XO DFNDR 9 review | What we learned from our 72hr Finland to Sweden test drive | MBY

Is the XO DFNDR 9 the new top dog in the world of fast weekenders?
We take a 300-mile cruise through the Finnish wilderness to find out...
XO DFNDR 9 specifications
LOA: 32ft 4in (8.80m)
Beam: 12ft 8in (2.60m)
Draft: 2ft 1in (0.99m)
Displacement: 2,710kg
Fuel capacity: 450 litres
Water capacity: 110 litres
RCD category: B8 / C6
Designer: Jaakko Kantola
Starting price: £185,000 (inc. VAT)
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[@AQUAHOLIC]

I enjoyed that very much. Well done chaps!

[@Phil535]

Great format; boat, boating, culture and interest. Love it!

[@nicbennett6554]

XO have done themselves proud showing you and us the wonders of Finland aboard the perfect boat to explore the archipelago. Brilliant Alex, thank you.

[@clifbradley]

Military grade aluminum usually means it's single refinement pure aluminum from straight bauxite and not from recycled material. Then with the addition of some polymers and isomers, they give the metal a slight flex, but not hardened. So the metal can contract and expand without breaking or cracking. It is also thick.

[@cookiemonster2299]

I'm drooling over this boat and fascinated to hear about the islands accessibility, I think we need a video about boating around the islands and enjoying the islands facilities for a couple of nights. 👍❤️🇬🇧

[@Jolla66]

Thats what we do in sweden

[@cookiemonster2299]

@@Jolla66 it sounds great 👍👍

[@Kendye6]

Excellent Video. XO Boats are beautiful. I've had a 270 Cabin on a visionboard for years - just about able to buy one now! I did NOT expect this DFNDR 9 to have a bed down below, very impressive.

[@rumanuu]

Great review, Scandanavia is on my bucket list for boating, even more so now.

[@jacktyler7599]

What a great review....of both the cruising waters and the boat. Very impressive summary of that part of the world, which I do miss. Thank you!

[@mosca3289]

Enjoyed the travelog along with the test. Great stuff.

[@maxnex7676]

Enjoyed the video, both the boat, it's capabilities and a view of the countryside. Thank you.

[@WillBrocklebank]

Absolutely cracking boats - have a 270 Front Cabin and been from Falmouth the Isle of Wight and back in a force 6, many time to the Scillies - they handle *really* well in rough chop and more. In fact I wager, however experienced you are, you will run out of talent before the hull does! Well done XO and great to see you now being sold through Ribeye in the UK with their outstanding customer service.

[@terrywalker1624]

Great, interesting vid, thanks. Loved it all apart from the 'music'.

[@tyoung9012]

that same guitar riff over and over. oh my god how awful

[@Yash-ye1zq]

Camera movement is so much better. Nicely shot video

[@eyesofisabelofficial]

Great little travelogue.

[@coalitionperformance5901]

Really liked this format with the different elements. P.S Alex - have a few beverages the night before on the island with the lads!? :)

[@davidbatten1988]

Superb insightful video with great travelog bonus - many thanks. The DFNDR 9 is highly versatile - with a lot of character and quality. Such individuality ( hard to really find nowadays) - it’s a boat that makes you want to go to the horizon. And keep going! But I gather not possible to make a humble coffee on a built in burner. Of course you can take onboard a small camper stove - but that’s a bit dull, with such an exceptional boat that offers so much seems odd it can’t offer a coffee. Apart from that - it’s truly fabulous.

[@jaytaylor7940]

I love that boat

[@RandomGuyRandomNumber]

Interesting format and a good review. Camera work wasn't too shabby either... Well done ! 🙂

[@Kim_Jensen]

Great video, I liked it a lot. Thank you 😄

[@ianscott3180]

Despite me being a stick and string sailor I loved this video. So much better than a quick tour of the Solent and a look in every locker, well done. I would love to sail the Baltic, soon I hope but 7knots will be my top speed. Looks live a great boat for this kind of being afloat though.

[@pistonburner6448]

Really nice sound from those Mercury V6s! How you managed to make such a fantastic video of that trip by being a one man film crew and 'Attenborough' I have no idea. That "military grade" aluminium probably just means marine grade aluminium with slightly more thickness. The point is that not all aluminium can withstand the marine environment, and on top of that they want the boats to withstand some rough handling too (some contact with rocks is part of its life). I can attest to that: our XO got rammed by another boat and it only resulted in a bit of a dent on the side. No compromise to the boat strength wise, no corrosion even though we didn't have it fixed until after the whole long season.

[@maryholder3795]

She a great boat flexible to be able to go on canals,but can still handle heavy seas. I'm impressed with the planning and build by Jacob the designer he should be well pleased with her. She can be a workhorse or s leisure boat. Pleased you not only reviewed a great boat but you had fun

[@Sarge0311]

Both boat’s very nice

[@ALifeMoreBoaty]

Lifejacket? Great content, and what a place to go boating. Thanks.

[@johningham4942]

What a different boating culture in a country that has more rugged type of boats to travel across wide open baltic seas.

[@markgauvain2991]

Great video, an amazing area for boating and outdoor activities. I'd love to sometime. The boat is very interesting, I hope to try one out sometime. Maybe at the forthconibg '23 N. American boat shows...?

[@Ob1sdarkside]

Lovely trip, great boat. Can the rear window act as a cover over the dining table? What was the IPA like?

[@hetked830]

Really nice video and review! As a XO270 owner I am interested in how would you compare handling of the dfndr 9 and your chase boat 10+?

[@jonathantakield6586]

Those side vents remind me of the Land RoverDefender’s vents.

[@gerhardvanwaltsleben8944]

🇿🇦 Lekker man lekker

[@ScottAxel01]

This is the most 'cheeky' review on MB&Y 🤣

[@VilleF]

You experienced Finland at it's finest.

[@pistonburner6448]

Yup, the few weeks when it's suitable for humans to be out on the water it can be fantastic. But I'll never understand people who invest a lot into boating in Finland only to enjoy such a short period of it per year.

[@VilleF]

@@pistonburner6448 try boating in the autumn when it's not sunny and +25, you might like it.

[@RomainSandt]

could take at least twin 250. The Joystick is from Optimus. twin 225 means you can't get Mercury or Yamaha Joystick.

[@stefanoskolettis]

🥰🥰🥰🥰

[@maxjohnson1758]

Was that your noggin I heard bouncing off that forward hatch when you tried to climb out of the cabin? Yeah. Weird boat design, not sure where the utility is in it.

[@malekodesouza7255]

Agree. Lots of wasted open, exterior space. Fine in Florida. But more northerly regions? Nope. That V-berth looked like a coffin.

[@Finn-FrenchGaming]

Perfectly normal to wear swimshorts or bathing suit in the sauna. This with being naked is just an option.

[@malekodesouza7255]

Looks like Puget Sound.

[@rtbinc2273]

Lack of a head is a deal breaker for me.

[@scepticalwalker3984]

The production boats have it

[@willtell7023]

Lose the music. Could reduce the length of vid. Never saw specs like beam, length and did it have a head. Or i just missed by not paying too close attention. Interior living space looked too artificial. Roomy though.

[@mxnubtw117]

Hallo I see rust under the table realy ?? A new Boat !!