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2024 Legend X20

Boat Reviews

Boat Review by: Rick Layzell

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On a chilly late October morning, the BoatDealers.ca test crew gathered on the shores of Lake Simcoe to put the Legend X20 – Legends’ flagship family & fishing machine – through our rigorous testing. After uncovering the boat in temperatures hovering around 2 Celsius (I said it was chilly), I was admittedly smiling inside knowing that we had a few hours of ‘at the dock’ work before heading to open water.

We removed the well-fitted mooring cover and paused to take a moment and admire the curb appeal. The Legend logo stands proudly at midship surrounded by extensive use of white on her hull side exterior. There’s a noticeable, and clever, ‘X’ inserted playfully near the stern amongst a stylish combination of black, grey, and the new ‘cognac’ colour. I also noticed how fluidly my eyes moved from exterior to interior as the design elements moved from outside to inside. Her curb appeal is, to put it simply, excellent.

I then stepped over her wide carpeted gunnels and entered the cockpit for the first time. There’s an immediate sense of spaciousness here, and my eyes moved from bow to stern envisioning the fishing and family moments that this interior could provide. This was also when I understood Legend’s expertise in incorporating convertible features into their boats for satisfying the entire family – think watersports, entertaining, cruising, and fishing all in one handy package.

Seating abounds in the X20 with four seat bases in the cockpit where the captain’s deluxe chair resides, as well as a pair of moveable fishing seats with full swivel capability. On her stern, there’s a full-width bench seat (with a nicely sewn centre opening for the brushed aluminum ski pole). Legend calls this the “EZ-flip extenda-deck converta-bench,” I call it super simple and functional. It’s so easy to flip the bench into a rear casting deck, where another pair of seat bases are also located. The final seating zone is the bow section, which benefits from the inclusion of bow cushions with backrests – awesome when the kids want to sit in the bow. If your trip is fishing focused, simply leave the bow cushions dockside – four snaps on each side make for easy install or removal. The bow section houses seat base number seven on the X20. That’s a lot of seating options for a 19’6” package.

When it comes to fishing features with exceptional owner benefits, the X20 delivers for recreational anglers. The bow casting deck includes a 57 L aerated livewell, ample tackle and gear storage, and a pre-wired trolling motor setup. Moving into the cockpit, we are greeted with a pair of lockable rod lockers on port and starboard – both offering capacity for 9’ rods. There’s also an in-floor locker with tube holders for six more rod and reel combinations. The cockpit floor is dressed in EZ-clean dura-deck vinyl flooring, and since it’s this area that will take the most impact when netting your catch this feature makes keeping the boat clean a breeze. The stern casting deck houses another 57L aerated livewell. I also noted the extensive offering of cargo netting along the vinyl side panels, which are great storage solutions regardless of what activity is happening on board.

The tall, curved windshield and full stand-up all-weather top will keep you on the water longer and warmer. A total of seven drink holders are dispersed throughout her interior for passenger satisfaction, and the easy-to-use fold-down ladder on the swim platform will keep your swimmers and tubers playing for hours.

The X20 is rated for up to 175 HP on her transom and she has a modest towing weight of 2,980 lbs. With our test boat tuned up with a Mercury 150 Pro XS, I expected our testing to deliver some exceptional results. It was about 1 p.m. when we headed out onto the calm lake with nominal winds - only a few other eager anglers on the bay and temperatures pushing up to a balmy 11 degrees Celsius – that’s 55 degrees for our Fahrenheit friends. I immediately appreciated being tucked in behind the big windshield!

We ran for about 10 minutes shooting boat-to-boat video content at about 22 mph. First impression was how well the hull ran at this speed. Next up was ‘fly bys,’ where the camera boat holds position and I get to run the X20 towards them experiencing sharp turns, tight cornering, and running multiple hole shots. This is also where I get to feel her power range. Let’s just say the camera crew were laughing at how much I was smiling, despite being all alone in the boat.

The X20 has excellent low speed, stay-on-plane capability and a wide range of comfortable cruising speeds. She will sit on plane at under 20 mph and her reverse chine hull was efficient and comfortable cruising anywhere from 21–27 mph. During our main testing period, I was running solo with limited gear on board and her 132 L built-in, underfloor fuel tank was sitting at about ¾ full. Your mix of crew, gear, current, temperatures (ambient air and water) as well as lake traffic, will all affect performance results.

When the camera crew gave me the thumbs up that they had enough content, it was time for me to wind her out and begin testing her top speed capabilities. I was at first pleased when 47 mph had the Mercury 150 purring along at 5,700 RPM, but I also sensed there was more… and I found it! On my final trial, well away from shoreline and other boat traffic as always, the X20/150 combo just kept pulling. She showed me on both the dashboard gauge and my GPS app on my phone a top speed of 50 mph at a full 6,000 RPM. YOWZA! By the way, don’t underestimate how beautiful the dash is on this package – very nicely appointed with the right combination of Bluetooth sound, gauges, lighted switches, and a ram mounted GPS fish finder.

Final thoughts? Families today are looking to squeeze every experience out of their purchasing power. Legends’ X20 delivers affordable and stylish solutions that will bring smiles to the fishing crowd, yield shrieks of laughter from the kids, and create endless memories for everyone on board.