The queen of the X-Yachts fleet and almost certainly the highest-specification example. A fantastic bluewater capable Scandinavian-built performance cruiser.
FURTHER BROKER’S COMMENTS:
With well in excess of 1.35 million euros in factory extras, ABRAXAS 4 is arguably one of the highest specification X-Yachts ever to have left the renowned Danish boatyard. Configured to offer effortless short-handed long-distance cruising while fitted out with the very best of all equipment and fittings, ABRAXAS 4 is one of the finest 65ft cruising yachts afloat.
Conceived as the first and flagship model in a new, and highly successful range of ‘ Pure X’ designs which now also features 56ft, 49ft, 46ft, 43ft and 40ft models, the X6.5 utilises advanced, proven technology and build techniques to create a lightweight, stiff and powerful performance cruiser. Her specification highlights include:-
• Vacuum-infused epoxy sandwich hull construction with carbon fibre reinforcements
• Galvanised keel girder for distribution of rig and keel loads
• 3.00m fin keel with lead torpedo bulb
• Twin rudder blades
• Hall Spars carbon fibre mast with stainless steel rod standing rigging (replaced 2023)
• Custom carbon fibre furling boom with electric furling and manual override
• Reckmann electric genoa, staysail and code sail furlers
• Harken electric winch package
• North 3Di sail wardrobe with furling Code 0
• Carbon fibre bimini structure with solar panel arrays
• Tender garage with powered launching/recovery system for AER aluminium-bottomed RIB
• Retractable electro-hydraulic carbon fibre gangway
• Sanguinetti retractable mooring winch and Nomen folding cleats
• Yanmar 6-cylinder 160hp diesel engine with shaft drive, 3-bladed Flexofold propeller, NMEA 2000 engine data output to plotters, and electric gear/throttle controls at both port and starboard helm stations
• MaxPower retractable bow and stern thrusters
• Fischer Panda 12kw diesel generator
• Victron power systems with Lithium-Ion service battery bank
• Spectra Newport 24vDC watermaker
• B&G H5000 instrument package with multiple Zeus plotter/MFD displays, Halo 20+ radar scanner, dual autopilot systems, AIS and VHF with DSC
• Fully equipped galley with large gas stove, Miele microwave and coffee maker, dishwasher and extensive fridge and freezer solutions
• Laundry with Bosch washer/dryer
• 220vAC reverse cycle air-conditioning and heating system
• Tecma electric fresh-water flush heads
• Samsung TV’s in saloon and owner’s cabin
• B&O sound system
• Custom light oak interior joinery with contrasting walnut floors, stainless steel and carbon trims
• 4-cabin interior arrangement with owner’s cabin forward, crew/workshop cabin and two further guest cabins aft.
OWNER’S COMMENTS:
The X-Yacht 6.5 was a perfect fit for our planned family sabbatical in the Caribbean Season 2022/2023. Now, back in Europe she gets a brand new (2023) Hall Spars carbon rig. She is impressively equipped for cruising in comfort and safety while providing seriously extended autonomy. As it can be expected from a sixty-five-foot performance cruiser she sails great, but the pushbutton concept makes her easy to sail shorthanded too. She really has everything you could ask for on a yacht, even headroom for the tall ones amongst us. The light airy saloon and the large, carbon-bimini protected cockpit is enjoyed by guests and family alike. The combination of space and luxury makes it easy to enjoy a memorable time on-board, under sail, at anchor and in harbour.
Since my younger kids are returning into their classrooms our time window for extended family sailing is closing. Thus, the yacht is reluctantly put up for sale to a caring new owner.
PRESS REVIEW:
“The X6 is a bold design: a muscular, small superyacht blessed with powerful lines; a yacht that will place most others of her size firmly in the shade. The flagship of the new X range (the 41ft X4 was launched simultaneously – see full X4 test report), the X6 is a completely different animal, inside and out, from X-Yachts Xp performance cruiser range, designed to be a semi-custom cruiser with a healthy dose of testosterone and raw contemporary appeal.
