IMX 38
X-Yachts · Niels Jeppesen · 1992
Updated
The IMX 38 is a 11.36 m displacement racing yacht designed by Niels Jeppesen and built by X-Yachts, first launched in 1992. It races in Class C. Across the measured fleet it goes better than its own numbers promise, ahead of 67% of the designs it races against. It is at its best in light air and struggles to hold that once it blows.
Goes better than its own measurements promise, and does it better than 67% of the boats it races against.
53rd of 159 in its class.
This design has been found in real race results — 386 starts across 72 events — not only in measurement files.
Length
11.36 m
37′ 3″
Beam
3.66 m
Draft
2.09 m
Displacement
5.4 t
Sail area
84 m²
On the podium
Where a IMX 38 finishes when she goes racing.
On the podium
32%
of 386 starts by 16 boats
Wins
11%
Read from 386 starts by 16 boats between 2015 and 2026, counting races with six boats or more.
Recent regattas
The latest events where a IMX 38 was on the start line, named as the organisers publish them.
Round Aeolian Race 2026 - Campionato Italiano Offshore ORC2026
"Πανελληνιο Κυπελο ORCI 2026"2026- Aegean Regatta2026
- Kypello Voreiou Aigaiou2026
- Edison Next Italian Offshore Sailing Championship - Campionato Italiano Assoluto d’Altura2026
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
39%
of these races end on the podium
Offshore & coastal
28%
of these races end on the podium
Sharper round the buoys. Short courses reward acceleration and manoeuvring, and that is where this design makes its money.
Who she races against
The designs a IMX 38 actually lines up with, most often first. The bar shows how those meetings ended.
Some of the boats it races against
How the IMX 38 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
5.36
38°
Beam reach
8.54
90°
Broad reach
9.62
135°
Downwind VMG
8.11
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 beat in the light stuff, where it does more than its size and sail area promise, 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 0.4 kn either way.
At 10 knots this design makes back more than its rating asks on the upwind.
How fast is a IMX 38
Boat speed in knots, by true wind angle and wind strength.
| Angle | 6 kn | 10 kn | 14 kn | 20 kn |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beat VMG | 3.73 | 4.94 | 5.28 | 5.36 |
| 52° | 5.63 | 7.03 | 7.38 | 7.49 |
| 60° | 5.91 | 7.21 | 7.57 | 7.72 |
| 75° | 6.08 | 7.33 | 7.82 | 8.12 |
| 90° | 5.97 | 7.38 | 7.96 | 8.54 |
| 110° | 5.76 | 7.47 | 8.23 | 8.94 |
| 120° | 5.60 | 7.38 | 8.29 | 9.43 |
| 135° | 5.04 | 7.06 | 8.04 | 9.62 |
| 150° | 4.27 | 6.41 | 7.59 | 8.96 |
| Run VMG | 3.70 | 5.56 | 6.86 | 8.11 |
How they are set up
The range each sail spans across the fleet.
Nearly all carry a folding propeller. Crew weight is declared around 640 kg.
Rigging
IMX 38 rig and sail dimensions
A IMX 38 carries 13.34 m of mainsail hoist on a 4.90 m boom, a forestay 15.49 m above the deck and a 5.09 m bowsprit. Typical figures across the 36 boats measured under the current VPP, with the range each one spans.
Rig
Sails
The spinnaker spreads widest of all — 81 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.