Once its water ballast is drained, the boat is unusually light for the accommodation it provides. At 8.5 metres overall, with a 2.5-metre beam and a dry weight of 1,300 kg, it can legally be trailered without a permit. With ballast, it weighs 2,030 kg.
Design and Construction
The Imexus is a monohull with an FRP monolithic hull and a solid fiberglass deck. It is also the only power-sailer offering sidedeck walkways for easier movement to the foredeck. Simulated clinker mouldings help soften the bulky hull’s otherwise slab-sided appearance.
A swivel keel protects the hull if it strikes an underwater obstruction. Stability comes from 165 kg of fixed ballast and a 730-litre water-ballast system, supplemented by a 55 kg centreboard that gives a 1.45 m draft. The ballast tank fills through a transom port.
With the water ballast drained, the boat is light enough to be towed by many vehicles on its purpose-built, 2.50 m-wide trailer. The trailer also allows launching from very shallow slipways without a crane.
Fit and finish are very good throughout, representing a clear step up from the original Odin model.
Rig and Sailing Performance
The boat is set up for single-handed control. All halyards, downhauls and uphauls lead to the cockpit, as do the mast-laying system and keel controls.
A pivoting A-arm fixture on the foredeck simplifies mast raising. With the mast pad in its hinged base and the furling genoa tack locked into the A-arm, the rig can be winched upright. Once the stem pin is seated, the A-arm remains attached.
The single-spreader rig carries a battened mainsail in a lazy-jack bag, along with shrouds and a tackle-adjustable backstay. Under sail, the water-ballasted hull heels early in a 10-knot breeze, then settles and makes a respectable 5 knots to windward. Test sailors found it secure under full sail in 15 knots, although it is more comfortable off the wind and can run wing-and-wing when square.
Period reviewers were clear that the Imexus is no club racer. It is suitable for twilight sailing at best and won’t keep pace with a keelboat of similar length around the buoys.
Power, Ballast, and Performance
Draining the ballast tank transforms the Imexus from sailing yacht to motorboat in under five minutes. Its theoretical sailing speed is 6.8 knots at wind force 3, while powered speed can reach 29 knots, depending on the engine.
The hull accepts outboard or inboard engines up to 170 hp, although review data noted 120 hp on the transom. The test boat had an Evinrude 90 hp outboard, which glides effortlessly and provided enough thrust for waterskiing or wakeboarding.
The best powered performance came only after the ballast tank had fully drained, following about five minutes of brisk motoring. Once empty, the boat easily reached 20 knots.
The test boat’s tiny steering wheel had very heavy action, making it difficult to steer through wind shifts. Local agents were examining a way to disconnect the system so that, under sail, the wheel wouldn’t have to turn both the rudders and the weight of the tilted motor.
Accommodations
Below decks, the Imexus aims for the feel of a much larger yacht and achieves it better than any rival in the power-sailer class. A three-step companionway leads to an interior with 1.85 m headroom, light oak panelling, and large windows.
A permanent king-size berth sits aft beneath the cockpit. Forward, the double V-berth is 2 m long, while two single settee berths bring total sleeping capacity to six. The berth sides are quilted, and the upholstery is available in various colours.
Between the berths is a galley with a sink, fridge, and one-burner spirit stove; a two-burner stove is optional. Opposite, a four-seat dinette has a drop-side table whose pedestal also serves as the fin case and incorporates wine storage.
The head comes with a chemical toilet, with a marine toilet optional. Storage is ample in shelves and beneath the seats, while the mast compression post doubles as a useful handhold.
TradeABoat observed that the Imexus lacks the single-level living space of a powerboat of similar length and is more cramped than a comparable caravan on the road.
Cockpit, Boarding, and Deck Access
The cockpit seats six. Webbing siderails can be unclipped to make boarding from a dock easier, while a boarding ladder and cockpit transom door provide access from the water or trailer.
The sidedeck walkways and guard rails make it easier to move around the deck and reach the foredeck.
The Verdict
The Imexus 28 is a genuine hybrid, offering a roomy, bright interior and straightforward trailering in a package that sails acceptably and performs strongly under power. Its compromises are familiar ones for a water-ballasted power-sailer: it heels early, has modest racing ability, and, on the test boat, had steering that needed refinement.
For a multi-sport owner looking for one towable boat for sailing, cruising, and wake sports, the Imexus covers that broad brief unusually well.
Pros
- Big-yacht interior feel, with 1.85 m headroom and six berths in a trailerable hull
- Sail-to-motor conversion in under five minutes by draining the 730 L water-ballast tank
- Single-handed rigging, with cockpit-led controls and a pivoting A-arm mast-raising system
- Shallow 0.3 m board-up draft and swivel-keel protection
Cons
- Heavy steering-wheel action through wind shifts, with the motor’s weight acting on the rudders
- Early heel and limited windward performance compared with similar-length keelboats
- More cramped than a similar-length powerboat, with no single-level cabin
