ILC 40
Cookson · Bruce Farr · 1994
Updated
The ILC 40 is a 12.49 m semi-displacement racing yacht designed by Bruce Farr and built by Cookson, first launched in 1994. It races in Class B.
Length
12.49 m
41′ 0″
Beam
3.95 m
Draft
2.58 m
Displacement
5.8 t
Sail area
117 m²
On the podium
Where a ILC 40 finishes when she goes racing.
On the podium
14%
of 29 starts by 4 boats
Wins
3%
Read from 29 starts by 4 boats between 2015 and 2026, counting races with six boats or more.
Recent regattas
The latest events where a ILC 40 was on the start line, named as the organisers publish them.
"Πορος 2026"2026- 42ος Ιστιοπλοικος Αγωνας Α/θ ¨Πορος ΄26¨2026
- "Ειρηνης & Φιλιας - Βαθυ Μεθανων 2025"2025
- "Πορος 2025"2025
Coppa dei Campioni VIII Zona2023
Raced one we are missing?
Report a regattaRound the buoys, or offshore
A short windward-leeward and a night at sea ask different things of a boat. Here is how this one does in each.
Round the buoys
—
Not enough data yet: 6 races of 10 NM or less carry a published distance.
Offshore & coastal
18%
of these races end on the podium
Who she races against
The designs a ILC 40 actually lines up with, most often first. The bar shows how those meetings ended.
Also met, too few times for a figure:
First 31.7 (7 meetings), J/24 (7 meetings), Italia 9.98 (6 meetings), J/105 (6 meetings), Dufour 40 (6 meetings), First 36.7 (6 meetings), Moody 39 (6 meetings), X-412 (6 meetings), Comet 41 (5 meetings), X-40 (5 meetings), X-452 (5 meetings), J/99 (5 meetings), IMX 40 (5 meetings), Elan 410 (5 meetings), Dehler 30 OD (5 meetings), M 37 (7 meetings), X-332 (4 meetings), Grand Soleil 43 (Maletto) (4 meetings), J/11 (4 meetings), X-41 (3 meetings), Sly 42 (3 meetings), Comet 36 (3 meetings), Salona 37 (3 meetings), Bavaria Match 38 (3 meetings), Grand Soleil 37 (Design) (3 meetings), First 27.7 (3 meetings), First 41 (3 meetings), Mount Gay 30 (3 meetings), Italia 11.98 (5 meetings), Grand Soleil 46 (Carkeek) (2 meetings)
Some of the boats it races against
How the ILC 40 has fared against each of them, boat against boat on corrected time. Ordered by how often the two meet, not by who wins.
Speed at every angle
The shape of this design's speed, drawn from the measured fleet. Pick a wind and watch it stretch.
Upwind VMG
5.98
36°
Beam reach
9.54
90°
Broad reach
11.41
135°
Downwind VMG
9.13
170°
Speed in knots at 20 knots of true wind. Green marks the angles that pay: the closest useful beat and the deepest run worth sailing.
Where it wins and where it pays
Every boat is judged against its own measurements — length, weight, sail area. The quicker those say it should be, the more it has to deliver just to break even. Going fast is not enough: it has to go faster than its own numbers promised.
It does most things without giving much away. It rewards preparation and crew work more than it rewards picking the right day.
Where it gains
Its best ground is on the run once it pipes up, where it outruns what it looks like on paper, and by a margin worth having. It holds that advantage off the wind as well, so the gain is not down to one leg of the course.
Where it pays
There is no condition where it falls away badly, which is worth something over a season of mixed weather.
Above the line it delivers more than promised and gains on the fleet. Below, it falls short. Move the wind: plenty of boats sit on one side in the light and the other when it blows.
Full width is 0.6 kn either way.
At 10 knots this design makes back more than its rating asks on the upwind.
How fast is a ILC 40
Boat speed in knots, by true wind angle and wind strength.
| Angle | 6 kn | 10 kn | 14 kn | 20 kn |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beat VMG | 4.40 | 5.52 | 5.81 | 5.98 |
| 52° | 6.61 | 7.79 | 8.06 | 8.26 |
| 60° | 6.92 | 8.01 | 8.29 | 8.53 |
| 75° | 7.12 | 8.21 | 8.63 | 9.01 |
| 90° | 6.99 | 8.23 | 8.91 | 9.54 |
| 110° | 6.59 | 8.28 | 9.07 | 10.07 |
| 120° | 6.40 | 8.23 | 9.27 | 10.65 |
| 135° | 5.72 | 7.85 | 9.04 | 11.41 |
| 150° | 4.79 | 7.10 | 8.41 | 10.43 |
| Run VMG | 4.15 | 6.15 | 7.51 | 9.13 |
How they are set up
The range each sail spans across the fleet.
Nearly all carry a folding propeller. Crew weight is declared around 780 kg.
Rigging
ILC 40 rig and sail dimensions
A ILC 40 carries 16.99 m of mainsail hoist on a 6.16 m boom, a forestay 15.85 m above the deck. Typical figures across the 5 boats measured under the current VPP, with the range each one spans.
Rig
Sails
The spinnaker spreads widest of all — 105 to 138 m² depending on bowsprit and set-up. Before ordering a sail, read the figure on your own measurement record rather than the typical one for the design.