| Last update: July 26, 2000
Contents
- How much does a J/30 cost?
- How fast is the J/30?
- What can you tell me about the history
of the J/30?
- Do you have any of the old information
on the J/30?
- Is there a fleet near me?
- What are the class sail rules?
- What are the problems specific to the boat?
- Does the association have a publication?
- What are the different versions of
the design and do they have differing speed potential?
- How many were built?
- Where can I find out more?
How much does a J/30 cost?
The most frequently asked question is, of course, how much does
it cost to buy one? The class association president tracked asking
prices for about a year. He found that most prices listed in classified
advertisements ranged from about $25,000 to the mid-$30s. This price
range could probably buy the winner of the 1996 NA's here in Annapolis
(they just got a new Mumm 30). Boats have been listed - and sold
for - as little as $15K for early 1979 models including one at that
price now in Youngstown OH.
These prices tend to be regionally influenced. In the Chesapeake
Bay area for example, there is a very active one-design class,
and the prices tend to be higher. Out West where there are fewer
Js in general, the prices seemed lower.
How fast is the J/30?
In most areas around the continent, the J/30 rates 138 in one-design
mode. A table of PHRF ratings
for North America is available showing a range from 120 to 144 in
various configurations. Below is an image of a polar calculation
of the speed of the J/30.
If you would like to compare the J/30's speed to that of other
boats, we can use the New
England PHRF Base Handicaps database to arrive at some meaningful
comparisons. There, the J/30 rates 144 with 155% genoa and shortened
spinnaker pole. Against other racer/cruisers of that era the J
is a relative speedster - the Tartan 30 rates 171, and the Pearson
30 gets a 174 rating. Against the new sport boats, the J/30 does
not fare as well. For example, the J/92
(also a 30 foot design) rates 102 in one-design mode, and the
Mumm 30 is the fastest of all at 57. The sport boats however,
were never designed to be cruisers as well as racers. For the
crew to spend the night after a distance race in a Mumm 30 would
be a form of collective masochism. The J/30 allows a race crew
of 6 to sleep in relative comfort with the capability of making
coffee in the morning, and allowing crew to use a marine head
rather than a porta-potty. In addition, you don't have to mortgage
the farm to buy one. For the price of a new Mumm 30 with sails
and electronics, you could outfit your own fleet of about 4 J/30s!
What can you tell me about the history
of the J/30?
The J/30 is the second in the long line of J-Boats designed by
Rod Johnstone and built by Tillotson-Pearson in Rhode Island.
Although Rod's first boat, the J/24,
was great for around-the- buoys racing and day-sailing, it just
didn't fit the bill for those who wanted a cruiser/racer with
a little more comfort, and a racer/cruiser able to enter long-distance
races. Such a boat should accomodate a full crew comfortably overnight,
provide standing headroom, and offer the cooking and dining comforts
of a larger boat. Rod wanted to create a class that would provide
more boat and better one-design racing than other thirty footers
of the day, and he succeeded.
Rod drew the lines
for the J/30 in the fall of 1977, soon after the initial success
of the J/24. After a season's test of a cold-molded prototype,
production started at Tillotson-Pearson in December of 1978. Hull
#1 was launched soon afterward. This boat, named Warwhoop,
gained fame for the class as a result of an excellent showing
in the SORC events of 1979, with John Kolius at the helm.
The first of the J/30 fleets was formed
in 1979 in Holland, Michigan. The board
of the J/30 class held its first official meeting in February
of 1981. The class has continued to flourish over the years. About
550 boats were built and the J/30 continues to be one of the largest
and most active one-design classes over 24 feet in the world.
The Chesapeake Bay boasts the largest fleet, of about 40 boats,
usually exceeding 15 boats on the line for each one-design race.
Other fleets are active in Long Island Sound, Naragansett Bay,
Maine, Chicago and New Orleans. The national class association
maintains tight one-design
rules, including an owner-driver rule that permits no more
than one sailing professional in a crew. J/30s were identically
constructed by a single builder, and the strict class rules prevent
drastic changes that would make older boats uncompetitive. There
is little or no difference in performance between a well-maintained
older boat and a newer one. Karl von Schwartz's Huron, which is
hull #2, and Mike McGuirk's Gunsmoke, which is hull #482, were
among the race-winners in the 1999 North American Championship
held in Annapolis, although the winner and new champion was Rich
Harrison's no respect.
J/30s are also found singly and in small groups in ports from
San Diego, California to St. John's, New Brunswick, and the J/30
has a long history of success in racing under PHRF handicapping.
J/30 and the J/Boats logo are registered trademarks
of J/Boats, Inc.
Do you have any of the old information
on the J/30?
We recently scanned in the J/30 brochure from 1980. The brochure
is available as JPEGs of the original. Click
here to go to that portion of the site.
Is there a fleet near me?
The most active fleet is on the Chesapeake Bay, with about 50 boats
and about 20 one-design races each year. There are several other
fleets around the country. A complete list
of fleets is available elsewhere on the J/30 page.