“I have never walked into a boat before and fallen straight in love with it like this,” said our veteran photographer Richard Langdon, not one normally prone to exaggeration. The formidable natural light illuminates a mix of finishes including bare teak, clear-coat carbon, stainless steel and walnut – all modern, light, and fresh looking. “It’s sensational,” I agreed.
It should be noted however that this first X6 was built in collaboration with its British owner and is customised with a multitude of optional extras, including the carbon and leather trim, the brushed-stainless galley surfaces and the backlit feature bookshelf. He has also opted for a carbon Hall Spars mast and custom-made roller boom, which, together with features like her large hull portlights and bespoke dinghy stowage – there is room to stow a RIB facing forward on a roller-launching system that hinges down, as the aft deck lifts up – help identify her as very much a scaled-down superyacht.
Twin rudders are unusual for X-Yachts. The X73 in 2001 was the first model to have twin rudders – making room for the tender garage. “We don’t do it on smaller models because of prop walk,” Jeppesen explained. “But at this size you have a stern thruster.”
The X6 has very similar hull lines to the X65 I tested in 2009, seven of which were produced. She has a similar price and specification but her interior design is a quantum leap ahead.
Interior panache
To descend the bare teak steps of the shallow companionway is to witness a new dawn for X-Yachts. Yes we’ve seen a lot of raised saloon models before, but this has lashings of added panache. Stand in the saloon and you are at the perfect height for near-panoramic views, including that most prized angle looking forward over the flush foredeck. The amount of natural light in the saloon and galley is phenomenal.
Lift up the floorboards in the saloon and you’ll find high-calibre engineering: X-Yachts’s galvanised steel grid immediately imparts peace of mind; the tanks and batteries are all centrally positioned for optimum weight management and the hoses and wire looms are housed in metal cradles to keep them neatly together and out of the bilges. The plywood soles are thicker than those used in my house. I’m told that matching the walnut veneer in those lengths was somewhat tricky. The predominant trim is light oak Alpi again, but this has been brushed when bare for a more tactile finish.
By providing a modular layout to the three-part accommodation plan, X-Yachts can offer a variety of options. The test boat had a four-cabin format (two Pullmans and two double cabins). The choice of an extra Pullman forward, reduces the size of the sail locker and removes the space for a forepeak crew cabin. The aft Pullman is ideally placed for a professional crew next to the walk-in engine room and galley, although the addition of an en-suite here would make it more practical for crew use.
The telescopic coffee table in the saloon is an odd, over-complicated device with four diagonal folding leaf sections to seat a maximum of seven. Combined with a small cockpit table, this restricts the options for hosting any kind of slap-up meal from the wonderfully light and large galley, the size and quality of which is a real selling point of the boat. It has a phenomenal amount of locker space and cold storage, plus space for extras like a trash compactor, coffee machine, dishwasher, and microwave.
The owner’s cabin forward, with over 7ft of headroom, is again well lit and inviting with a distinct impression of luxury. The double aft has a corridor-style entrance that extends under the cockpit sole. It then widens out to reveal a generous cabin with a large hull portlight and private access to the adjoining heads.
Twin rudder power
Anyone familiar with X-Yachts will not be surprised to read that this is a slippery, powerful beast. In just 5–7 knots of breeze the X6 will almost match the wind speed to windward. Add a couple of knots in a puff and she heels elegantly and clocks 7.5–8 knots. When it piped up to 14 knots we were slicing upwind pointing 30–35º at 8.5 knots, even topping nine if we footed off 5º.
It was a potent and commanding performance. The inhaulers make a notable difference, adding five degrees to her pointing. An X-Yacht is consistently a delight to sail upwind, but the twin rudder grip offered on the X6 encourages you to push a little offwind. In 10–15 knots and with the Code 0 unleashed we maintained a steady 9.5 knots at 55–80º(apparent). This felt to me more steady than exhilarating and I noted excessive drag off the leeward rudder and wash off the windward rudder in this mode. Jeppesen said they had been tuning the rudder angles to get the best orientation. The loaded helm when reaching was probably more down to poor trim, as it was a nicer, more neutral feeling going upwind.
There’s no doubt that the X6 will make a formidable passage-maker. And if the wind does dip below 5 knots, the standard Yanmar 160hp engine with three-blade Flexifold propels her at 7.4 knots at 1,700rpm, consuming just 5.6lt of diesel per hour.
