j109 sailboat review

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J109 Speed Guide

Who sails a j109.

The J109 powers up quickly in light air, so it’s important to sail class regattas near max crew weight.

What’s involved in crewing?

What are three top tips for j109 speed.

• Spend time in the boat with a committed core crew. Practice!
• Learn proper sail trim and rig tune. It’s critical to keep the boat on its lines and at top speed. Having the crew weight and sails properly balanced wins races.
• Prep the hull and rig, clean the bottom, and save your best sails for big events.

What should buyers know when choosing a J109?

How many sails are required, j109 tuning.

Jib spreader marks help repeat trim settings.

What are the keys to rig set-up?

Jib sheet inhauler positions should be marked on the deck for repeatability.

What other control systems are important on the J109?

J109 upwind sailing, how much heel is fast on a j109.

Sailing flat is fast, but maintaining a consistent angle of heel and minimizing rudder movement are the top priorities.

Upwind, where does the crew sit?

A soft shackle easily attaches jib sheets to the clew, allowing sheets and inhaulers to stay rigged during sail changes.

How do you trim the J109 jib upwind?

In 8-15 knots TWS, the jib is inhauled until the clew is inside the handrail. Adjust the inhaulers for different wind conditions. In light to medium (8-15 knots TWS), the jib clew should be inhauled until it’s inside the metal handrail. As the wind increases, ease the clew so it trims outside the rail. In very light air , sail with the clew outside the rail as well.

How do you trim the J109 main upwind?

Because the leech profile is so vertical, even a small change in jib lead location will make a big difference to the sail’s power.

How do you shift gears upwind?

Who says what when sailing upwind.

Adjusting leech twist on both sails is crucial to balancing height and speed.

J109 Downwind Sailing

Downwind, where are j109 crew located, how do you trim the spinnaker downwind.

When the tack moves to leeward of vertical, pull on tack line and sail higher angles.

How do you shift gears downwind?

When sailing deep, ease the tack line off up to three feet for maximum projection and rotation.

J109 Boathandling

What are your top tips to starting well in a j109, what are the keys to tacking a j109 well, what are the keys to jibing a j109 well.

After a jibe, cross quickly to the high side to flatten the boat and help it accelerate. In light-air jibes, don’t turn the boat too fast and jibe the spinnaker first. Then the mainsail trimmer grabs all parts of mainsheet and “pops” the main through to keep the upper leech from hanging up on the backstay. In heavy air, get the main across as quickly as possible, while the boat is at full speed. Otherwise you may have to turn the boat too far, which may lead to a round up as you finish the jibe. Easing the vang a little bit will help.

How do you make a fast spinnaker set?

What are the keys to a good spinnaker takedown on the j109, what are the most common takedown mistakes, how do you recover from a broach, what j109 best practices do you recommend.

• Set daily objectives and evaluate after sailing, so you can get better every day.
• Identify crew responsibilities.
• Mark everything so you can duplicate settings, especially jib leads and sheets.
• Practice tacking and jibing; choreograph movements so each crewmember knows what to do.
• Document rig tune and settings.

What’s the coolest thing about the J109 class?

Featured stories, north kiteboarding enters the race for olympic gold, tony rey joins north sails, north sails adds new loft in victoria, bc.

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A speedy 35-footer with enough comforts to take cruising seriously

To say the J/109 promises a lot is something of an understatement. If another builder boasted that its new 35-foot boat might completely redefine the way you sail it would be subjected to a chorus of skepticism. Sailors don't suffer advice well, we're all experts, just ask us. However, this is not simply ad copy banter from an upstart company. No other builder in the sailing industry has a more impressive track record of innovation and engineering excellence than J Boats. When J Boats introduces a new model it is always intriguing to take a hard look at it and that's just what I did on a recent SAILING Magazine boat test.

The crew at J Boats openly admits that the new 109 is a further development of its highly successful J/105. "The 105 was designed for people who live close to where they moor their boat," explained Jeff Johnstone as we cleared Back Creek and eased into the gray waters of the Chesapeake Bay. "The 105 was specifically intended for easy, impromptu sailing without the need for crew. Drive to the boat, hop aboard, cast off and go for a two-hour sail after work. With its retractable bowsprit, asymmetric chute and big cockpit, we tried to create a boat for the way people actually sail, not the way we think they should sail. And the performance is great, almost in spite of itself it developed into a thriving one-design, with more than 500 105s worldwide.

