Testimonials

Today I am extremely pleased with my decision of buying a seabird from XS Marines. XS Marines has brought in some amazing innovations in the Mark 3HF. I have tried to pen down some important ones.
1) The full fiberglass seabird has very good buoyancy due to the copius amounts of foam used.
2) The fiberglass hull glides on the water surface and provides great speeds.
3) Another striking attribute of the XS Marines built seabirds is sailing even is extremely light winds…the damn thing still moves and gets you to your destination.
4) The high freeboard blocks a lot of water coming in while sailing.
5) Draining out the water is as easy as opening a valve at the stern.
6) The aluminium gaff is easy to rig.
7) The yacht responds very well to the slightest movement of the tiller and it maneuverability is far better.
8) It offers tons of storage space which very conveniently can double up as an ice box.
9) It even has place for two crew members to have a comfortable nights sleep, in case of long distance sailing.
Well Sheri everything can’t be rosy lest readers think that this testimonial is doctored. A few things that you may want to look into.
1) You may want to test sail the yacht after completion, which I think will enable you to tune it better.
2) Thicker ropes can be provided for hoisting the mainsail and gaff which will give better a grip.
3) The centre-plate knocking could be reduced.
4) The brass equipment on board tends to turn green due to saltwater and requires cleaning virtually on a daily basis, maybe if made from SS this can be addressed.
Having said this, the innovations introduced definitely make life easy for the owners of the Mark 3HF as well as the tindal.
While there is always scope for improvement in whatever we do am quite confident that Sheri and his team are aware of all what I have said.
Overall I believe XS Marines has an exceptional, sturdy and affordable product for sailors… amateurs and professionals alike.

I have had the opportunity to study the new seabird that Sheri Bamboat builds which has been recently purchased by the Bombay Sailing Association. I must say that I am most impressed with the many innovations instituted. Extending the bunk below the deck, many new watertight compartments, higher combing to reduce water coming in are a few of the many that stick to mind. It can be seen that much thought has gone into these changes. The good old Seabird just became a better off shore cruising boat.
I am also very happy to learn of your plans to have a single mast seabird. It could be a new class for club sailing.
Good luck, Sheri

XS Marines designed, fabricated and supplied an 18 feet long tender built from the Seabird mold for my Sailing Catamaran, Eesha.
Sheri Bamboat designed the tender and fabricated it for me. He used his imagination and creativity to fabricate an excellent tender. The motive power is a 10 hp out board motor. I use it essentially at Mandwa beach where I normally land when I visit Alibaug.
It has a very well designed sitting plan, storage and buoyancy compartments. The facilities for getting in and out of the tender are features to be noted. In case the passengers are stepping in or out from the tender using the fore deck, he has provided SS railings for support, an excellent non skid step ladder leads down in to the cockpit and the passenger has the support of a SS banister for help.
At Mandwa, when we get off at or get in the tender on the beach, he has provided excellent watertight doors in the stern of the tender. All that we need to do is reverse the tender into ankle deep waters, open the door and conveniently get in or out of the tender.

“As we all know Seabird class is the oldest design of sailing boat and if I am right it exists only in Mumbai .The new fleet of Seabirds built by XS Marines has revolutionized and revived club racing. Performance and feel has been improved vastly without sacrificing safety cruising standards. Be it Weekend triangle loop course or long races the boat performs magnificently especially in light winds. Thanks to the responsive feel and boat tuning it has helped our team attain many Top finishes. These new boats have got back the competitiveness to Seabird class Regattas. I do hope XS Marines continue the improvements / quality upgrade and keep the Mumbai sailing Heritage alive. Cheers. I sailed the new lightning MARLIN and following are my views on the same
1. Outstanding international finish
2. Amazing speed and feel in spite of old sails
3. Very dinghy like response and need active inputs by Helm and Crew
Negative:
1. Rudder not as responsive as the boat performance. Boat feels like a dinghy but rudder response feels like the older boats, not feather touch feel.
2. The steel fittings on storage are sticking out and keep scratching the crew all the time, need to be magnetic instead.
3. The Main Sail sheet system again feels like old boat hence maybe the rudder response feel slow and heavy.
Overall 4 star out of 5 “

I totally enjoy the boat and would recommend it to anyone who wants to learn sailing without fear of capsizing. Our club now has 6 of these Seabirds and it has become very interesting to race them on Sundays !  May the tribe increase !

“The new Seabirds are wonderfully designed. Our club is happy to own 6 Seabirds from XS Marines. Great improvement !”

“XS Marines has revolutionized the construction techniques for the longstanding designs / models of the Seabird and the Lightnings being sailed in Bombay Harbour.
I have been sailing these boats in our waters since the Seventies ie. more than some 40 odd years and I can say that these new models / boats are a delight to sail.
The Lightning is ever so lively, it sails and handles like a dinghy. The seabird with its higher free board makes a drier sail and plenty of inbuilt buoyancy provides a much safer boat than the earlier version.
Some more positive features:
The lighter aluminium gaff too increases the boat’s stability.
The moulded one piece deck and coaming prevents the usual water seepage that occurs between the coaming and the deck joint in the older version.
The interior and the deck layout is well thought out so “there is a place for everything and everything is in its place” from the anchor to your sleeping bags and the cold beer.
The fittings are well placed and fixed on extremely ruggedly.”
On the whole both designs-the Lightning and the Seabird have been built with a very good finish and superb quality of construction.”

