Design and Construction
The IMX 45 hull is a relatively conservative E-glass sandwich utilizing vinylester resin and Divinycell foam core, with the core vacuum-bagged to the outer skin, while Sailing World's examination describes the laminate as biaxial and unidirectional E-glass with solid glass around the H-frame and rudder stock. X-Yachts' signature is a massive longitudinal and transverse hot-dipped galvanized steel load-bearing frame that incorporates chainplate attachments, mast step, and keel bearing flange, and is so securely glassed to the hull that it anchors a single lifting point for the entire 20,000-pound boat via a polyester strap through a cabintop hatch. The keel itself pairs a cast-iron fin fully encapsulated in fiberglass with a lead sealed bulb below, the whole assembly recessed into the hull, glassed, and faired to original templates alongside the aluminum-stock rudder; both are race foils. Standard ballast is just over 9,000 pounds in the bulb with internal ballast bringing her to sailing lines, while an optional heavier bulb lifts draft to about 9 feet 5 inches and deletes the internal ballast so all-up weight stays virtually identical. Above the waterline, molded-in nonskid, three trademark stripes, and a bottom-paint marking line sit atop a deck whose hardware is mounted from above into steel plates with tapped screwholes, eliminating access nuts, and whose overhead is sealed with a lightweight molded glass liner.
Rig and Handling
The rig is a 15/16ths triple-spreader carbon spar by Nordic Mast with extremely narrow, slightly swept spreaders that remove the need for running backstays, paired with a carbon boom and gooseneck and discontinuous rod shrouds. Pre-loading comes from a removable hydraulic mast jack, while a unique large-diameter belowdecks carbon drum gives the backstay a powerful, fast adjustment with a 1-to-32 up to 1-to-100 power ratio at the Magic Wheel. Control lines, halyards, and topping lift run via the coach-roof top to the pit, where the pitman owns vang, cunningham, and outhaul. Frederiksen deck hardware, Spinlock jammers, and six Harken winches dominate the cockpit, with stainless Andersen winches available for those wanting a different look. Under sail the boat is fairly tender like most IMS racers, a result of her narrow beam waterline that also permits effective roll-tacking in light air and reduces wetted surface; owners report the fine entry bow can get pushed around, but at speed the short-chord foils deliver very light, responsive steering. She sails well to weather under a skilled helmsman and needs a constant main trimmer on traveler, sheet, and backstay to reach full potential, with upwind targets of 7 knots at 40-degree true wind angle in 12 knots and downwind about 7.6, plus off-wind planing bursts in stronger breeze.
Accommodations
Below, the IMX 45 carries a teak-faced ply interior with sprung slat berths and a realistic plastic laminate "teak and holly" sole. The standard layout has two matched quarter cabins aft and a tapered V-berth forepeak with head to starboard, while the saloon offers long settees and a large drop-leaf table; the port aft cabin may instead become a head and huge cockpit locker. The main cabin places the nav station to port with a drop-down laptop panel and stays dry away from the companionway, and a J-shaped galley to starboard with double round sinks, gimbaled two-burner propane stove with oven, and seven-cubic-foot Isotherm refrigerator—though that box lacks any form of shelving it sorely needs. A single 10-pound propane bottle sits in a dedicated starboard locker, and the electrical panel is top-shelf and accessible. For offshore racing, removable pipe berths were added above the settees on the first boat imported to the US, and the three-cabin version repeats double plus pipe berths aft.
Known Issues
Beyond the barren refrigerator, the engine tells the service story: routine access requires lifting the companionway stairs (and aft-cabin panels), while the engine control panel on the aft pedestal carries only a tach and relies on alarms. The lack of a toerail aft of the mast means dropped items risk rolling overboard, and the standard keel's internal ballast and deep-bulb option demand checking which configuration a given boat carries. The Isotherm system is fine in temperate waters but untested by the sources in tropics.
Refits and Ownership
Factory build modifications were available across interior, keel, rudder, and rigging, and cruising de-powering swaps in a smaller main and self-tacking roller headsail on a removable track. Glued-down teak decks were an option, with early imports getting laid teak only on cockpit sole and seats. A recessed foredeck well houses windlass and furling drum, a gasketed cockpitsole locker holds a 12-man liferaft, and a molded pan catches engine leaks under well-insulated sound sheathing. Under a 55-horse Volvo Saildrive with folding prop she makes just under 7 knots powered, at slight handling compromise.
The Verdict
The IMX 45 is a narrowly focused IMS racer that disguises a genuinely livable cruiser beneath removable cruising kit, engineered around a steel backbone and race-foiled keel-rudder that few production boats match for structural integration. She rewards skilled crews and punishes neglect of her service access and sparse refrigeration.
Pros
- Integrated galvanized steel frame enabling single-point lift and unified keel-mast structure
- Carbon rig with swept spreaders eliminating running backstays
- Narrow beam waterline allowing roll-tacking and light-air wetted reduction
- Transformable racer-to-cruiser via factory removable options
Cons
- Tender hull and fine bow needing active crew weight and trim
- Refrigerator with no shelving subdivision
- Engine service and control panel access limited to stair removal and tach-only alarms
- No aft toerail increasing deck-object loss risk
