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Meet the XO EXPLR 44

• By Yachting Staff
• December 27, 2023

XO Boats in Finland has unveiled its first adventure vessel: the XO EXPLR 44.

This is a builder that markets its designs as “crossover boats from the rough north.” XO Boats’ aluminum deep-V hulls are touted as being at the forefront of sustainability, since the melting of pre-used aluminum to create new boats requires only 5 percent of the energy used to produce the same amount of new aluminum.

XO Boats offers three lines of vessels: DFNDR, DSCVR and EXPLR. The EXPLR line includes five models that start at 28 feet length overall. In fact, all of the builder’s other models are smaller than 30 feet long. The new XO EXPLR 44 is the flagship for the brand, marking a leap in size to just shy of 44 feet length overall.

With the XO EXPLR 44, the builder says it intends to bring premium materials and naval architecture to adventure yachting. This boat can be ordered with either double 600-horsepower engines or triple 450-horsepower motors, depending on how much giddyap the owner wants to achieve. Reported top speed is more than 50 knots.

Exterior styling on the XO EXPLR 44 is aggressive, giving off a vibe similar to military-inspired expedition yachts that are capable of cruising the polar regions. The angular shapes should look formidable entering just about any harbor.

“As we have discussed with our customers and listened to their feedback, we saw that there was demand for a yacht-sized craft from XO,” Erkki Talvela, CEO of XO Boats, stated in a press release. “With this launch, we aim to meet the needs of more demanding and quality-conscious boaters who also appreciate the elegance of EXPLR 44.”

The boat has two staterooms that are equal in size, so nobody feels like they’re stuck sleeping in a kiddie cabin. The aft stateroom can be ordered with twin berths or a double, depending on the type of cruising the owner intends to do. There’s also a bunk in the pilothouse, meaning a total of six people can sleep on board.

For cruising in colder or warmer climates, the EXPLR 44 has heating and air conditioning. The roof has space for solar panels, if owners want to generate power off-grid, and there are roof racks for bicycles and other sports gear.

Is there companion seating at the helm of the EXPLR 44? Yes, there is. A skipper’s seat and a mate’s seat are side by side with full view of the helm displays.

Take the next step: learn more at www.xoboats.com

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Scandinavian design fit for Maine

Photos by Polly Saltonstall

Over a thousand years ago, the Vikings roared out of the fjords in their radical new boats—long, narrow, swift and maneuverable—striking fear and awe wherever they appeared. The Viking long ships were a design breakthrough. While we tend to remember them as vessels of war, these vessels had more peaceful uses, as well, for trade and exploration.

In recent years, the pleasure-boat market has seen a new long, swift, and maneuverable class of boats, born in the Baltic Sea, that has been striking awe in the hearts of consumers around the world. My wife Polly and I had the good fortune to test drive two prime examples of this new breed, the 29-foot XO DFNDR 9 and 30-foot XO EXPLR 10 in their home waters. We started in Stockholm (from a dock next to the Viking Museum) in a two-boat convey, crossed the Baltic Sea, and tore through the Finnish archipelago, ending up in Helsinki. XO CEO Erkki Talvela was the expedition captain with assistance from his in-house designer Jaako Kantola. Photographer Valtteri Hirvonen, also on the trip, kept us informed on the Finnish mindset. Also, on board were two other journalists. 

XO Crossovers were one of the first boats in their class to feature a plumb bow, straight sides, straight sheer, deep-V hull shape, narrow beam, and enclosed pilothouse, a look that has come to define this modern Scandinavian look. With many islands to be explored, the Finns love to gently put their boats up on rocky beaches. With their stout aluminum construction and rounded forefoot, the XO lines of boats fit the bill.

The line is being imported and sold in the northeast by Yachting Solutions. YS CEO Bill Morong said the dealership has received two XO Crossover boats already and that they saw a lot of interest at recent boat shows. “People are buying them sight unseen,” he said. “They are like the ultimate SUV for the water.”

Talvela started XO Crossover in 2007, with the goal of building a boat that would fit his needs, which are similar to many other adventurous boaters. He wanted something that would look good, but work hard, carrying him offshore on diving expeditions—he is a skilled diver who has explored many of the Baltic’s shipwrecks over the years—and serve as all-weather transportation to his vacation home on one of Finland’s many small islands.

Finland has close to 80,000 islands, and, according to Valterri, millions more rocks, and many Finns hold second homes on those islands (almost all with the ubiquitous sauna). These islands are granite, and while the seas were gentle while we were there, the Baltic can be notoriously rough. With these two environmental factors in mind, and with his knowledge of his needs both as a diver and an island commuter, Talvela wanted the deep-V hulls of his boats to be built of sturdy, military-grade aluminum.