"We have tried to maintain the simplicity and thrill of sailing in the new 109," Johnstone said. "But we have made a big step with the interior. You can cruise this boat."

The 109 is targeted for sailors who appreciate the sailing ethos of the 105 but also want to spend the weekend aboard without feeling like they're camping out and maintain the option of heading over the horizon. In other words, the 109 is designed to do it all, a true racer-cruiser, a dual-purpose boat that delivers both speed and comfort. Leave it to J Boats to try to find that elusive potion and make it work in 35 feet.

The details The 109, like most Js, has clean, utilitarian lines emphasized by a flat sheer and nearly plumb bow that produces a long waterline terminating in a sleek stern step and swim platform. The cabintrunk is large enough to provide decent headroom below while still blending nicely into the linear flow of the deck. Below the waterline the wetted surface is kept to a minimum. The standard keel is a 7-foot variable chord, high-lift lead and epoxy fin with a bulbed flat tip that flares aft. A 5-foot, 9-inch shoal-draft keel is optional. The 109 displaces 10,900 pounds, nearly 3,000 pounds more than the 105, which is why it seems like a much bigger boat although it's less than a foot longer on deck. There is no need to worry about the 109's weight, however, a displacement-to-length ratio of 165 still translates into a very fast boat, and one that can stand up to a blow.

The 109 is J Boats' first design to be completely tooled and launched in Europe. Like all Js, TPI Composites did the engineering but the boat is actually manufactured by J Composite of Les Sables d'Olonne in France. J Composite is the licensed European builder for other J models. Like all Js, the 109 is molded with TPI's patented SCRIMP resin infusion process. This proven technology employs a vacuum to draw liquid resin into a dry layup resulting in a very high glass-to-resin ratio, somewhere between 65 and 70 percent. By way of comparison, a well-made hand-laid hull might have a 50-percent ratio. Hull thickness can be deceptive. Resin has little structural strength, it is primarily a bonding agent. A half-inch thick hull that is 70 percent glass is significantly stronger than a thicker, resin-rich layup.

To keep the 109 hull as light at possible it is cored with Baltek Contourkore end-grained balsa for a composite construction using biaxial and unidirectional glass fabrics. Vinylester resin is used on the outer layer of the hull and TPI offers a 10-year, transferable warranty against hull blistering. The main bulkhead is fiberglass, making it strong, flexible and ideally suited to carry loads from the spar and rig. The keel is bolted to a deep molded stub, keeping the vertical center of gravity as low as possible. The high-aspect balanced rudder includes a fiberglass reinforced plastic shaft.

On deck Just past the channel markers we hauled up the mainsail, unrolled the 105-percent jib and canned the engine-ah, magic. The 109 sprang to life as we close reached toward the distant Bay Bridge. The aluminum wheel was huge, a 54-inch diameter Diamond Series by Edson, which made it easy to sit on the coaming and gain an unobstructed view forward. The helm was remarkably light, and steering was a two-finger affair. An innovative design feature allows the combination helm seat and cockpit locker to be removed for racing, thereby opening up the cockpit. You simply pop a couple of fittings and plant it onto the dock. It looked just like a dock box.

The Harken 6:1 mainsheet traveler, with an integral 4:1 fine-tune purchase is just forward of the wheel for easy access and efficient end-boom sheeting. All sail controls including the leads for the retractable sprit are led aft to work stations on either side of the companionway. The brilliance of the design is that an experienced sailor should be able to singlehand the 109 without a lot of fuss and this includes setting and dousing the asymmetrical chute with the assistance of a snuffer. At the same time, a racing crew can also campaign the 109, and judging by results in Europe, do very well under IRC and IMS.

