J/Boats

Last updated

J/Boats
Company type Privately held company
Industry Boat building
Founded1977
FoundersRod & Bob Johnstone
Headquarters,
United States
Key people
Jeff Johnstone (president)
Products Sailboats
Website www.jboats.com

J/Boats is an American boat builder based in Newport, Rhode Island and founded by Rod Johnstone in 1977. The company specializes in the design and manufacture of fiberglass sailboats. [1] [2] [3]

Contents

The company's model names all start with "J/" and then the design's length overall (LOA), in feet (such as the J/24), or beginning in 1994 in decimeters (J/130), or starting 2021 in meters (J/9). All J/Boat designs are monohull, sloop-rigged keelboats constructed of cored sandwich fiberglass. [3] The current product line consists of eight models, ranging from the J/70 to the J/45, ranging in length from 22.75 to 45.6 ft (6.9 to 13.9 m). [4] A new 9 meter model has been announced for 2021. [5] Past models have ranged from 22.5 to 64.5 ft (6.9 to 19.7 m), from the J/22 to the J/65. [1]

The company's initial design, the J/24, is their most successful, with over 5,500 built. [6] The J/24 is sailed 27 countries and is the world's most popular one design keelboat. [7] [8] [9]

As Sailboatdata described, "the J/Boats company, a family affair started with brother Bob Johnstone, is arguably the most successful producer of performance-oriented boats in the world with nearly 10,000 boats built to Johnstone designs." [2]

History

J/24 J24 Sailboat Tequila 2594.jpg
J/24
J/22 J22 sailboat Cheque Mate 3358.jpg
J/22
J/29 FR J29 Reaching.jpg
J/29 FR
J/35 J35upwind.jpg
J/35

Rod Johnstone had completed a correspondence course at the Westlawn School of Yacht Design in the 1960s and in 1975 was working selling advertising for Soundings, a sailing trade magazine, when he started a homebuilt boat project. His first boat design, named Ragtime, was built on weekends, in his garage in Stonington, Connecticut. He raced the boat in the summer of 1976, with a crew made up of family members and amassed a very successful racing record. The co-founder of Pearson Yachts and owner of TPI Composites, Inc, Everett Pearson, made an agreement with Johnstone to produce the design in a new factory, in return for the exclusive United States building rights. The factory was established in an old textile mill in Fall River, Massachusetts. The design was designated as the J/24 and Johnstone arranged display advertising for the new boat in Soundings. [1] [10]

Rod Johnstone's brother, Bob Johnstone joined the new company to handle marketing and also invested $20,000 in start-up costs. He had been working as vice president of marketing for AMF/Alcort, the builders of the Sunfish sailboat at that time, but was unable to interest them in the J/24 design. The two Johnstone brothers became business partners in J/Boats. [1]

The company intentionally avoided the production aspect of the business, leaving that to Pearson Yachts and instead concentrating on design and marketing. [10]

Production of the J/24 started in 1977 and the new partners expected to sell 250 boats that first year, and actually sold 750. [1] By early 1978 the class was popular enough to hold a one-design regatta in Key West with twenty boats competing and by that summer sixty-eight competed in Newport, Rhode Island. [3]

Early successful designs included the 1983 J/22, the 1982 J/29 of which 298 were produced with a design first of either a Fractional Rig (FR) or Masthead (MH) rig, and the 1983 J/35 with 330 produced. The company classifies its designs into one design, offshore cruisers, offshore cruiser-racers, day sailers and weekend cruisers and pure racing designs [1] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15]

By 1992 a new generation of the Johnstone family was running the company, while the elder Johnstones remained involved. Rod Johnstone's son Jeff Johnstone became president, while his son Alan Johnstone was named vice-president, while Phil Johnstone is legal counsel. Rod Johnstone's nephew, Jim Johnstone, became sales director. Five of Jim and Bob Johnstone's sons serve as members of the board of directors: Jeff, Alan, Stuart, Drake and Phil Johnstone. All the family members involved in the company are serious sailors. [1] [10]