Cockpit arch benefits
For a large, powerful design, she’s a calm yacht to sail, thanks in part to a very smart, well thought-out deck design. The sheets for example disappear below deck aft, reappearing at two Harken 980s abaft the cockpit. The furlers for staysail, genoa and Code 0 are all under the deck and I like the versatility her cutter rig provides. The mainsheet is led from the arch forward through the boom and back to winches.
Personally I’m a fan of the cockpit arch. It’s a look reminiscent of the showpiece spoilers that typified the dream cars of the 1980s, but an arch also helps to create a cockpit enclosure, a sense of privacy and protection, and keeps the boom clear. The custom-made furler boom on the test boat has a manual override so the deck winch can be used in case of any power problems. This UK owner was also having a fixed bimini fitted with solar panels on top.
The lengthy but shallow cockpit has a small table and a dedicated liferaft locker by the companionway. Abaft the benches is a pair of winches either side, with storage beneath the side decks for running rigging tails. A generous sail locker swallows fenders and furling sails, plus there’s a chain locker with a wash-down hose and windlass.
Conclusions
The X6 is right in the sweet spot for this new X range, as the 55-80ft sector is where the interior can shine too. I was excited about the edgy, muscular looks of this new age for X-Yachts, but it was the interior of this yacht that blew me away. It’s a prime example of how, if you’re prepared to pay for the extras, the step up to this size level brings the sort of customisation and systems design more typically associated with the superyacht world.
This mid-60ft sector has traction, so new designs have to stand out. The modern styling of the X6 is certainly backed up with the performance X-Yachts is renowned for…”
Toby Hodges – Yachting World Magazine
SPECIFICATIONS
CONSTRUCTION
RCD Status:
• CE Certification Category A - Ocean
Hull Construction:
• The X6.5 hull is a composite construction, moulded in a female tooling. X-Yacht hulls are built using the latest construction technologies with a vacuum-infused, post-cured epoxy construction.
• The hull is a full sandwich construction, using foam core, biaxial E-glass skins and local carbonfibre reinforcements.
• Solid, monolithic laminate is used in areas around the keel structure, rudder stock bearings, around each through hull fitting, stern seal, P-bracket and thrusters.
• Light Gray hull.
• All structural bulkheads securely bonded to hull and deck.
• All bulkheads of a sandwich of marine plywood and PVC core in thicknesses between 20 and 30 mm. This gives a better strength as well as good soundproof properties.
• At the forward end of the boat watertight bulkheads separate the anchor compartment, sail locker and interior accommodation for safety and reassurance in the event of a collision.
• The rib garage is also separated with watertight bulkheads for safety in the unlikely event that the seal around the transom door fails.
Deck & Superstructure Construction:
• The deck is a hand lay-up, full sandwich construction.
• The foam provides strength and insulation.
• The deck uses a polyester resin system and the skins are mainly biaxial E-glass layers with local carbon fibre local reinforcements.
• Vacuum applied laid teak deck on side decks, coachroof, all seating, cockpit sole and the inside of the transom door / swim platform.
• Teak is nominally 9mm thick and has black caulking.
• The deck features flush Solimar glass deck hatches that provide plentiful light into the forward cabin(s).
• Flush Solimar glass deck hatches are fitted on the centreline of the coachroof which provide light and excellent ventilation to the saloon.
• The sprayhood can be folded and fully hidden in its designated storage on the coachroof.
Keel & Rudder:
• The keel is a 3.00 m (light ship) cast iron fin with a lead T-bulb.
• Ballast weight of the standard keel is approximately 10 600 kg, on this yacht it is added another 800 kg of lead in the bulb to further increased stability of an already stif boat.
• The keel structure consists of a hot galvanised, high strength steel frame which forms an integral part of the hull structure. It is capable of absorbing loads from keel, mast and rig as well as shock loads in the event of grounding. It is also strong enough to lift the yacht using the centre hoist point. Integrated limber holes to allow water to run to central keel bilge.
• Twin rudder blades allow for maximum control whilst heeled and give space for the stern garage.