A narrow bridgedeck keeps seawater from flooding below and two lockers provide adequate storage for lines and fenders. Winches and most deck hardware is by Harken and a cockpit spray dodger is standard. The molded nonskid offers good traction and the side decks are surprisingly wide, this is where you notice the 109's extra beam in comparison to the 105. Forward, the toerails are molded to ORC standards, offering both security and low maintenance. There is a small external chain locker, although if your intent is to seriously cruise be sure to add the optional bow roller, which is also removable for racing. Stanchions are tapered stainless with double lifelines and opening gates to port and starboard. There is no spinnaker pad on deck to trip over. The retractable, carbon sprit, which extends to 5 feet, 6 inches, slides into a now familiar but still ingenious housing on the hull. The 109 is J's first performance sprit design less than 36 feet built with a full cruising interior. The sprit and asymmetric spinnaker are key to the 109's short-handed performance ease.

The spar is a double-spreader anodized aluminum section from Sparcraft stepped on the keel. The mast has a white powder coat finish. According to Johnstone the decision to go with aluminum was two-fold: to keep the overall cost of the boat down and for cruising durability.

The working sail area is a generous 644 square feet. The standing rigging is continuous rod and Harken headsail furling gear and a Hall QuikVang are standard. The running rigging package is put together by Hall and includes Technora main and genoa halyards, Spectra spinnaker halyard and sheets, and XLS polyester main and jib sheets.

Down below The 109 interior is not an afterthought. It's well conceived, nicely finished and surprisingly comfortable. I don't think I'd want to live aboard, despite what the nice folks at J proclaim in their brochure, but I sure would like to spend a summer aboard. The cabin is trimmed in cherry with a white vinyl headliner that tends to brighten things up. The sole is a composite simulated teak-and-holly that looks great, resists rot and is lightweight. All portlights excluding the one over the nav station open and there are two additional overhead hatches for more than adequate ventilation. The two-stateroom, aft-head arrangement works well and lends a sense of spaciousness to what is really not a very large area. The forward stateroom includes a typical V-berth with full-length outboard shelves and two hanging lockers. The main cabin features settee berths with shelves outboard and good-sized storage lockers behind the seat backs. Most of the space beneath the settees is given over to tankage. A 35-gallon water tank under the port side is standard, with an identical tank under the starboard side a popular option for increasing tankage. A drop-leaf centerline table encapsulates the mast, and once opened, seats four or five comfortably.

The galley includes two forward facing polished stainless sinks, surrounded by a large fiddle with a carved handhold and dedicated trash locker underneath. A three-burner Force 10 LPG stove is standard. The molded fridge compartment is well insulated and has a single lid for efficiency. Refrigeration is an option and J Boats recommend the 12-volt Sea Frost system. If you opt for refrigeration a third 105-amp-hour battery is highly recommended.

Two lockers above the stove and a couple of drawers will store dry goods and utensils. Pots and pans are stashed in a cabinet under the stove and there is an additional locker beneath the drawers. Storing enough provisions for an extended long-distance passage will be a challenge.

The nav station is opposite the galley, just to starboard of the companionway steps. The chart table is fairly large, with storage underneath and on an outboard shelf. The electrical panel is outboard and placed high enough so that you don't accidentally throw switches when heeled on port tack. There is room for repeaters forward of the electrical panel and on the partial bulkhead. Below the hinged seat is a dedicated tool locker. The aft cabin is tucked away behind the galley to port. The berth is large and there is decent storage including a hanging locker and full-length shelf.

Most boats designated for the American market will have a 27-horsepower, three-cylinder Yanmar diesel with a saildrive gear. This is a terrific piece of machinery; reliable, efficient, yet when it does need work, it's easy to access. The 20-gallon fuel tank is located beneath the aft bunk. A 100-amp-hour Balmar alternator is a nice standard item. Access to the engine is good, especially for the fuel filters, and the saildrive eliminates shaft and stuffing box considerations. When we pushed the engine to clear the channel the GPS showed a speed of 6.5 knots.

Under sail The winds were fluky; at times blowing steady at 12 knots and others dropping away to next to nothing. While these conditions would prove frustrating on most boats, the 109 simply goes with the flow. The overwhelming consensus among all aboard was the ride was silky smooth. Upwind in about 10 knots apparent we clipped along at 6-plus knots with no great desire to plant any of our rears on the rail. Easing off slightly, the wind picked up and we flirted with 8 knots. Impressive. Coming farther down we rolled in the jib, set the sprit and popped the asymmetrical. Pushing the wind back up to the beam, we managed to keep the boat moving despite the dying breeze. Just when we were contemplating giving up, the wind sprang back to life and the 109 really found its stride. We punched the speed over 8 knots several times.

