XCAT boat review

XCAT arrived home in 4 boxes. Everything was installed correctly including sails, rudder, net and rowing accessories in 2 and half hours. Of course I had to read the instructions and watch the videos during the first assembly. But was not really difficult. Moving the XCAT on the provided wheels up and down the lake was easily done single handed.  

I tried the RowVista® first. It is really fast, smooth and enjoyable. Very entertaining workout. The forward movement is a great and unique feature of this boat. When my daughter was rowing, other boaters were surprised how easy and fast this thing goes! 

With my limited sailing experience I was able to take full control for over 20 hours of sailing single handed. It goes really fast and easy. Tacking by moving your weight forward using the amazingly designed automatic rudder is extraordinary. With a crew of 2 we hiked, we jibed and it was fun. So far, I sailed it in wind speeds 5-11 knots. I felt very safe. Hoping with some training, I will get the courage to try the 15 knots sailing. I sailed the XCAT with a friend of mine who is an experienced sailor and he was amazed with the boat quality, light weight and the simplicity of assembly-disassembly procedure. I also see the boat brings attention from other boaters with lots of thumbs up. One has to say that there has been a lot of engineering in this boat. 

I have to tell that switching gears between sailing and rowing rigs takes less than 10 min. I was sailing at the same time with someone who has a Minicat and it is clear that the Xcat is faster. But what is more important is that when the wind died, he headed back home and I went to switch gears to rowing and continued the fun during a beautiful sunny day. 

Only one con, the left oar's latch opens sometimes spontaneously during rowing making the oar loose. I contacted the dealer and sent some pictures to get an advice. He immediately contacted the manufacturer and they sent me a replacement part right to my door. 

Overall I am totally satisfied with this high quality boat and highly recommend it to others. I am planing to store the hulls on hangers in the garage during the winter.  The dealer, Ivano Stellato, is also is very supportive and responsible. He responds to emails almost immediately. He is honest and highly professional.