Our resident used boat expert Nick Burnham explains how to find a good XO 270 on the secondhand market.
Boats that hail from Finland create certain expectations. With the highest per capita boat ownership of any country, the world’s largest archipelago (more than 180,000 islands) and long harsh winters, the Finnish have a no nonsense approach to boating that shines through every boat they build.
From Buster boats that start at under 4m to Botnia Targas and Sargo wheelhouse cruisers that top out at close to €1m, every model exudes the same rugged sense of purpose.
Although actually built in Poland, XO Boats is a Finnish company and uses Finnish design, so the results are predictable, if slightly unusual.
Article continues below…
XO 270 from Motor Boat & Yachting
Our video of the XO 270 from the 2014 Düsseldorf Boat Show
VIDEO: XO 360 tackles choppy sea trial off Poole
We put the super-tough flagship of the XO Boats range to the test in a choppy sea trial off Poole
Firstly, each model features an aluminium hull. “Durability and strength are the key assets of an aluminium hull,” says Neville Williams, Managing Director of UK XO dealer, Ideal Boats.
“Built from military grade aluminium, they have a ladder system of internal strengthening that makes them absolutely solid. But they’re also surprisingly quiet. They’re a pretty special experience.”
They’re also a pretty special looking boat. Launched in 2013 and the third XO after the XO 240 Cabin and the XO 220 Open, the XO 270 followed the same minimalist approach with a knife-like axe bow with a vertical stem and purposeful stance.
Built only as a wheelhouse boat, the upright cabin features a roof that seems to float above wraparound glass windows that stretch nearly to the edge of the hull.
Back aft is a flat deck above the engine and a small flip-down seat that faces the wheelhouse’s sliding aft door. On the XO 270 RS Cabin version, the front of the boat is a bow cockpit with seating on one side that wraps around the bow but there’s also a Front Cabin version that infills the bow to create a two-berth cuddy for more comfortable overnight stays.
Read Nick’s full used boat report on the XO270 in the July 2021 issue of MBY, out June 3.