What if we don't have an active one-design
racing fleet where I live?
There are plenty of unused one-designs, J/30s included, that at
the right time and price can generate a resurgence of interest in
level racing. The Chesapeake J/30 Fleet exploded in 1988-9 when
the price came down to $30K. All it takes is one or two enthusiastic
and interested individuals encourage people to get out and go sailing.
As a true racer/cruiser, the J/30 provides a reasonable balance
in the way most people use their boats, unlike many of the newer
sport-boat designs like the Mumm 30.
What are the class sail rules?
The class has strict sail limits on materials and construction for
one-design racing. Each boat must have all five sails on board.
The basic rules are as follows:
- All purpose spinnaker - 0.75 oz. nylon only, no poly
- #1 163% genoa - mylar all purpose, no light or heavy designs
- #2 140% genoa - dacron
- #3 105% jib - aramid allowed
- mainsail - dacron only, full battens allowed
For full information check the One-Design
Class Rules.
Any idea what a new #1, spinnaker,
and main would cost?
Depending on the deal you work with your sailmaker, a #1 or a spinnaker
is about $1500-2000, and a main is about $2000-2500. This is for
class legal sails, so mylar for the #1 and dacron for the main.
Probably the best deal you can get is look for some used
racing sails. Some of the real fanatics here replace their
#1 and spinnaker every year, and the main every other year. These
sails are often disposed of cheap. These can often be found
listed in the web site, in the fleet publications, or by contacting
used sail brokers like Bacons in Annapolis (410-263-4880). Just
before the NAs in mid-September there was a flurry of sail buying
and selling to make sure everyone had class legal sails. In one
case, someone picked up a 2 year old spinnaker in great shape
from one of the class leaders for $200! (that's right just two
zeros after the numeric two!!)
I've seen J/30s with kevlar sails,
is that against the class rules?
Yes, and no, of course! For one-design and National Fleet events,
yes it is illegal to use an aramid (Kevlar(tm)) sail currently for
any sail other than the #3 blade jib. If your area races mostly
PHRF events, they may adopt a local fleet rule which allows the
use of alternative materials in the sails.
The class legal number 1 is a 163% genoa. For a bit of history,
here's how it came to be. When he sailed the prototype, Rod Johnstone
felt the boat was slightly underpowered in light air conditions,
so he specified a 163% genoa and a 1 foot longer than the J dimension
spinnaker pole and spinnaker. PHRF of the Chesapeake has recently
moved to rating the J/30 in a one-design mode. In this case, the
J/30 is rated at 138 with an inventory of class-legal sails. In
addition, PHRF_C has decided to move away from granting "credits"
for things like smaller headsails. Thsu any deviation from the
class legal inventory carries with it a penalty.
Do you have any more information about
changes in the sail inventory ?
In the spring of 1996, the Chesapeake Fleet held a panel discussion
with 6 sailmakers about changes they feel would be worthwile in
the J/30's sail inventory. The then-current sail inventory for the
J/30 was #1 - 165% mylar, #2 - 140% dacron, #3 - 105% dacron, dacron
mainsail, and 0.75 oz nylon all purpose spinnaker. Surprisingly,
there was a large degree of consensus among them about what to do
and more importantly what not to do.
They were unanimous in suggesting that we keep the dacron main.
It was felt that for a "small" mainsail like that of the J/30,
there was no benefit to the added material strength, and about
a 50% cost increase. They also observed that even in larger boats
like the J/35, people were returning to dacron from kevlar. They
did suggest that we remove the prohibition from using loose-footed
mains from the rules.
The number 2. This sail has a very limited apparent wind range.
It's used from about 20-24 kts apparent, give or take a couple
of knots. It's a classic question on the C_Bay about whether it's
ever worth putting up the #2 or changing down to the #3. It's
pretty seldom that we get steady conditions in that wind range.
For us, the weather is usually building up to something more severe,
so you'll eventually need to change down to the #3 anyway, rather
than holding steady in the high teens (true wind). One use I've
found for it is as a cruising sail. It makes the tacks much easier
than the number one.
The number 3. The sailmakers felt that this sail could benefit
from a material change. In heavy weather the dacron just doesn't
have the strength to provide a long life with reasonable shape.
For 1997 the rules have been amended to allow aramid (Kevlar TM))
for the material.
For the spinnaker, they felt that under no circumstances should
we change anything! The said that we could change to a poly spinnaker
and they could sell lots of them as we blow them up during races,
but that would not be good for the class!
Now for the #1. This sail is currently allowed to be mylar, and
a 163% rather then the PHRF 155%. This is what sparked the inventory
question in the first place. The fleets want to encourage sailors
to come to the NAs, but it is hard for many to do when the race
mostly PHRF and so have sails which were made to the PHRF rules.