MACHINERY
Engine & gearbox:
• Yanmar 6BY3-160, 6-cylinder, turbocharged diesel engine.
• Maximum power output is 117 kW (160 hp) at 2800 rpm.
• Freshwater cooled.
• The engine is mounted to the hull structure using vibration reducing shock mounts.
• The propeller shaft is coupled to the gearbox with an aqua drive to reduce vibrations.
• Electronic throttle controls mounted on both helm pedestals
Maintenance & Performance:
• Engine hours – 2,650 ** Please note ** - Stated engine hours are approximate and represent the hours run at the time of listing or last update. Engine hours may increase through continued use of the vessel.
• Date of last engine service: Engine serviced annually
Propulsion & Steering:
• Twin carbon fibre helm pedestals with Solimar Racer carbon fibre and varnished timber helm wheels
• 3-bladed Flexofold folding propeller
• MAX Power 24vDC electric retractable bow and stern thrusters with controls at both helm pedestal and futher remote control
• Emergency steering gear
ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS
Voltage systems:
• 24vDC primary domestic system with 12vDC start circuit and 220vAC via shorepower, generator or inverter
Battery Banks:
• 2x 12vDC engine and generator start batteries with emergency parallel - 2023
• 24vDC Victron Lithium-Ion service battery bank with 720Ah capacity
• 24vDC battery bank with 6x batteries servicing thrusters, furlers, electric winches and anchor windlass
Generator:
• Fischer Panda 15000i 220vAC 50Hz diesel generator 12kw output
• Generator hours - tbc
• Date of last generator service – serviced annually, major overhaul end of 2024
Charging / Inverter:
• Victron 220vAC 24vDC and 12vDC automatic battery chargers
• Victron 220vAC inverter
Alternators:
• 12vDC 150Amp engine-mounted alternator for charging start battery
• 24vDC 90 Amp engine-mounted alternator for charging service bank
Solar:
• The biminis have 12x 120 watt solar panels on top complete with charge controllers
Other Electrical:
• Victron GS Touch 50 touch display for monitoring charging from engine, shore, generator and/or solar panels
• Victron systems can be monitored remotely via cellular and internet connections.
• SuperSail Marine Alarm system with cellular connection to phone while away from the yacht.
• DC-DC voltage converters
• Galvanic Isolator
• 220vAC sockets throughout
• USB power outlets in all cabin areas
• Shore power inlet and additional Shore power inlet for air-conditioning
PLUMBING & GAS SYSTEMS
Fresh Water:
• 24vDC pressure system with pressure pump and accumulator tank
• Hot water supplied via engine cooling with 75 litre calorifier or via 220vAC immersion heater element from shore power
• Hot & cold pressurised water throughout
• Cockpit shower and deck washes
Watermaker:
• Spectra Newport 700 24vDC reverse-osmosis watermaker producing approx 110 litres per hour
Bilge Pumps:
• Manual bilge pump in cockpit
• High capacity electric bilge pumps with manual override at DC panel
• 24vDC shower drain pumps
TANKAGE
Fuel:
• Approx 1,200 litres fuel capacity
• Tank level sender with NMEA 2000 connection to display tank levels at chart plotters
Fresh Water:
• Approx 1,000 litres in 3x stainless steel tanks
• Tank level sender with NMEA 2000 connection to display tank levels at chart plotters
Holding Tanks:
• 350 litre grey water holding tank
• Blackwater holding tanks for each heads
• Tanks discharge directly overboard or via deck evacuation point.
