Many clubs and schools have chosen the X3 sailing dinghy as their sail training solution, and have proven the X3’s reliability, ease of use and fun for their students.

The concept of the X3 sailing dinghy is to make sailing more exciting and fun for all by having sail combinations totally interchangeable, (from novice to experienced skill levels). Introducing gennakers (asymmetric spinnaker) to students at an early stage, has the great effect of teaching unique skills for the future while at the same time making their experience more fun and exciting.

Enough from us, here is what some of the people who have sailed the X3 have to say:

What does world-renowned America’s Cup skipper John Bertrand think of the X3 RACER after putting it to the test? “What a rocket!” “I am very impressed with the quality of the product” John Bertrand

• ” I sailed the X3 under the little rig on a windy day ( gusts over 27 knots) I was impressed by the duel rig concept, the boat’s durability and economy of manufacture, and can see a future for it as a low-cost way of getting children into sailing and as a fun sailboat for adults.”

Bob Ross, Editor of Australian Sailing Magazine

•  “My son was not interested in learning to sail and showed no interest in getting into a P-Class, Sabot or Optimist, but he became really enthusiastic when he saw the X3. He liked it because it looked like a 29er or 49er skiff.”

Rhys Nolan, Trade-A-Boat N Z boat review

• “your invention of X3 in sailing is equal to the invention of the skate board in the 80’s. Easy and great!!! Like the skate board there are unlimited opportunities and sailors of different levels can successfully select their range of fun and performance, according to their skill and ambitions in any wind and of course wave conditions.”

Victor Kovalenko – National/AIS Sailing Program Head Coach(Sydney 2000 Australian Olympic Sailing Coach)

• These boats are great, fantastic!” “Our maintenance requirements are reduced to virtually zero since the introduction of the X3 in our sail training program. Their robust construction and superior performance have led to a marked improvement in our sail training abilities. Without doubt this is probably one of the better sail training boats around. They are highly buoyant, and we regularly put 2 to 4 children in them. Previously, R.M.Y.S. used Sabots and Lasers with modified sail plans in our training program. These boats have now been put away. R.M.Y.S. currently train around 40 children on Sundays as well as a heavy involvement of 120 students per week, from our school sailing program (aged 8-18 yrs) and our higher education program ( aged 17-20 yrs).”

“All of our students thoroughly enjoy the high performance X3 dinghies.” Ron Brown – Director: Junior Sailing, Royal Melbourne Yacht Squadron

• ” Dear David & Jim, Here we are at the end of our first season of using the X3 Dinghies. We have to say that we are delighted. They have stood the test of fairly constant use by a lot of beginner sailors. The plastic hull is clearly a very robust alternative to fibreglass. They have been dragged onto the beach and manhandled up our ramp onto the sea wall many times, virtually unscathed. We write to express how pleased we are with both the program and the X3 dinghies. The boats are not only robust but have proven to be an excellent training boat. They are relatively quick and simple to rig which is an important feature for school groups such as ours. Getting students to the beach area and rigging boats occupies valuable time. It is essential then to do this as efficiently as possible. The X3 Education Rig is ideal for our purpose. In the St Kilda harbour area they have proven to be very stable even in a stiff breeze and certainly very responsive. Most importantly for us the trouble free use of the boats has enabled us to realise the initial aims of our program. This has been to engage students in an exciting and meaningful program that ensures students have to work in a team environment. We look forward to the task of developing advanced skills and coaching some of our students into racing. The X3 gennaker option adds extra performance for this purpose. We appreciate too, the assistance you have given us to get a group of staff developing skills for the program and the after sales service to ensure that the boats suited our purposed. We happily recommend the X3’s and look forward to a long association with them.”

Robin Arthur – Teacher: Kealba College, Julie Williams – Principal: Kealba College

•  “The X3 is one of a kind….It is so durable. The new state of the art plastic that has been used for the hull of the boat is absolutely BRILLIANT. There is no other way to describe it ….. Compared to the Laser, which is what I mostly sail and teach with, the X3 wins hands down. The X3 as a training boat is fantastic. They are easy to maintain, the rig is simple to set up and the best part is there a different rigs that can be used with just one boat … I believe that young kids using the boat can gain a huge advantage because with such a simple design and size of the rig, young kids can start to use the asymetrical spinnaker when they’re seven or so. Because they start so young, this will give them a huge advantage in the future…Compared to the Laser, the X3 is more stable, easier to set up, and if the X3 does go over, it will come back up very easily and won’t come back over on you. I can’t compare the X3 to any other training class because the X3 wins hands down!”

Ryan Welguz – Sailing Instructor, Canada and Australia.

