Its competitive credentials came quickly. Hull #1, Courrier Nord, won the IRM Championship (IRC Group 1) and finished first in the IRC Group 1 fleet at the Hoya Round the Island Race. Hull #3 placed fifth overall at the IMS European Championship at Punta Ala in June, beaten only by IMS 50-footers. At the 2002 IMS Worlds in Capri, Italy, 14 IMX 40s competed in the B division, showing how firmly the class had established itself in European offshore racing.
Design and Construction
The hull is built with vacuum-bagged vinylester resin, biaxial and unidirectional E-glass, and varying thicknesses of Divinicell in the outer skin. This sandwich construction keeps weight down while preserving stiffness. Test sailors also confirmed the use of the galvanized steel support grid glassed into all X-Yachts, which makes them strong and stiff.
The bow is nearly plumb, with a fine entry and a knuckle sitting just above the water. The cabin top is low and unobtrusive, partly because of the boat’s high freeboard. Beam is 12.47 feet, and displacement is close to 15,000 pounds. The bulb keel contains 5,291 pounds of lead ballast and draws 8.04 feet.
Owners report a relatively narrow waterline beam and less wetted surface than boats of similar size. That hull shape favors clean tracking and easy acceleration.
Rig, Sail Plan, and Handling
Nordic Mast built the carbon-fiber mast and boom. Despite the boat’s fractional rig, the topmast is unusually stiff according to owner reports.
The backstay uses a line-driven adjustment system with a Fredericksen shaft and drum below deck. X-Yachts claims it is quicker and smoother than a hydraulic system and allows the mainsheet trimmer to apply as much as 2800 kgs. of backstay load. An underdeck split-mainsheet system leads to a point just forward of the wheel.
The boat also comes with a hydraulic mast jack and a choice of Frederiksen or Harken hardware for the underdeck split-mainsheet system. Running rigging is Vectran and Spectra. The standard sail plan centers on a 514.7-square-foot mainsail, with genoa options ranging from 437 to 585.6 square feet and a 1,412-square-foot spinnaker. The PHRF rating is 42.
Under sail, test crews made 7.5 knots upwind and exceeded 10 knots with little effort while running under a symmetric chute. The tester’s configuration carried a 1,308-square-foot kite.
Cockpit and Deck
The stern is open, with a 66-inch carbon-fiber wheel. A transom locker can be installed for cruising storage and seating, or left off as a racing dock. Deck hardware is either Fredericksen or Harken, depending on the buyer’s preference.
Accommodations
Below, the IMX 40 has a varnished mahogany cabin with recessed lighting—a cruising concession inside an otherwise race-oriented shell.
Aft are two equal-sized, molded-in quarter berths. Each has an adjacent hanging locker and a pair of removable pipe berths, providing flexible sleeping arrangements for either a racing crew or a couple with guests.
The 25-gallon fuel cell is stowed beneath the port settee, opposite the 50-gallon fresh-water tank below the starboard sofa. This symmetrical arrangement keeps the tankage low and central.
Engine and Certification
Power comes from a three-cylinder, 40-horsepower Volvo MD 2040-s diesel noted by testers. It drives through a saildrive and a two-blade Flex-O-Fold racing propeller.
The IMX 40 meets European CE-Certification under directive 94/25/CE, a formal mark of recreational-craft compliance.
The Verdict
The IMX 40 combines X-Yachts’ racing focus with just enough accommodation for cruising. It was built in meaningful numbers and proved itself at the front of European fleets. Its sandwich hull, steel grid, and carbon rig provide stiffness and pace, while the low cabin top and narrow waterline help it feel light on the water.
The trade-offs are an 8.04-foot bulb keel and a racing-oriented interior. This is a boat for sailors who put speed ahead of creature comfort.
Pros
- Immediate regatta success, including an IRM Championship win for hull #1
- Vacuum-bagged vinylester sandwich hull with the brand-standard steel grid for stiffness
- Carbon-fiber mast and boom, with an unusually stiff fractional topmast
- Line-driven backstay system claimed to work faster than hydraulics and handle up to 2,800 kg of load
- Strong upwind and downwind pace: 7.5 knots upwind and more than 10 knots under a chute
Cons
- The 8.04-foot draft limits shallow access
- Racing-oriented interior, with little cruising furniture beyond berths and tankage
- Saildrive and two-blade folding propeller prioritize speed over motoring torque
