Fort Towson

The J/80 is an American trailerable sailboat that was designed by Rod Johnstone as a one design racer and first built in 1992.[1][2][3][4][5]

The design is a recognized International Sailing Federation world class with a crew of three sailors.[6]

Production

The design has been built by Tillotson Pearson since 1992, for J/Boats in the United States, with over 1,700 built and still in production as of 2022. At one time it was produced by Waterline Systems, also located in the US.[1][2][7][8][9][10][5]

Design

J/80 flying its asymmetrical spinnaker

The J/80 is a racing keelboat, with the hull built predominantly of fiberglass. It has a fractional sloop rig with a retractable bowsprit controlled from the cockpit by a deployment line. The hull has a raked stem, a plumb transom, a transom-hung rudder controlled by a tiller and a fixed swept fin keel. It displaces 2,900 lb (1,315 kg) and carries 1,400 lb (635 kg) of ballast. The cockpit is 12 ft (3.7 m) long and the hull has a sealed buoyancy compartment on the bow.[1][2][5][11]

The boat has a draft of 4.90 ft (1.49 m) with the standard keel. It can be transported on land on a towed double-axle boat trailer.[1][2][5]

For sailing downwind the design may be equipped with an asymmetrical spinnaker of 700 sq ft (65 m2). It will plane under spinnaker.[1][2][5]

The design has a hull speed of 6.29 kn (11.65 km/h).[2]

Operational history

The boat is supported by an active class club that organizes racing events, the International J/80 Class Association. There are 30 fleets racing in 12 countries, including in North America, Europe and China. It has also been used for two-boat match racing.[12][13]

In a 1994 expert review in Sailing World Magazine Doug Logan concluded, "In the test's light airs, the J/80 could often sail at or close to windspeed, and in several instances recorded the best leg times. While hard to define as a "conservative" boat, this Rod Johnstone creation doesn't go to the max in sailplan and (lack of) stability, and employs the proven construction materials used in thousands of earlier J/Boats. This might cost a bit of speed in light air with chop, but should broaden the boat's user-friendliness in stronger winds."[11]

Events

Main article: J/80 World Championship

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e McArthur, Bruce (2022). "J/80 sailboat". sailboatdata.com. Archived from the original on 14 August 2022. Retrieved 14 August 2022.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Sea Time Tech, LLC (2022). "J/80". sailboat.guide. Archived from the original on 14 August 2022. Retrieved 14 August 2022.
  3. ^ McArthur, Bruce (2022). "Rod Johnstone". sailboatdata.com. Archived from the original on 14 August 2022. Retrieved 14 August 2022.
  4. ^ Sea Time Tech, LLC (2022). "Rod Johnstone". sailboat.guide. Archived from the original on 18 March 2022. Retrieved 14 August 2022.
  5. ^ a b c d e J/Boats (2022). "J/80 - Sportboat Thrills with Stability". jboats.com. Archived from the original on 1 October 2014. Retrieved 14 August 2022.
  6. ^ World Sailing (2022). "J/80". sailing.org. Archived from the original on 14 August 2022. Retrieved 14 August 2022.
  7. ^ McArthur, Bruce (2022). "J Boats". sailboatdata.com. Archived from the original on 19 July 2020. Retrieved 14 August 2022.
  8. ^ Sea Time Tech, LLC (2022). "J Boats". sailboat.guide. Archived from the original on 18 March 2022. Retrieved 14 August 2022.
  9. ^ McArthur, Bruce (2022). "Waterline Systems, LLC". sailboatdata.com. Archived from the original on 19 July 2020. Retrieved 14 August 2022.
  10. ^ Sea Time Tech, LLC (2022). "Waterline Systems, LLC". sailboat.guide. Archived from the original on 14 August 2022. Retrieved 14 August 2022.
  11. ^ a b Logan, Doug (1994). "Review of the J/80". Sailing World Magazine. Archived from the original on 31 March 2012. Retrieved 14 August 2022.
  12. ^ McArthur, Bruce (2022). "J/80 Class Website". sailboatdata.com. Archived from the original on 14 August 2022. Retrieved 14 August 2022.
  13. ^ Sea Time Tech, LLC (2022). "J/80 Class". sailboat.guide. Archived from the original on 14 August 2022. Retrieved 14 August 2022.

External links

source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J/80