NAVIGATION & COMMUNICATION EQUIPMENT
On Deck:
• 2x B&G Zeus 3s 12” colour touch-screen GPS chart plotter and radar displays at helm pedestals
• 2x B&G Nemesis 9” MFD displays at cockpit coamings
• 5x B&G 30/30 multi displays at mast
• B&G H5000 central processor with input from a motion processor, speed, depth, forward-looking depth, and carbon fibre vertical masthead unit
• B&G Halo 20+ closed-array digital radar scanner
• B&G Zeus2 7” MFD plotter display in owner’s cabin
• B&G AIS transceiver
• B&G H5000 autopilot system with control heads at both helm pedetals
• Secondary B&G H5000 processor unit with dedicated hydraulic ram, rudder sensor, control panel and Zeus 2 7” MFD plotter display connected on separate electric circuits to the rest of the navigation instrumentation
• B&G instruments are connected via NMEA 2000 network with additional tank monitoring functionality
• Twin Ritchie steering compasses at helm pedestals
At Chart Table:
• B&G Zeus 3s 12” colour touch-screen GPS chart plotter and radar display
• B&G H5000 MFD display
Communications Equipment:
• B&G VHF with DSC and handsets at chart table and helm pedestals
• 4G-5G Wifi router
DOMESTIC EQUIPMENT
Galley:
• Gas stove with 5x burners and oven
• Extractor hood
• Miele microwave oven
• Miele coffee machine
• Front opening stainless steel refrigerator
• Twin drawer stainless steel refrigerator
• Top-opening freezer
• Inset sink with Quokker instant boiling water tap
• Dishwasher
• Trash compactor
Heads:
• Tecma 24vDC electric fresh water heads (starboard aft heads can also be switched to salt water flush if required)
• Dornbracht taps and mixers
• Heads showers in all heads with automatic temperature control and electric pump out
Laundry:
• Bosch 220vAC washer/dryer
Heating & Ventilation:
• 220vAC reverse-cycle air-conditioning system
• Ventilation consisting of opening skylights, dorade and opening portlights
Entertainment:
• Electrically elevated Samsung 32” TV screen behind the sofa
• 32” Samsung TV in owner’s cabin
• Bang & Olufsen audio system
ACCOMMODATION
Accommodation Finish:
• Light oak interior with carbon and stainless-steel details and the extensive natural lighting.
• Contrasting dark walnut floorboards
• Clear carbon fibre finished doors with door handles in steel
• Advanced LED lights throughout with red night lights
• Light grey custom made leather cushions in saloon
• Stainless steel worktops in galley
• Corian counters in heads
• Sprung mattressses
Accommodation Layout from Forward:
Owner’s Cabin:
• Large centreline double berth with sprung mattress
• Drawers, cupboards, dressing table and hanging locker
• Samsung bulkhead-mounted TV
• Ensuite bathroom with custom-made Corian white wash basin and shower compartment, Dornbracht taps and mixers in contrasting matt black and fresh water flushed Tecma toilet
Forward Port Cabin:
• Twin bunk cabin, reconfigured as workshop cabin to feature drawers for storage of professional Würth tools, and space to store 10 or more boxes of spares
• Pull down single bunk for crew
• The cabin can be quickly converted in a workshop with workbench and back to a cabin when not in use.
Saloon:
• Spacious U-shaped sofa with the foldable table that can be raised for comfortable dining or lowered and folded in to be used as a coffee or tea table.
• Two foldable Dedon chairs in matching leather that can be used in the saloon or in the cockpit if and when needed.
• Electrically elevated TV screen that hides behind the sofa
Chart Table:
• Aft of saloon area to starboard
• Good sized navigation table with B&G navigation instruments and control of electrical systems
• Forward facing chart seat
Galley:
• Aft of saloon to port with open access to the saloon providing light and airy atmosphere with connection to the rest of the boat.
• Customised stainless steel work top that has an integrated freezer top and sink.
• Full 5 burner gas oven, a front opening fridge, two large fridge drawers, a Miele coffee machine, microwave oven, a cooker hood and a
• Qoukker with instant boiling water on the tap in the sink
• Trash compactor to reduce the storage of trash to a minimum.
Port Aft Guest Cabin:
• Accessed through galley
• Double bunk beds with the custom made lee cloths.
• The cabin has a full sized Bosch washer/drier that is concealed in one of the cupboards.
Starboard Aft Guest Cabin:
• A wide double bed with spring mattress for the best comfort, wardrobe and drawers.
• Direct access to the large aft bathroom with the same luxury details as the forward bathroom. The electrical toilet can be switched to use salt water in the unlikely event of a freshwater shortage on board.
Machinery Space:
• The machinery space is designed to offer easy accessibility to the majority of the systems on the boat. The engine, generator, shore power unit, inverter, and many other systems are located within this space, accessed through a door in the aft port side cabin.
