The Youth Sailing World Championships[citation needed] has adopted it to replace the Laser 2 - which was designed by Julian Bethwaite's father Frank.

The spinnaker rigging set-up challenges crews to be fit and coordinated, and maneuvers in the boat require athleticism due to its lack of inherent stability and the high speed with which the fully battened mainsail and jib power up.

The fully battened mainsail and jib are made from a transparent Mylar laminate with orange or red Dacron trimming, while the spinnaker is manufactured from ripstop Nylon.

It uses the same hull with some minor changes such as an extended gunwale and a rudder gantry, with a larger rig that includes a square-top main and masthead asymmetric spinnaker.

The XS features a similar rig to the XX, but of smaller size fitted to a standard 29er hull and employing a single trapeze.