By 2020 the company had built almost 10,000 boats and had eight designs in production: the J/70, J/80, J/88, J/99, J/111, J/121, J/112E and the J/122E. [1] [4] In December 2020, a new model, the J/9, was announced for 2021. [5] [16] [17]

Boats

J/28 J28 sailboat Horizon Job 4412.jpg
J/28
J/32 J32 sailboat Lady Cait 0697.jpg
J/32
J/70 Helga Cup Namensgeberin.jpg
J/70
J/80 S-Y Merenhuiske, FIN-9106, J-80 (29173724406) (2).jpg
J/80
J/95 J95 downwind.jpg
J/95

Summary of boats built by J/Boats, by year: [1]

Boat Of The Year awards

Beginning in 1985, Sailing World magazine began awarding Boat Of The Year (BOTY). J/Boats has been the overall winner five times, and a segment winner 17 times. [58] [59] [60] [61] [62] [63] [64] [65] [66]

Overall BOTY:

Segment Winners

Further, between 1994 and 2008 Cruising World magazine [67] awarded two J/Boats high honors:

See also

Related Research Articles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">J/24</span> Sailboat class

The J/24 is an international One-Design and Midget Ocean Racing Club trailerable keelboat class built by J/Boats and defined by World Sailing. The J/24 was created to fulfill the diverse needs of recreational sailors such as cruising, one design racing, day sailing, and handicap racing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Snipe (dinghy)</span> Sailboat class

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kirby 25</span> Sailboat class

The Kirby 25 is a Canadian trailerable sailboat, that was designed by Bruce Kirby as a racer and first built in 1978. The design is out of production.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sanibel 18</span> Sailboat class

The Sanibel 18 is an American trailerable sailboat, that was designed by Charles Ludwig, first built in 1982 and named for the Floridian town and island.

The C&C 44 and the C&C 44 Custom are a series of Canadian sailboats, that were designed by Robert W. Ball and first built in 1985.

The Columbia 24 is a series of American sailboats that were designed by Joseph McGlasson and first built in 1962.

The Columbia 24 Challenger, or Columbia Challenger 24, is an American trailerable sailboat that was designed by Joseph McGlasson and first built in 1962.

The Bristol Caravel 22, sometimes called the Bristol 22 Caravel, Sailstar Caravel, or just the Caravel 22, is an American trailerable sailboat that was designed by Halsey Chase Herreshoff as a cruiser and first built in 1968. It is named for the class of sailing ship.

The Bristol Corsair 24, also called the Bristol 24, Bristol 24 Corsair, Sailstar Corsair 24, Sailstar 24 and just the Corsair 24, is an American trailerable sailboat that was designed by Paul Coble as a cruiser and first built in 1964.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cal 24</span> Sailboat class

The Cal 24 is an American trailerable sailboat that was designed by C. William Lapworth as a Midget Ocean Racing Club (MORC) racer and first built in 1958.

The Evelyn 25 is an American trailerable sailboat that was designed by Bob Evelyn as a racer-cruiser and first built in 1984.

The Kittiwake 23, also called the Kittiwake 24 and the Kenner Kittiwake, is an American trailerable sailboat that was designed by Carl Alberg as a cruiser and first built in 1966. It is named for the species of gull.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pearson 24</span> Sailboat class

The Pearson 24 is an American trailerable sailboat that was designed by William Shaw as a cruiser and first built in 1967.

The S2 6.7 Grand Slam is an American trailerable sailboat that was designed by Don Wennersten as a racer-cruiser and first built in 1980. The designation indicates the approximate length overall in meters.

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The North Star 80/20 is a Canadian sailboat that was designed by Sparkman & Stephens as a cruiser and first built in 1973. The boat is a version of Sparkman & Stephens' design 2134.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Melges 15</span> Sailboat class

The Melges 15 is an American sailboat that was designed by Reichel/Pugh as a two-crew, one-design racer and sail trainer. First built in 2020, it is Reichel/Pugh's design #289.

The Sun Way 21 is a French sailboat that was designed by J&J Design as a cruiser and first built in 1989.

References

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