~Experience The Ultimate In Sailing Freedom... Less Draft
Historical Perspective. J/95 restores an American yachting tradition, dating back to the 1800's, of fast centerboarders that were as much at home navigating shoal inland waters as they were crossing oceans. Remember the Baltimore Clippers? As late as the 1960's, centerboarders dominated offshore racing under the Cruising Club of America (CCA) Rating Rule. Carlton Mitchell�s Finisterre won the Bermuda Race an unprecedented 3 times. In the 50 years since, great strides have been made in hull design, lighter/stiffer rigs, high-tech sails and advancements in cored composite construction. J/95 combines the best of tradition with modern technology and is quality-built in the USA!
Share the Joy Closer to Home. For the first time, many sailors will be able to keep a good-looking boat in front of their homes. J/95 has the capability of broadening a day�s sailing range by 5-10 miles. That includes venturing safely outside of inlets into open water... even staying dry and comfortable when a 20-knot sea breeze kicks in. J/95�s large cockpit, the privacy of its enclosed marine head and the convenience of returning home under power if the wind dies, make picnic day sails more appealing to family and friends. Sailing is at its best when the joy can be shared. J/95 has the versatility and the qualities to optimize your sailing experience over a longer season, closer to home.
It�s About Time. When you think of all the wonderful places to sail where the water is shallow, it�s surprising that a boat like this hasn�t come along earlier. While the new J/95 can expand one�s joy of sailing just about anywhere... it should be particularly welcomed on the many shoal water bays of Cape Cod, Great South Bay, Barnegat Bay, Chesapeake Bay, the Low Country of Georgia and the Carolinas, the Bahamas, Florida Keys, the Gulf Coast from Florida to Texas, Inland Lakes, and on the Estuaries of N. California and Pacific NW. As is the case with many family-friendly J Boats, don�t be surprised if J/95 one-design fleets begin to appear in a year or two.
Sailing's First Triple-Crown Winner. Read more what these independent, professional reviewers had to say about J/95 and why this sailboat can provide you the ultimate in sailing freedom!
Draft: 3 ft. 0 in.
Beam: 10 ft. 0 in.
Displacement: 6000
Standard features:
J/95 Sailing Performance
The J/95 opens up a new world to sailors who may have otherwise thought that high performance in shallow water was the special preserve of power boats. With the J/95 you can explore the many new harbors and shallow bays and estuaries and enjoy the ultimate thrill of sailing a fast, sleek sailboat anywhere you want- the ultimate in sailing freedom!
The J/95�s performance hull emphasizes high form stability, relatively narrow beam and an easily driven shape. A modest upwind sail plan powers this boat at speeds and upwind tacking angles that sailors expect from a J. The J/95 will sail upwind with the centerboard fully retracted and retain its stability while doing so. This is a distinct advantage over boats with vertical lift-keel arrangements where stability is all but lost (and sailing not an option) when the keel in the �up� position. Over 90% of J/95�s ballast is in the fixed lead keel, with the rest in the foil shaped bronze centerboard.
To optimize steering control during shoal draft operation, the J/95 is specified with tandem rudders. Sailboats of the past with single shoal draft rudders share the common trait of horrendous weather helm load when sailing at large heel angles, especially close reaching in a breeze. This is true of everything from traditional catboats up to the finest keel-centerboard designs to the CCA Rule back in the 1950s and 60s. Likewise deep rudders which pivot up for shallow water create huge helm loads when raised. J/95 will be a dream to steer in any situation with centerboard up or down. Balance and steering control are two of the key features which set the new J/95 apart.
While reaching and running the J/95 has high speed potential, especially with a large masthead asymmetric spinnaker and a raised centerboard. This is a boat that�s even easier to handle than a J/105, with the same high maneuverability in tight quarters that sailors of smaller J�s have been showing off for years.
J/95 Sailing Test & Report
When the J/95 was first launched, the designer Rodney Johnstone took the J/95 out on her maiden voyage. Here's his report:
"The J/95 passes the performance test with flying colors. We exited New England Boatworks in Portsmouth, RI at 6.5 knots under power (2800rpm) and goosed it up to 7.2 knots at 3,200rpm before we hoisted the sails (Main and 105% jib.) I did not floor it the first time out, but we were not maxed out on the rpm, so I suspect we could hit 7.5 knots in smooth water, and we confirmed this later.
