Tuesday 30th July 2019
X-Yachts as a start-up company in 1979
To celebrate the 40th Anniversary of X-Yachts, a number of upcoming stories will give you an insight behind the scenes of how the foundation of X-Yachts was made.
These stories will take you through a journey of a company, which is built on passion, innovation and the hunger to create the eXtraordinary.
1# The Early Start
February 2019 marked 40 years since X-Yachts first saw the light of day. An adventure had begun that not even world-famous Danish writer Hans Christian Andersen could have written better. With enthusiasm and passion – but without a penny to their name – the three founders, brothers Lars and Niels Jeppesen, together with Birger Hansen set off on their journey. From the very first boat to the present day – some 6,000 sailboats later – superior sailing abilities have been a hallmark of all X-Yachts boats.
For the first few years, the main part of the production was sold on the domestic market. But it wasn’t long before the outside world turned its attention to the great-sailing boats from Haderslev. In recent years, the export business has accounted for more than 95 per cent of sales. Today, X-Yachts is an international leader in the development and production of the world’s finest cruisers – luxurious quality boats exported around the world.
Lars and Niels Jeppesen (born in 1954 and 1956, respectively) grew up in Stubbekøbing where their father was an active yachtsman. Among his accomplishments were the founding of the yacht club “Stubbekøbing Sejlklub”, the construction of the marina, and later appointment to Honorary Chairman of same. In other words, the brothers were used to a steady diet of sailing from a young age. In their childhood years, however, life on land was in the cards, as at that time their grandfather owned Denmark’s largest manufacturer of summer cottages, Jeppesen Bjælkehuse, with four factory locations in Denmark. When the grandfather died in 1965, their father became chairman of the board of directors, working four days as a practicing physician in Stubbekøbing and one day per week at the company.
Inspired by Nimbus
As the brothers got older, they realized that the sea exercised more of a draw than did the summer cottages. They were inspired by, among other things, the Nimbus yard in Stubbekøbing where 26, 30, and 33 foot sailboats were being series produced. Lars became a shipwright apprentice and worked in Esbjerg and Hvide Sande, while Niels started a marine engineering course in Elsinore. This, however, only lasted until he realized that it was primarily focused on the design of large steel vessels. After six months, Niels Jeppesen began sailmaking work at Hamlet Sejl in Elsinore until 1977 when he moved to Haderslev to start teacher’s training.
More to come – stay tuned!
The 40th Anniversary paper book is now for sale – Read all about the X-Yacht journey – 150 pages of history, models and pure X-moments. Click to order
