The X and the S

In recent years just as a famous auto maker boat builders have started using letters to symbolize the style of there models.  Before this it was mostly about two systems to differentiate boat models, and that was to say what type of boat it was, Flybridge or Sport, or to name for a famous locality usually from the Caribbean or Mediterranean; as Camargue, Martinica, Portofino, San Remo, and or St.Tropez.  Another popular model name, just as in sport cars is that for predator animals, like the Arno Leopard, Overmarine Mangusta, or the once Sunseeker flagship the 60 Renegade.

In my mind the first builder to use letters was Italcraft who in mid eighties split its range into two distinctive model series the C for Classic which meant traditional line shaft propulsion, and M for its fast surface drives aggressive deep Vee hull line.
Princess entered the letter trend when it renewed its Mediterranean sport cruiser and yacht range to more modern style in 1995, and after the Riviera created the new V series line first with the 39 and 52 models.  This was a game changer for Princess and since its introduction the V series has become an important popular range, competing not little with the Fairline Targa, and the Sunseeker open series.  Today Princess has renamed all its line with letters.      

Come 2003 and Azimut enters the letter trend, who wanted to differentiate its new innovative sport coupe models from its flybridge, and here enters the S.  In 2017 Azimut went a step further and removed the length of the yacht in question and started using a single digit meaning an approximate length, in which case for example the S7 is a model to compete in the around 70 feet segment.

Aussie boat builder Maritimo also entered the letter name designation in 2016, first with M for its motor yacht series, then an S, and recently the X for the new innovative aft cabin sport yacht.
In 2016 Pershing also started using letters, with the new 5X.  Pershing had so far in all its story used only the length in its models and in two exceptions added Limited to models renewed in some features.
Come 2019 and Sunseeker also enter the letter naming list by present the new 8X project at the Dusseldorf boat show.   

So here comes the age of letters.  It is mostly about the X, S, and the M and the rest.