J Boats J/9

J/9 Aces Sailing Test with Flying Color

The J/9 cockpit comfort is second to none, both when sailing and at the dock. We couldn’t find a spot that wasn’t comfortable to sit in. Nor did we come close to maxing out the number of people aboard – in fact five adults can sit on the same side of the cockpit. But it’s more than just seat comfort. Being able to steer in a relaxed manner with feet braced across the cockpit, easily see over the cabin top, and have the main sheet and backstay controls at your fingertips, is what also makes the J/9 so comfortable and fun to sail.

One sail is all you need for a perfect day’s sail. We had a wonderful two-couple J/9 outing over Memorial Day Weekend. We started by hoisting the mainsail under the lee of Fort Adams in Newport, and then turned the corner upwind into a building 12-14 knot sea breeze. The J/9 quickly settled onto a steady angle of heel and knifed through the southwesterly chop with minimal fuss. The small roller furling jib was at the ready, but everyone was wearing such big smiles that we left the jib furled and happily continued the rest of the afternoon under mainsail only, exploring all the anchorages in the area. Back in the harbor, we couldn’t resist a bit of showing off and ended up short-tacking through the crowded mooring field past many admiring onlookers. One tiller and one sheet, and no one had to move a muscle. What a day!

Less is More – it’s easy to overcomplicate the rigging and deck layout in pursuit of an extra tenth of boat speed, but how essential are these extras for daysailing? And is all the extra visual clutter worth it? Thanks to a very simple mainsheet bridle that allows the boom to nearly reach the centerline while sailing upwind, the traveler track and controls are GONE on the J/9. Thanks to inboard jib tracks (on the coach roof) that allow a narrow jib sheeting angle for better upwind performance, the cockpit winches (that otherwise seem to only serve as elbow bruisers) are also GONE.

The J/9 is the perfect size for family daysailing – boats come in all shapes and sizes but until you invite the kids and their kids it’s hard to know just how much boat one needs to keep everyone happy. With such a smooth, seakindly sailing motion and 9’ long cockpit seats with an aft swimming platform, you’d think the J/9 was a 35-footer. But you’ll be very happy it isn’t when you realize how much easier 28 feet is to own, sail, and maintain.

Additional Information

• With the tiller extension, you can steer the boat from the front of the cockpit, under the dodger, and reach all the controls – perfect if having to sail in adverse weather. The aft corner seats are equally as comfy, and the cockpit coamings are the perfect height for armrests. The addition of dedicated cockpit drains enables the main cockpit floor to be lower to provide more comfortable, deeper seating and better bracing while standing and steering.
• Abovedeck or belowdecks autopilot can be installed aftermarket.
• The J/9 gets rid of all that clutter with jib tracks installed on an 8.5-degree sheeting angle with easy trimming right to the cabin top winches. Tacking between cabin top winches is much easier than primary winches (no scrambling across the cockpit needed). This one, small change significantly cleans up the side decks.
• This is the first J with the primary mainsheet purchase at the end of the boom and the sheet tail coming out mid-boom into the cockpit near the tiller. Instead of a bulky traveler with cars, blocks,
  purchase, control lines, etc. the J/9 will have a mainsheet purchase that floats on a double Dyneema strop.
• The ideal outboard for the J/9 will be a 6HP. A 5HP could be sufficient in protected waters without strong tides. The final design for the outboard bracket is in process and will include a tilt-up position so the outboard can remain on the transom while sailing.
• The J/9 could be the perfect main-only or jib & main only daysailer, but yes, we will be offering a sprit option. We are finalizing the design for a 2-3’ fixed carbon sprit option that matches the low profile of the boat and will be packaged with all the necessary rigging and blocks. This option will be available to add aftermarket.
• We’re continuing to work on an optional sail package as well as some of the popularly requested aftermarket commissioning items like Awlgrip (or vinyl wrap) topsides, bottom paint, and safety packages.

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