The J/109 is capable of carrying overlapping headsails efficiently, but unless you plan to race, you probably won't need them. The 105's flat-cut furling genoa powers the boat through most conditions and setting and dousing the asymmetrical is so easy that it becomes more of a working sail than anything else. We eventually scooped up the chute, unrolled the headsail and sailed very high to lay the Back Creek channel markers. Hard on the wind the boat felt very steady, and surprisingly didn't pound into what had become a sloppy, powerboat-induced chop.

It had been a mere two hours of sailing, but two hours that left an indelible image in my mind. Simply put, the 109 is one of the sweetest sailing boats I have had the pleasure of testing-and I have tested a lot of boats. Of course, you do get what you pay for, and the J/109 doesn't come cheap. To complete a reasonable collection of options and sails you will need to invest around $225,000 in order to slap your name and hailing port on the stern of a beautiful new J/109. But then again, few boats can completely redefine the way you sail.

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Farr 395, J/120, J/109--any wisdom?

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Currently I am looking for a boat for around-the-buoy racing on the Chesapeake. I expect to also cruise around the Bay and maybe beyond the bay later. How far I will ultimately go I don't know. So now, I am considering Farr 395 (have seen some built in 2000-2002, hull # in the mid 20s), J/120 (1998-2001 vintage), or J/109 (2003 or slightly newer) -- relatively fast racer/cruisers. Performance-wise, Farr 395 appeals to me but I have some concerns about the known hull problems. (The potential candidates evidently all had the class-recommended modifications done.) The available J/109s tend to be newer than J/120 (can't afford a newer J/120). The early J/120s also had some hull (keel attachment) problems, but the problem evidently was addressed after the first 25 hulls. I have not found any serious problems common to J/109s mentioned. It is a bit smaller but appears to be still plenty fast (been on one but have not sailed one). It seems like a very nice size. (My wife will prefer this.) The gear presumably would be less expensive to maintain, and the sails are definitely not as heavy to lug around. (My wife will definitely prefer this.) However, with a racing crew on long races, it may be a bit more cramped. I've read a bit about C&C 110s (sprit version) but haven't pursued it as much, but perhaps I should. I've been on a C&C 115, and the interior looked beautiful. I assume that these boats are all offshore rated, but I have heard (sometimes from boat brokers selling Js) that J boats are more rugged. In theory, they are comparable in terms of their abilities to take the pounding. That's in theory, and I don't have enough experience to judge how much pounding they can really take, assuming, of course, that the hull and rigging are in good shape at the outset. BTW, I am not contemplating circumnavigating the globe, but anything can happen. Any wisdom? Thanks for any information, thoughts, or leads for other ideas. Jim  

We JUST finished a race with several of the boats listed above. I will not say that this is indicitive of the boat necessarily, because I am not sure the crews were evenly matched (did I say that nicely)?? SO, here is what I saw: The fastest boat was the Tartan 4100. There are known hull problems with these boats too. In fact, the boat I saw had also had a hull repair done. But, they are beautiful performance boats and do pretty good in a race with enough crew. The Farr 39 did ok. It still looked the faster boat and in different curcumstances, I think it would have outrun the Tartan. But the crew was pretty long in tooth on the Farr and the Tartan had like 15 people there to trim and throw over the side for rail meat!!! Come to think of it, not sure we counted that they finished with 15 people... hmmmmm (snicker). A very good racing boat that is very fast and relatively inexpensive is the Henderson 30. Whew. I was surprised at how well she runs. Not great accomodations for cruising... to be forewarned. But for the money and the speed (PHRF around 40 I think), she is going to be a tough girl to beat. THere is one for sale in CA right now that I have to say, caught my eye. Even came with a trailoer if you want to start loading her up and getting mroe competitive. I will certainly fall in the minority here but this has been the discussion amongst the mods (in private) for a while now. In a perfect world, I would have two boats - one for cruising and one for racing. I liked the Melges for racing, but short of the 32, it would not be something I would take for any of the longer offshore races. John Pollard owned a Melges and he said it was a pretty wet ride and that would get pretty old after the first day for me. But for distance racing (offshore) if you really want to have fun, I think a trailer is about mandatory unless you have a crew to sail her all over for you. Seriously - consider that. Because if you have a trailer, you can enter into the Ft Lauderdale - Key West, Tampa Key west, Tampa - Havanna, Naples - Jamaica, (some great races out of Texas to Mexico and Key West or havanna... but I have not done them). Maybe even get into some of the Bermuda races??? But that would be local to you. Problem I have found is that what I (me, not some people) think makes a good cruising boat, often does not line up well with a great buoy boat or distance racer. And if you get competitive and have to fight a PHRF against dry docked boats that are covered in carbon fiber, you will lose before you cross the start line (as we found out many times). SO there are my thoughts. I have raced several times on a j92 but not the others mentioned, though I have been on them and ewwed and awwed, but other can speak more intelligently about them. But I would not take either one of those J's cruising (my opinion... sorry). But I don't even care for the J42 for cruising so my opinion on them may need to be discarded. If you are stuck with the boats you metioned, I would choos the Farr. I have become a fan of their boats (thanks to Jeff who is our expert in these areas and owns a Farr, so see if he can help when he gets back). If you want opinins on a boat that is a good performance cruiser/racer, let me know and I will throw out some thoughts. Just be forewardned that I don't think many of them are really that competitive on a racing circut without a generous PHRF. Its flat out hard to beat a Melges or Henderson or Farr no matter what the correction. Brian  

