X-43
X-Yachts · Niels Jeppesen · 2003
Updated
The X-43 is a 12.90 m displacement racing yacht designed by Niels Jeppesen and built by X-Yachts, first launched in 2003. It races in Class B. Across the measured fleet it goes better than its own numbers promise, ahead of 45% of the designs it races against.
Goes better than its own measurements promise, and does it better than 45% of the boats it races against.
51st of 92 in its class.
This design has been found in real race results — 51 starts across 27 events — not only in measurement files.
Length
12.90 m
42′ 4″
Beam
3.95 m
Draft
2.20 m
Displacement
8.9 t
Sail area
98 m²
On the podium
Where a X-43 finishes when she goes racing.
On the podium
33%
of 51 starts by 9 boats
Wins
10%
Read from 51 starts by 9 boats between 2013 and 2026, counting races with six boats or more.
Recent regattas
The latest events where a X-43 was on the start line, named as the organisers publish them.
32nd Cyclades Regatta - '262026
73° Loro Piana Giraglia2026- 151 Miglia - Trofeo Cetilar2026
- "Μακης Πανταζης" - Αγκιστρι2026
- 3ος Ιστιοπλοϊκός Αγώνας Α/Θ ¨Πέρδικα 2026¨2026
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: 5 races of 10 NM or less carry a published distance.
Offshore & coastal
39%
of these races end on the podium
Who she races against
The designs a X-43 actually lines up with, most often first. The bar shows how those meetings ended.
Also met, too few times for a figure:
X-412 (7 meetings), Grand Soleil 43 (Maletto) (7 meetings), Grand Soleil 37 (Design) (7 meetings), Bonin 358 (7 meetings), Rimar 36 (7 meetings), Dehler 35 (Voogd) (7 meetings), Salona 37 (6 meetings), Grand Soleil 40 (Polli) (6 meetings), X-362 (6 meetings), First 34.7 (6 meetings), Comet 45 (6 meetings), X-41 (7 meetings), Comet 36 (5 meetings), M 37 (5 meetings), Italia 14.98 (5 meetings), J/105 (5 meetings), First 45 (Briand) (7 meetings), J/109 (6 meetings), J/99 (5 meetings)
Some of the boats it races against
How the X-43 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
5.59
39°
Beam reach
8.99
90°
Broad reach
9.88
135°
Downwind VMG
8.52
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 in moderate air, where it goes better than its measurements say it should, and by a margin worth having. It holds that advantage on the beam as well, so the gain is not down to one leg of the course.
Where it pays
It falls short off the wind once it pipes up, giving away time it never gets back. That is a displacement hull working to its designed speed.
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 beam reach.
How fast is a X-43
Boat speed in knots, by true wind angle and wind strength.
| Angle | 6 kn | 10 kn | 14 kn | 20 kn |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beat VMG | 3.73 | 5.08 | 5.46 | 5.59 |
| 52° | 5.68 | 7.37 | 7.78 | 7.93 |
| 60° | 6.03 | 7.60 | 8.00 | 8.18 |
| 75° | 6.25 | 7.76 | 8.28 | 8.59 |
| 90° | 6.14 | 7.83 | 8.41 | 8.99 |
| 110° | 6.08 | 7.93 | 8.76 | 9.50 |
| 120° | 5.84 | 7.82 | 8.71 | 9.94 |
| 135° | 5.21 | 7.42 | 8.46 | 9.88 |
| 150° | 4.38 | 6.62 | 8.00 | 9.30 |
| Run VMG | 3.79 | 5.74 | 7.19 | 8.52 |
How they are set up
The range each sail spans across the fleet.
Nearly all carry a folding propeller. Crew weight is declared around 840 kg.
Rigging
X-43 rig and sail dimensions
A X-43 carries 16.00 m of mainsail hoist on a 5.80 m boom, a forestay 16.81 m above the deck and a 5.03 m bowsprit. Typical figures across the 19 boats measured under the current VPP, with the range each one spans.
Rig
Sails
The spinnaker spreads widest of all — 93 to 153 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.