• An access to the service side of the engine (port side) is provided through a removable panel. The companionway steps can be raised on self-supporting gas struts to offer full access to service the engine.
• The engine support beams and GRP engine room liner form an enclosed engine room sump, which is separate from the rest of the boat, to make it easy to keep clean.
DECK EQUIPMENT
Rig:
• Hall Spars clear-coated carbon fibre three spreader keel stepped mast - 2023
• V-shaped clear-coated carbon fibre furling boom with Reckmann 24vDC electric powered furling and integrated mainsail cover
• Carbon integrated bowsprit
• Hydraulic mast jack
• Stainless steel rod standing rigging – 2023
• Reckmann 24vDC electric genoa furler
• Reckmann 24vDC electric staysail furler
• Reckmann 24vDC electric Code sail furler with 2:1 halyard
• Reckmann hydraulic twin adjustable backstays, vang and genoa halyard tensioner with push-button panel and manual back-up.
• Carbon fibre spinnaker pole – vertically mast-mounted – 2023
Winches:
• 4x Harken 980 2-speed electric self-tailing electric cockpit winches located forward of helm positions
• Harken 2-speed electric self-tailing halyard winch at mast base
Sail Wardrobe:
• North Sails 3Di 760 Endurance fully-battened mainsail – 2016
• North Sails 3Di 760 Endurance 106% furling genoa with vertical battens – 2016
• North Sails 3Di 700 Ocean furling staysail with vertical battens - 2021
• North Sails Norlon 250 furling Code 0 with Equiplite torsion cable - 2016
General:
• Two carbon fibre structural biminis covering the forward cockpit and the helm station
• Varnished cockpit table.
• Remote controlled transom door creating large teak-laid bathing platform with bathing ladder and freshwater shower.
• Tender garage with remote-controlled winch for launching and recovering tender. The tender garage is watertight from the interior of the yacht.
• Fully retractable electro-hydraulic carbon fibre gangway on the starboard side of the stern with LED lighting and carbon fibre guardrail stanchions
• Lewmar custom grey tinted coachroof windows.
• Solimar glazed deckhead hatches with mosquito nets and night blinds.
• Portlights are integrated in the windows above the galley and in the shower compartment on starboard side aft.
• There is a further six portlights integrated in the hull to increase light and added feeling of being connected with the sea.
Anchoring & Mooring:
• 24vDC electric 2,300w reversing anchor windlass with controls at bow and helm with control panel and chain counter
• 45kgs Ultra stainless steel anchor stowed in the carbon bowsprit with 100 meter 12 mm chain.
• Foldable Nomen Cleats fore, aft, plus two additional cleats midships
• Retractable 24vDC electric Sanguetti mooring winch on the foredeck.
• Inflatable fenders with internal air pressure pump in the starboard aft locker.
• Freshwater hose in the anchor locker
Covers, Cushions & Canvas:
• Canvas sprayhood with adjoining pieces that can be attached to increase the shelter from rain and wind. On sunny days the whole sprayhood can be folded away under the teak cover to increase ventilation and give flush look – 2023
• Custom made covers for the pedestals, winches and the cockpit table.
Tender:
• AER Marine RIB with solid aluminium bottom and a foldable transom and 15hp outboard engine
SAFETY EQUIPMENT:
General note on safety equipment: Any safety equipment such as liferafts, Epirbs, fire extinguishers and flares etc. are usually personal to the current owner(s) and if being left on-board as part of the sale of a used vessel may require routine servicing, replacement, or changing to meet a new owners specific needs.
Navigation Lights:
• The mast is also equipped with led lights on the spreaders and a deck flood light in addition to the masthead tricolour navigation and anchor lights.
Lifesaving Equipment:
• Ocean Safety 6-person liferaft
• Ocean Safety 4-person liferaft
• 10x automatic 275Nm lifejackets
• Jonbuoy MOB – 2024
• 406Mhz EPIRB
• SART
Fire Control:
• Fire extinguishers
• Automatic fire control system in engine room – renewed end of 2024
• Fire blanket