Here, in what is predominantly a light air venue, we felt that
the 163% sail provides better power to accelerate out of tacks,
and about a 6 sec/mi difference in "drag-racing" mode with 6-8
kts of breeze. My suggestion for prospective owners would be decide
based on your normal sailing venue and find out if your local
PHRF committee is moving to a one-design rating scheme. If it
is normal to use a _heavy #1_ for masthead boats, then buy a kevlar
155%. Then if you decide to do the NAs, buy a one-season old used
mylar 163% for the series. Alternatively, the racing venue is
not a high wind area and/or if the PHRF rating group is moving
to a one-design rating scheme, then think about getting a mylar
163% sail.
One final point, with the backstay control tightened down, the
boat balances well under main alone. When we're cruising and the
breeze is up, we sail this way so that my wife or I can mind the
kids. This lets us sail the boat like an overgrown dinghy - one
hand on the tiller, and one hand on the main sheet. It's a lot
of fun!
How can you depower the rig, and do class
rules let me change how things are led, etc?
In general, you can change the leads for any lines. Because it is
a fractional rig, the boat balances best with a full main and a
reduced headsail. Through the backstay control you have control
of the power in the main so that you can depower the main instantly.
Even in heavy weather, the boats are raced with main and number
3 jib. (The Banks Sails Tuning
Guide has instructions for tuning the rig.) If there is still
too much helm pressure, we put in the flattener reef, which works
like a super outhaul and takes out a little bit of sail area at
the foot
In the Kenyon spar, there are a pair of cam levers under the
gooseneck that lock off the reef lines. You can lead them back
to the cockpit to better rope clutches (the Kenyon levers allow
the line to slip a bit).
What are the problems specific to the
boat?
Over the years the boats have proved remarkably durable. Tillotson-Pearson
built the boats rather stoutly and there haven't been many failures
even though they've been raced heavily here on the Ches_Bay since
they were introduced in 1979. Here's a J/30
Used Boat Review from Spinsheet
Magazinewhich concludes that "...her strengths continue
to outweigh her weaknesses and for an active sailor or sailing family
with Mumm 36 spirit and something less than a Mumm 36 bank account,
the J/30 is a tough boat to beat.."
There have been two areas however, where a new owner should be
aware. First, like many designs built in the early-to-mid 80s
there were some boats which had blister problems. Any prospective
owner should find out if the boat had the problem at some time
and if it was repaired. Secondly, the Kenyon mast section has
had some failures at the spreader brackets. The usual scenario
is that the rivets which attach the spreader brackets to the mast
begin to loosen. This allows the spreaders to work against the
mast as the mast flexes. What then happens is that fatigue sets
in and a crack develops along the line of rivet holes. This will
ultimately lead to mast failure. An article from the J/30 Journal
discusses spreader bracket
causes and cures.
What about the cored bulkheads?
Practical Sailor discusses the problem that J/Boats had with the
early J/24 bulkheads coming adrift and/or delaminating, and that
they designed the J/30's bulkhead to avoid the problem. They must
have done it right, I've never heard of a bulkhead problem in a
30.
How's the engine access? Stuffing box?
The engine sits under the bridge-deck and behind the cabin steps.
The cabin steps are a large fiberglass molding which can be unlatched
and moved out of the way giving great access to three sides of the
engine. The stuffing box is a reach, but there is not much around
it.
Have you heard of any problems at the keel/hull
interface?
Nope, no keel or mounting problems. Like any cored hull/deck boat,
the single most important area for a survey is to look for evidence
of soft spots or delamination. Mine has one small area between the
waterline and sheer on the starboard side that the surveyor thought
was insignificant.
Do you find the electrical system adequate
(are there enough breakers, or have you had to add to them?
The DC system is adequate, it seems to have enough fuses and circuits
for most items. I wish the boat had come with a shore-power circuit
for some AC items, though. A 110v circuit would make cruising easier.
Does the association have a publication?
The J Journal is published several times each year by the
J-30 National Organization. Membership
in the National Association automatically puts you on the mailing
list. It's about 10-12 pages of info about what the various fleets
are doing, articles about maintenance and upgrades, and ownership
lists. It's free if you belong to the class orgainzation. Also,
the Cheaspeake Bay fleet publishes a newsletter several times a
year detailing racing and class activities on the Bay.
What are the different versions of
the design and do they have differing speed potential?
The boats were first sold with quarter berths under both sides of
the cockpit. After several years at about hull #445, JBoats changed
the galley design and eliminated the port side quarter berth, replacing
it with a sail locker accessible from the cockpit. Topsides, the
original configuration was a cockpit without coamings and with a
full bridgedeck. In the early 80's this design was replaced by one
with coamings and a longer footwell, replacing the bridgedeck. These
two changes were not made at the same time, so you may find a boat
with the early deck but the later cabin arrangement.
As far as the speed potential of the boats, the hull number does
not seem to matter. Both early and late designs have been North
American Champions. In general, the later designs came with more
creature comforts like propane stoves and pressure water. The
most important element of boat speed is the condition of the bottom.
How many were built?
About 575 were built from early in 1979 until 1987.
Where can I find more information?
Contact Bob Rutsch at the
J/30 National Association at (301)
565-2300. |