The J/109s had a keel issuse in the early hulls that and who payed Jboats or TPI or the owner  

I did some looking around and found that there are some builder supplied repair kits to be installed, evidently at the builder's expense. It is sort of a recall.  

Thanks, Brian and Tommays, I agree that I am trying to find one boat to do more than it is optimum for: I suspect that most of these boats are probably best for club races and short cruises (in and around Chesapeake Bay and Delmarva Peninsula for me). For now, I am considering a good racer (around-the-buoy and up and down the Bay) and seeing how far I can take it in terms of my racing and cruising skills with one of these racer/cruisers. At this point in my search, my main concern is the boat's ability to weather tough situations if I should encounter one and whether there are known problems common to a particular boat. In particular, I'd like to know what it takes to overcome the Farr 395 hull problem and if the typical fixes are adequate. Any information and thoughts on that would be appreciated. I will certainly look into Henderson 30 (I don't think I have seen one here) and into J/109's hull problems. (I hadn't heard that before -- I would have thought JBoats would have fixed that type of problems after the J/120s). Yes, it would be hard to judge the relative speed if the crew work is uneven. It's hard to sail a boat to its numbers, but if everyone did, Farr 395 might be a bit faster on flat waters than J/120 and vice versa in heavier seas, from the weight differentials and somewhat different hull shapes, etc.  

Given that, I would put the Henderson 30 on my very, very short list. Minimal investment and fast. You would be a competitor. You will notice it is a 30 foot boat, but she races with much larger boats. She is not as popular as some of the others, but that might pay to your advantage. Issues will be on the distance races where waterline kicks in. But on a buoy race, that shorter and more nimble boat may take the marks. Just some thoughts. Brian  

Another thing. There are a number of dry sailed boats in this area (some with paid crew members). That would be way out of my league! I suppose cleaning the bottom frequently is no picnic in terms of cost, either. I am starting with baby steps, through.  

THe J's IMHO would be the better offshore boat. There are a few local ones that have done the Vic-Maui. THere is a local ie salish sea/puget/sound 109 on its way around the globe. I believe there is a blog clickable on the local -boat dealers web site. We also have a F395 local. Very pretty boat. and fast! It would be on a short list for me if I was looking for a 40' boat. THere are also some Farr 39's local, different creature than the 395. More like a M32 on steroids. The 395 is more like a J120 but with a few less interior niceties. Frankly, a Farr 39 or 395 should be able to spank a T4100! I would say the T had a better crew in some way shape or form. The F395 recently spanked a few F39's in a local race at my YC. Marty  

blt2ski said: THe J's IMHO would be the better offshore boat. There are a few local ones that have done the Vic-Maui. THere is a local ie salish sea/puget/sound 109 on its way around the globe. I believe there is a blog clickable on the local -boat dealers web site. We also have a F395 local. Very pretty boat. and fast! It would be on a short list for me if I was looking for a 40' boat. THere are also some Farr 39's local, different creature than the 395. More like a M32 on steroids. The 395 is more like a J120 but with a few less interior niceties. Frankly, a Farr 39 or 395 should be able to spank a T4100! I would say the T had a better crew in some way shape or form. The F395 recently spanked a few F39's in a local race at my YC. Marty Click to expand...