We sailed upwind in a 10-12 knot NE wind with occasional higher puffs and lower lulls on the upper bay - starting out with the centerboard all the way up. The boat felt lively and the helm was balanced. We tacked through about 80 to 90 degrees, and did not seem to make any noticeable leeway. The boat sails better than most keel boats upwind despite the the board being up, so it passes the fun-to-sail-anywhere-in-3.5'-of-water test. When we lowered the board you could feel the whole boat hook in and want to climb into the wind more. So the boat is definitely more close-winded and makes less leeway with the board down. 6.5 knots seemed to be our average upwind speed. We used the onboard GPS, and we were out at slack tide beginning to ebb, so we are confident in the accuracy of our observed speed and sailing angles.
Steering control with twin rudders is great when the boat heels over. We were able to bear off sharply and quickly from a heeled 6.5 knot upwind course to downwind without easing the sails - an instantaneous downwind stop-the-boat move which may be a unique capability of this boat. The rudders and the Edson wheel steering system provide total control without sacrificing the light helm feel that we all cherish, and make for effortless steering.
Acceleration out of tacks and maneuverability are excellent. Stability to handle the sail horsepower seems just right. The boat does not need a genoa in 10 knots of breeze. We had only four of us on the boat - Craig Crossley, Skip Mattos, Al and myself.
We set the 82 square meter chute and were going between 7 and 8 knots at true wind angles averaging about 135 degrees. The highest speed of 7.9 was when we heated it up for the photographer (Jeff).
The 6:1 rope tackle hoisting system for the centerboard works easily and quickly, even under a full side load."
J/95 Construction
Quality Hardware: The best quality hardware makes sailing the J/95 easier and owning the boat more trouble-free. Standard hardware includes cast bronze centerboard system, custom cast lead keel, Edson leather covered wheel and steering system components, Hall Spars, Hall Quikvang, Hall standing and running rigging, Harken headsail furling, winches and deck hardware, Ritchee compass, Yanmar auxiliary engine with saildrive, glass mat battery, Sailtec integral hydraulic backstay, custom SS mast collar, mainsheet base, & pedestal guard and much more.
Performance Materials: The J/95 is molded with a vinylester barrier coat applied behind the durable CCP gelcoat finishes. This combination in the outer hull layer allows for the best hull blister protection available. The aircraft grade Baltek SB-50 end-grained balsa core is sandwiched between carefully selected and placed inner and outer skins of bi-axial and triaxial e-glass fabrics and is infused under vacuum for resulting composite parts that are stiffer and lighter than hand-layup. This construction system improves sailing performance due to better strength to weight ratios in the part and improves sailing comfort by reducing weight and lowering the vertical center of gravity (VCG) of the boat.
Infusion Construction: The J/95 hull, deck and main bulkhead are built with resin infusion construction. Infusion is a method of introducing catalyzed resin into a pre-layout of dry material under vacuum. Dry fibers are placed in mold, with the core material and this is then covered by a special flow cloth and a flexible vacuum bag, a high pressure vacuum is then applied and a series of resin tubes draw catalyzed resin into the part.
The result is a high quality method of production which produces results repeatedly and consistently. This allows dimensional control and regularity of weight and unlike a pre-impregnation process, infusion does not require special materials storage conditions, nor an oven.
An economic and reproducible process, direct positioning of dry fibers is easier and more precise than in traditional hand lay-up processes. It also allows controlled placement of fiber direction, as it is not impeded by gel times etc� The perfect control of the quantity of resin infused and the dry placement cloth make it possible to obtain extremely homogeneous finished parts.
The weight variation of the piece is very small (1 to 2%), a performance which is impossible to achieve with hand lamination.
Healthy Workplace: Working with dry materials does away with most exposure to resin & styrene, and does not require special protection, masks, gloves etc... During infusion and curing the styrene remains contained in the bag, thus reducing the emission of VOC (Volatile Organic Compounds) to less than 10 ppm.