Many workboats in the Baltic are built of aluminum, tough and rugged, but they look, well, tough and rugged. Talvela had something different in mind, something more along the lines of a nautical equivalent of a British aluminum-bodied Land Rover Defender, which is also tough, but with a touch of elegance to match—looking good while working well.

“I can drive a boat to pieces, but have not been able to do that with this boat,” Talvela said, adding that XO stands for extraordinary and cross-over from workboat to elegant.

Like Land Rovers, the XO boats’ aluminum hulls are wrapped in a tough 3M fabric that gives the appearance of carbon fiber. The topsides, including the cabin, are fiberglass.

Our boats were black, and at one point we sped past a trio of sailors in a classic 1930s-era Finnish HAJ sloop. When we saw them later ashore they told us they thought that maybe we were the secret service carrying Finland’s young female prime minister. Earlier in the trip, we had been chased briefly by a police boat and cautioned for speeding.

Talvela’s concept struck a nerve and the boat sold well. He left the company for a time—one of his fellow XO founders went on to start the Axopar boat company—then returned to XO in 2019 and revamped the company’s line.

The model range includes the DFNDR, DSCVR, and EXPLR series, and includes open boats, T-tops, and cabin cruisers, with options for either inboard or outboard power.

XO’s most recent model, the DSCVR 9 (short for Discoverer) is a finalist for the 2022 European Powerboat of the Year. All of the XO models are light and fast.

The Baltic coast and islands on both sides in Sweden and Finland looked much like Maine, rocky islands, dotted with fir trees. But the water is brackish and there is no tide, and there are no lobster buoys. At one point, demonstrating the boats’ tough hulls, Kantola pulled up, bow first, to a rocky bluff, keeping the engines running to hold the boat in place as his passengers disembarked for some quick exploring.

We spent most of our time on the diesel-powered EXPLR 10. Its wheelhouse has room for as many as five people—an L-shaped setee can be converted into a bed—the small forward cabin includes a tiny head and a hatch that opens to the forward deck. There is a small bench aft of the cabin.

The vertical windshield and low bow on both models provide great sight lines for the skipper, at slow speeds as well as fast. High gunwales keep the boats dry. The bow pulpit opens to allow easy access to a dock or a beach when the boat is pulled up. The company offers a range of deck and cabin configurations for each model.

The diesel-powered EXPLR 10, with a 270-hp Mercury marine diesel, went a  relatively sedate 35 knots, sipping a reasonable 1.5 liters per mile. The DFNDR 9 on the other hand is equipped with twin Mercury 225 Mercury Verados and could go 50 knots. Both boats carved through waves well even in rough water, and held steady without skidding, even on the hardest of turns at speed, a testament to the hull design. The company’s recent hull designs had input from J & J Yacht Design, one of Europe’s leading designers. Bow thrusters add to the ease of maneuvering in tight spaces.

The XO hulls are welded at a factory in Poland with 8mm plate at the keel, 5mm at the waterline, and 4mm on the topsides, reinforced with a honeycomb of aluminum, lined with foam to deaden sound. Great attention has been paid to keeping the weight down so as to keep the performance up. Beyond aluminum’s outstanding construction attributes—tough, easy to work, and light—it is also a more sustainable boatbuilding material. According to Talvela, not many materials are as easily recycled.

The top hull and deck of the XO are fiberglass. This allows designer Jaakko Kantola great latitude in achieving the ergonomically sound interior and deck space that makes riding in these boats pleasant. The cabins of both models that we drove had big sliding doors on each side, and opening to the back seating area, as well as big sunroofs up top. Open “safari” walls are also an option.

I like the XO Crossover lines. I could certainly see myself at the helm of the XO EXPLR, with the forward cabin loaded up with turkey and other feastmaking supplies, with the family and me warm in the heated cabin, slicing across Penobscot Bay in a bit of a blow, to our offshore island to celebrate Thanksgiving. Or headed off to a summer picnic on a rocky beach. That’s just what these boats were made for.  

John K. Hanson Jr. is publisher emeritus of this magazine.

Hull: Aluminum LOA: 28' 8" LWL: 26' 2" Beam 8' 5" Draft to props: 3' 2" Deadrise: 23 degrees Power: 2x Mercury 225 HP

Builder: XO Boats Finland www.xoboats.com

Dealer: Yachting Solutions 229 Commercial St., Rockport, ME 207-236-2383 www.yachtingsolutions.com

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When others stay in port

Inspired by nordic environment..