“As being a recreational sailor for the past 9 years in the Bombay Harbour, it has been an absolute pleasure to sail the XS Marines Seabird class boats. Both Ibis and Snipe have been my top favourite boats to sail. These boats are built solid and the finish quality is world class. The subtle redesign and upgrades by XS Marines has truly made these boats even better than before. I would highly recommend XS Marine and their boats to all, and look forward to many more such boats from their yard.”

Usually yachting is the domain of billionaires and elite professionals. But XS Marines has changed it all by making it easy to own a boat. I am very happy to own boats built by XS Marines and would recommend it to anyone who is looking to buy a boat!
With XS Marines’ Seabird, there was no end to relaxation, fun and excitement.
Sailing the seabird has simply been a fun experience. No previous sailing experience is necessary; you simply sit back and watch the world go by… under the open sky, enjoying good food and sula wine. There’s something for everyone!
Every time I sail, there’s always new spots around the corner that I discover. I can celebrate special events like birthdays and anniversaries of family and friends on my boat. I get to see fascinating dolphins, encounter huge ships, cruise along the magnificent coastline of Mumbai, and go for fishing!
I was very impressed to know that XSM builds the seabird in Mumbai itself, and that too according to your own personal requirements with the best quality and standard.
A huge thanks to Sheri and his team for giving us memories we would otherwise never get to experience!

“One of the best boat in Seabird High Free board Category and great speed on water as compared to other sailing boats in town. Thanks Sheri.”

Having sailed quite a few of the boats built by your yard recently, I can confidently state that I’m very impressed with the quality of work put in and the attention to detail and finish in the boats.
Also evident is the innovative advances in existing designs, that better exploit their potential to the fullest.

Dilbur has been a great investment and she is a joy to sail with.
We race on weekends here at RMYC and I also make it a point to go on a long cruise once a week in the evening.
Sailing is great stress buster and if you own your own Seabird then its doubly pleasurable .

Dear Sheri,
Kitty and I had the pleasure of racing Snipe, the modified Seabird, manufactured by XS Marines for the JJ Trophy to Mandwa and back on the 18th / 19th March 2012.
The boat is a delight to sail. As one steps into it one is immediately accosted by a spacious layout and apparently the boat seems to be larger ! This is due to the redesigning of the internal layout, by eliminating the bulkheads and repositioning the storage lockers under the side thwarts. The ease with which the boat handles and tacks is a distinct improvement on the older design.
“Snipe” can easily be handled by two experienced individuals. The fitting out is done in such a manner as to make this possible. Special mention must be made of the modified spinnaker rig which makes this large sail handling very easy and quick. The centre plate wedges is one more idea for which the XS yard should be complimented about. The deck and coaming is very smoothly moulded and this causes one to slip rather easily. It is recommended that some thought must be given to provide a non-slip surface at these places.
All in all my wife and I thoroughly enjoyed our weekend race in Snipe, with tindal Dinesh as additional crew.
Strongly recommend sailors interested in buying a new Seabird to contact XS Marines before deciding on placing an order for a new yacht.

Sailing Ibis was an exciting, thrilling time for me, as I was sailing after a gap of six years…I tried my hand at steering and the ropes and the boat handled so smoothly; it was like I had never been away. The look and feel was one of comfort and space and the sail was an extremely enjoyable experience.

I have had several sails this season on Marlin (Lightning Sail Boat) I am very impressed with the handling of the boat and have had enjoyable sails.
a) Pointing: Marlin points very well into the wind. With the new Jib sail and Main sail attached it gives smoother movement and good pointing in to the wind. The aluminum mast and galvanized centre board would also help a lot during races.
b) Look : Excellent it makes one feel like your sailing a modern sail boat with fantastic colour scheme (white), front deck portion is less slippery then other new sails boats, lots of shelves in the sail boat to keep your personnel items . Amazing Speed and feel of the boat.
c) Tiller :The tiller was very sturdy and well hooked but I found the tiller was too long as compared to other lightning boats which was uncomfortable during tack/ jibe mainly when one has a guest accompanying on the sail boat due to lack of space being a smaller class of boat .
I wish XS Marines all the very best for all their future projects.

“I’m so glad to have access to Ibis (Seabird) when I go sailing at CSC. If I am getting guests who are new to sailing I make sure to book this one, it’s my first preference! Compared to the other Seabirds in the harbour, Ibis is definitely more spacious, comfortable and has abundant storage space. The level of the tiller is perfect and the boat is easier to set-up and manage. Lastly it’s a fibreglass boat, a sound boat for day cruising and is affordable too!”