Classic Boat Cult | Pure Racer 90s: 7 cults between 9 and 12.5 meters

For the past few years the 1990s have been taking on an unparalleled ”nostalgic” role, the last ”slow” decade before the global acceleration imposed by digital. For the sailing world, however, this is a criterion that is failing. Indeed, the 1990s are the years of great acceleration, the years of a sail that, in part, abandons some of its formal canons, moving towards unprecedented innovation. From IMS to the explosion of advanced composites, from the abandonment of ‘tonnages’ to the birth of advanced monotypes, from elite to ‘pop’, to media and global sailing, the sail of the Moro, Luna Rossa and Soldini’s signature exploits. But not only that.

Classic Boat Cult | Pure Racer 90s: 7 cults between 9 and 12.5 meters

The 1990s are also the years of exceptional hulls, boats designed for the general public and, at the same time, for racing, oblivious to cruising, comfort, and designed to offer, in series, the pinnacle of available technology. Seven of these, are the ones you will find chronologically in the next few lines: 7 pure racer between 9 and 12.5 meters, 90s beasts that are still valid today…

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FIGARO SOLO

Beneteau; 9.14 x 3.25 meters; 1990; Jean Marie Finot & Jean Berret

Let’s start with the ‘oldest’ of the seven, as well as the smallest: the Figaro Solo. Developed for the regatta Solitaire du Figaro, this small 9.14-meter by Finot and Berret appealed from the start, generating such success that it justified a remarkable series, still active today. From its first version it was characterized by a powerful sail on fractional rigging with flying shrouds, resulting in a fast hull, to say the least, strong with a synthetic foam sandwich with structural counter-molding and efficient weight distribution. Today, tending to be affordable, it is a hull that no one is denied, still capable of delivering excitement and satisfaction in more than one context.

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Find out all its details and market values by consulting its dedicated file, you can find it in the archive Classic Historic Boats of the Classic Boat Club.

IMX 38

X-Yachts; 11.41 x 3.68 meters; 1992; Neal Jeppesen

Signed by Neal Jeppesen, with the second hull on this list we tackle a true cult among the offshore monotypes of the early 1990s. As aggressive as she was smart, the IMX 38 was indeed a huge success for the yard, spawning a series produced in no less than 92 examples, exceptional numbers for an 11.4-meter racing yacht. Optimized for the nascent IMS, extremely high performance, but also pleasing and concretely beautiful, she was an exceptional boat throughout the decade, rediscovering herself, today, as good a hull -with the right adjustments. Find out about her every detail and market values by consulting her dedicated sheet, you can find her in the archives Classic Historic Boats of the Classic Boat Club.

MUMM 30 / FARR 30

Carroll Marine / Ovnington; 9.42 x 3.08 meters; 1995; Bruce Farr

Third hull on this list, the MUMM 30 (Farr 30), an outstanding icon. A gem of world sailing, the Mumm 30 was in fact a small revolution, a masterpiece of Bruce Farr who, here, designs a sailing missile, as extreme as a track car and as fascinating as a great contemporary classic. The result is a hull that, today, is hard to come by-simply, those who have them have no intention of selling. Just look at the last Middle Sea Race, where the second overall ORC and winner in ORC 6 and IRC 5 was him, the MUMM 30 ( Here is the story).

Find out all its details and market values by consulting its dedicated file, you can find it in the archive Classic Historic Boats of the Classic Boat Club.

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J/125

J-Boats; 12.50 x 3.23 meters; 1997; Johnstone

Very light, more than 58 percent of her weight strong in the bulb, tight at the beam and pulled like few, with the J-125 Johnstone goes toward the most pulled hull that, as of ’97, J has ever produced. To leave the yard, just 16 examples, but success is immediate. Cruise, zero, but plenty of speed for one of the most high-performance Js ever. Beautiful and fast, the J-125 is then also very easy to handle, specially designed to be able to race even with a small crew. Seemingly impossible, it works. Find out all its details and market values by consulting its dedicated fact sheet, you can find it in the archives Classic Historic Boats of the Classic Boat Club.

FARR 40

Carrol Marine; 12.41 x 4.03; 1997; Bruce Farr

There is little to be done, with the Farr 40 we are confronted with the 40-footer of the decade, the one-design masterpiece, undisputed excellence of the late 1990s, and beyond. The class test-bed of every champion.

But that’s not all, because the Farr 40 is a unique custom-built object no matter where you place it. Like a vintage Ferrari or Porsche, its intended use today is in fact to provide thrilling sailing sensations, whether on day trips or regattas. Also because, despite its age, more than one still proves that it still has a say. Find out all its details and market values by consulting its dedicated sheet, you can find it in the archive Classic Historic Boats of the Classic Boat Club.

GRAND SURPRISE

Archambault; 9.54 x 2.98; 1999, Joubert & Nivelt

Perhaps unexpected hull to represent 1999, the Grand Surprise. In 1977 Joubert had signed one of the best-selling day sailers in history, the ‘grandfather’ of these’, the Surprise. In 1999 Archambault tried again, creating the ‘modern’ version. While restyling tends to be a risky business, here the trick works. It may not be the successes of its ‘older’ sister, but the boat runs and the public appreciates: it is an easy, fun, and fast monotype. Most importantly, it has aged well, hiding good potential even today. Find out every detail about her and her market values by consulting her dedicated fact sheet, you can find it in the archives Classic Historic Boats of the Classic Boat Club.

IMX 40

X-Yachts; 12.10 x 3.80 meters; 2000, Niels Jeppesen

Technically introduced in early 2000, we will turn a blind eye because it is a hull still fully a child of the nineties. Indeed, introduced to do nothing but win, the IMX was yet another icing on the cake of X-Yachts history. And as many as 99 examples produced in just four years prove it. Designed to rout everything in IMS, that it does, so much so that it immediately won the European championships and made up 2/3 of the Spanish team at the Sardinia Cup… Need we talk about the boat itself? A fireball: carbon boom, mast and rudder and a trump card: the introduction of an innovative system to adjust the backstay. In short, a missile, worthy successor to the IMX-38 and, today, another one of those ‘oldies’ to watch your back against. Find out all its details and market values by consulting its dedicated fact sheet, you can find it in the archives Classic Historic Boats of the Classic Boat Club.

• DO YOU HAVE ONE OF THESE GEMS? Join the Classic Boat Club, the community dedicated to all Classic Boat owners and enthusiasts , a place to enhance and share the design culture of the last century. Becoming a member is super easy and offers a lot of benefits. Find out all about it HERE!

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