Racer-cruiserr

The two boats weigh about the same and have similar DWLs. The IMX is 9 inches beamier than the Swan. The Swan has less bow overhang and a more vertical transom. Draft is about the same, although the IMX team is reserving this figure for final resolution at a later date. Both keels are a shaped fin and bulb, although the IMX has some rake to the leading edge and a flattened tip to the bulb rather than the Swan's torpedo-type bulb.

Looking at the IMX in plan view, we can see that max beam appears to be slightly farther aft than it is in the Swan, although this could just be a function of the IMX's additional beam. The forefoot knuckle of the IMX is right at the DWL while the Swan's is higher. Just for fun I measured the angle of the counter and the DWL at the stern to see which boat had the flatter run. The IMX measured 15 degrees while the Swan measured 11 degrees. The rudder of the IMX breaks the waterplane aft while the Swan's rudder is pushed forward.

Perhaps the greatest similarities in these two boats can be seen in their deck plans. The IMX has the same broad side decks that the Swan has and the same basic cockpit geometry and proportions. The cockpit bench seats of the IMX extend farther aft and the mainsheet traveler is on top of the seats. This makes the mainsheet traveler a bigger obstacle when you are going forward, but if you can't step over a traveler you should probably be playing croquet and not sailing. While both boats have anchor wells forward, the IMX has room in the well to bury the roller furling drum. The beauty of this is that it gets the tack of the furling jib right down on the deck where it would be without the furling drum. I hate those high-tacked jibs.

The IMX rig shows several small differences compared to the Swan's rig. There is less mainsail roach overlap on the backstay with the IMX, and the headstay is pulled slightly aft, probably in order to get the roller furling drum buried. Measuring sweep angles of the shrouds I get 15 degrees for the IMX and 24 degrees for the Swan. The SA/D of this design is 22.49, slightly lower than the Swan's.

Layoutwise we again see similarities in the two designs, although I prefer the interior of the IMX in part because of the galley. The little rounded "leg" on the counter does not offer much additional counter space but it gives room to put things next to the sink. The reefer is again outboard and of minimal size. The twin aft cabins have lower double berths with upper berths. There is plenty of hanging locker space in this design although the wet gear locker adjacent to the companionway looks inadequate to my eye. Note that the accommodations of the IMX extend farther into the bow than they do on the Swan.

Clearly, given the pedigree of the design, this will be a very good boat. It will compete with everything short of grand prix boats, and it offers good accommodations. To my eye it offers a more conventional approach than does the Swan. The balance between speed and comfort has been tilted more toward comfort in the IMX compared to the Swan. The overall look of the boat is pleasant but not especially exciting to me. I like the aggressive, on-the-edge look of the Swan better. It would be very instructive to be able to watch these two new designs compete against each other.