Introducing another great boat to our range of outstanding boats, the EXPLR 9 is the first of the second generation of boats to be launched. Making its debut at Boot Düsseldorf 2020 and improved 2021, EXPLR 9 comes with more width and volume than its predecessors, giving the boat extra stability and capacity.

With its accommodation capacities and weatherproof cover, EXPLR 9 is the perfect boat for the adventurers travelling in all corners of the planet. The boat can be installed with air-conditioning and a heater.

The renewed EXPLR 9 takes you to all new dimensions when it comes to driving comfort, multi-purpose use and design that fully pays attention to the versatile needs of modern boaters.

Cabin boats rarely provide the kind of driving convenience the full suspension seats of EXPLR 9 do – the co-pilot’s seat is available as an option. Speaking of convenience, the exceptionally spacious cabin is outright ideal for rest and relaxation that the extraordinary sound- proofing efficiently supports. A bed that stretches all the way to 230 cm, roomy and well-equipped toilet as well as a full-size refrigerator ensure that the crew can truly make the most of the time at sea, even during longer trips. Should the sunshine get too hot to handle, optional air-conditioning makes life in the cabin a sheer pleasure.

Bigger size, lighter weight, more spacious interior and a bit calmer personality do not translate into any compromises when it comes to EXPLR 9’s ability to perform. The pilot  can truly make the most of an enjoyable ride in the sun by opening the roof hatch, standing up and letting the gentle summer wind blow.

Walkthrough

Life at sea just does not get any better than this.

The completely renewed EXPLR 9 takes you to all new dimensions when it comes to driving comfort, multi-purpose use and design. Take a look inside the boat with the scroller on the left.

Explore the XO EXPLR 9 inside with this 360° tour, and experience the spacious cabin & bow with a full view.

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Jelly Roll’s Wife Bunnie XO Reflects on How 2018 Breakup Brought Them on ‘Wild Journey’

Second time’s the charm for Bunnie XO and Jelly Roll .

The “Dumb Blonde” podcast host, 44, shared a TikTok video on Thursday, March 28, of the couple cozying up in matching black ensembles. “Who knew us breaking up in 2018, me moving back to Vegas & you coming to get me back – would have put us on this wild journey called life,” Bunnie captioned the clip.

She added, “We finally committed to each other & did everything we promised each other the first night in 2016. Our castle in the sand had to crumble so we could rebuild on solid ground. I yuh you so muchhh.”

Jelly Roll met Bunnie at one of his 2015 concerts in Las Vegas. “I’m not going to act like I shot my shot. She kind of shot hers,” the 40-year-old told Taste of Country Nights host Evan Paul in November 2022 about their first meeting. “We had mutual friends. She said, ‘Yo. Just plug me in with Jelly.’ And I hit her on some other s–t. I was like, ‘Yo. I’m going to be coming out to shoot some content and video stuff.’ She was like, ‘Yeah! C’mon!’ I was like, ‘Cool, well I’m living in my van, so I’ll leave now.’”

Related: Country Music’s Biggest Couples

The pair tied the knot in 2016 and renewed their wedding vows seven years later, returning to the same Las Vegas chapel where they first said “I do.” Bunnie took to Instagram to share sweet photos from their big day, which featured the bride in a lace corset wedding dress and the groom rocking a red velvet suit jacket, holding hands under a gazebo.

“These past 7 years have been a whirlwind dark fairytale,” she wrote in September 2023. “Nothing we have accomplished as lovers & friends was easy. We fought to become the people we are, to break the childhood traumas we were ‘blessed’ with & learn to love in a healthy way.”

She added, “You are my missing puzzle piece. My safe space. The man that makes me dance in my feminine energy. My best friend, my hero & the greatest man I’ve ever known. They don’t make ‘em like you anymore Jason DeFord.”

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Bunnie also gave a shout-out to Bailee, Jelly Roll’s 15-year-old daughter from a previous relationship. She noted that she was glad to have “right[ed] all our wrongs & create a home to raise Bailee in that she can be proud of.”

Related: Celebrity Weddings of 2024: Stars Who Got Married This Year


The couple have stood by each other as their respective careers flourished . Bunnie launched her “Dumb Blonde” podcast and media company in 2020. Jelly Roll became a rising star in country music in 2020 after starting his career as a hip-hop artist in 2003.

A source exclusively revealed to Us Weekly in February that the couple have “overcome so much together” and maintain an “us against the world” mentality.  “For all his recent success, Jelly Roll remains exceedingly humble,” the insider said. “He’s having a blast, and so proud to show off his wife.”

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