its scale and weight, it gets deliciously close.<\/p>\n

\"\"

It offers something pretty much unique in the world of the all-purpose adventure boat<\/p><\/div>\n

XO EXPLR 44 specifications<\/h2>\n

LOA:<\/strong> 44ft 0in (13.40m)
\nBEAM:<\/strong> 12ft 2in (3.70m)
\nDRAFT:<\/strong> 3ft 6in (1.05m)
\nDISPLACEMENT:<\/strong> 8,268kg (light)
\nFUEL CAPACITY:<\/strong> 1,800 litres
\nENGINES:<\/strong> Twin 600s \/ triple 450s
\nRCD:<\/strong> B12 \/ C14
\nCONTACT:<\/strong> MCC Marine +44 (0)2380 456116 www.xo-boats.com<\/p>\n

XO EXPLR 44 costs & options<\/h2>\n

From \u20ac853,390 ex VAT. Test boat includes the following options:
\nTwin Mercury V12 600s with joystick control
\nSeakeeper 4 stabiliser \u20ac95,000
\nGenerator \u20ac39,700
\nAir conditioning \u20ac51,900
\nSide gates \u20ac7,000<\/p>\n

\n

\"\"If you enjoyed this\u2026.<\/h2>\n
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Motor Boat & Yachting is the world’s leading magazine for Motoryacht enthusiasts. Every month we have inspirational adventures and practical features to help you realise your sailing dreams, as well as tests and news of all the latest motorboats.<\/em><\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Plus you’ll get our quarterly Custom Yachting supplement where we share the last on offer in the superyacht<\/a> world and at the luxury end of the market.<\/p>\n

Build your knowledge with a subscription delivered to your door. See our latest offers<\/a> and save at least 30% off the cover price.<\/em><\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n
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Things weren\u2019t originally supposed to be this way. When XO embarked on a project to build its new flagship, it began as the EXPLR 12. That expanded by a metre during the design stages to become the EXPLR 13, but rather than invite any negative numerical associations, XO ditched the metric approach, added another couple […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4647,"featured_media":133378,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","tags":[1620,1593],"review_manufacturer":[],"review_category":[46],"review_type":[],"review_award":[],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mby.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review\/133368"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mby.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mby.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/review"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mby.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4647"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mby.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=133368"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.mby.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review\/133368\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":133387,"href":"https:\/\/www.mby.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review\/133368\/revisions\/133387"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mby.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/133378"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mby.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=133368"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mby.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=133368"},{"taxonomy":"review_manufacturer","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mby.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review_manufacturer?post=133368"},{"taxonomy":"review_category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mby.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review_category?post=133368"},{"taxonomy":"review_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mby.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review_type?post=133368"},{"taxonomy":"review_award","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mby.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review_award?post=133368"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}