• “My name is Jesse Wales. I have been sailing since I was eight and am now 11 years old. I sail train and race every Saturday on a Topper. Also I have been sailing Sabots, Laser Picos and a Viking. I have also crewed and been the helmsman on Flying Ants, Flying 11, Spiral, Vagabonds, X3 and a Hobie 16. I was going to buy a Sabot, but I find them a bit boring. I love to sail the X3, I think they are the best because you can sail it on your own, with an asymmetrical sail and easily get on the plane, especially on a run. You wouldn’t usually pitch pole, because the boat has a pointy nose; not a flat punt nose like the Toppers. I love the pivoting centreboard idea. The open back is really good because you don’t have to put in a self-bailer. I like the bowsprit, it looks great. May the wind be with you.”

Jesse Wales – 11 years old sailor from Southport Yacht Club

• “We really like our X3 sailboats and the kids and adults (we also teach a college class) like them. They are very stable- we can get an instructor and student in the boat without any problem, with the smaller (and 9 year old) kids we can get 2 students and an instructor. Because they are fairly light, it’s easy to get one up on the grass for land drills.”

Ward Latimer, Director: True Youth Programs, America True, San Francisco

• SAILING MAGAZINE JUNE 2002 ISSUE USA

 X3 Racer-daysailer.  If I had two youngsters interested in learning how to sail, I’d be looking hard at this X3. This little boat comes from Australia and has been specifically designed to use a graduated system for introducing sailors to the various complexities of the modern racing dinghy. This is another rotomolded craft. Not only that, it’s made from recyclable materials. Aesthetically this boat has the earmarks of a racing dinghy. The stem is almost plumb, and the transom is open. The hull form shows a sharp entry fairing quickly into the topsides to provide plenty of buoyancy. The sections at the stern are a flattened arc for good planing performance. The transom is open for drainage. The centerboard is a deep high-aspect-ratio board that should give this dinghy excellent performance on the wind. The rudder is a kick-up type for beaching. The deck is cambered with a large radius on the inboard edge to make hiking comfortable. Here’s how it works. First you buy the basic hull platform and the “education” sailplan. This is a short cat rig with a fathead-type full-roach main. This is going to look pretty high-tech to your kid compared to the Walker Bay rig, and once your youngster has mastered the main he can graduate to the small asymmetrical chute for better downwind speed. Now your kid’s beginning to feel like 49er champion Jonathan McKee. Still, there is really no need to rush the chute, since you can have lots of fun with the single sail. It’s only 43 square feet, and the gennaker adds another 48 square feet, doubling the horsepower. With a main, gennaker and a 110-pound crew, the sa/d is 38.8. You can also sail the X3 comfortably with two youngsters. So, after a summer of learning with the education rig your kid can spend the winter bulking up and getting ready for the “fun” rig. This rig adds an additional 19 square feet to the mainsail for a total main area of 62 square feet. The gennaker is also substantially larger with a sail area of 88 square feet. With the bigger rig the downwind sa/d is raised to 58.8, assuming your kid has put on 30 pounds over the winter. To achieve this I recommend Bob’s famous Swiss steak recipe with lots of mashed potatoes smothered in Bob’s Swiss steak sauce. The X3 with the fun rig is now elevated to true high-performance dinghy numbers and should satisfy the most demanding dinghy sailor. Yes, you will capsize this dinghy. You should. I don’t think you can learn to ski without falling, and I don’t think you can learn dinghy sailing without capsizing. Most kids like to capsize, especially on hot days. However, with the short rig this will be a rarity. Really you should instruct your learner in the tricks for righting the dinghy anyway to complete the education process. Clearly this is a boat I could enjoy. A performance dinghy with multiple rigs for all abilities. Perry on design. SAILING MAGAZINE JUNE 2002 ISSUE USA

Australian Navy Cadets reference.

” I sailed the X3 under the little rig on a windy day ( gusts over 27 knots) I was impressed by the duel rig concept, the boat’s durability and economy of manufacture, and can see a future for it as a low-cost way of getting children into sailing and as a fun sailboat for adults.” Bob Ross, Editor of Australian Sailing Magazine         “The 4th Williamstown Sea Scouts have been using 6 X3 dinghies over the past 2 years. During that time the craft have proven to be functional, rugged and easy to maintain. The configuration is suitable for introducing young Scouts to sailing and allows them to progress in the same craft to a more demanding sail configuration using the asymmetric spinnaker. The self-draining design has seen as many as three scouts per boat at times, but two up and solo is more the norm. I have no hesitation in recommending these craft for training programs. The lack of standing rigging is useful for a quick start and quick pack up and means more time on the water”.

Tony Hingston Sailmaster- 4th Williamstown Sea Scouts, Melbourne, Australia

    For further information on the X3 and a quotation for your club or school contact one of the X3 team at Sail Extreme.