If anyone is really bored, here are a bunch of pics of our last race. You will see that Farr, Henderson, Tartan, and lots others in there. 2010 Summerset Regatta | news-press.com | Southwest Florida Sports | The News-Press Brian  

Brian, You have some points re the Henderson. There are a few here in PugetSOund too. WHile quicker than my 30' Jeanneau, at a race last weekend and March, I was able to keep up and sometimes out do some upwards of 38-44' boats on short legs, but when the legs got into the 2-3+ mile range, WL took over. I had no problems last spring as did a Cat30 with the 2 40+foot Catalina's on shorter leg courses, usually not only beating them handily on handicap, usually boat for boat. BUT, both the C30 and I had our race crews, not sure the bigger cats had a race crew per say. Marty  

The J120 at our club raced to Bermuda for, I think, it's fifth time this past June. That would seem to indicate pretty solid construction. Her results also indicate a fast boat; they win a good bit of silver most seasons The kind of sailing you describe wanting to do is one of the reasons J/109's are popular. I crewed on one at Block Island Race Week in June, and the owner cruised there again with his wife at the end of July. There are three at our club now, after one member replaced his J/92 with one. J/boat construction seems to be pretty good overall. Older is also a possible way to go. Our '81 J/36 is still holding up well, and holding our own against the newer boats. We got a third and a second in series racing this summer, in a fleet that includes the aforementioned J/109's, a J/105, a Beneteau 36.7, some C&C's and an SC37. We're thinking a new set of sails (our main is 8 years old) may help bump us up a notch.  

I've raced inshore and offshore on J109s, J120s and Farr395s over past 4 years so have a fairly good feel for each. Firstly all are good boats so I don't think you can go wrong. They are however not like for like comparisons. The J109 is great for a couple since it is less powerful. It will be cheaper to maintain (sails & berthing) and probably newer. Being smaller it does not have the room of the bigger boats for cruising or crew accomm if you plan to race offshore. The J120 is very popular so you won't have diffculty finding advice/benchmarks on how best to set yourself up. It's solid and fast upwind and down. Being bigger than the J109 you'll also feel more comfortable in less than ideal conditions and of course get their faster. The Farr395 is less popular due to something like only 40 or so being built. I prefer the interior to the J120 but this is personal. It is lighter yet carries more sail upwind than a J120. If you plan to race you will be seeing more King 40s, J133s, X41s etc than J120s in your division. For a given race crew the Farr395 will be faster than a J120 will be faster than a J109. If you have a full crew and want to push hard - go with the Farr395 it hauls on the course but is comfortable for the BBQ afterwards. If you want to cruise/race shorthanded I'd say J109. A bit of both with a mixed crew the J120 sits nicely in between. Re: build quality. I've not seen anything of lingering major concern on any of them. Yep there were some problems - they were addressed but perhaps just as importantly the problem was admitted and warnings issues. Better the devil you know. As I said earlier - all good boats an you'd be a proud owner of any of them. My vote given I like to race first and cruise second. I like to go offshore. I usually race in a crew of 7 or 8 but sometimes we get 12. I like to finish sooner so I can get a good berth and get home sooner. In a blow I like to be on a bigger faster boat - to get home sooner, stay drier and feel safer. I like a boat that sleeps 10 if it really has to. I like to hit 20kts (but not for too long). So for me I'd chose the Farr395.  

This one could be an option: Very good racing results in Europe. It is an offshore boat with a great cruising interior: 2006 Salona Yachts Salona 37 Sail Boat For Sale - www.pnb.yachtworld.com Regards Paulo  

Mark, Re the T4100 thought, you have to read CD's 2nd post in this thread, where he mentions a T4100 out ran an F39! altho it may have been the crew too! So yes, a T4100 should get spanked by F39's! Then as you point out, I probably should have used an M/F30 as the boat on steroids per say. Then again, maybe not speed wise, but the boats interior etc is on steroids. Looks like you are doing ok at the GP this weekend on VC. Hopefully you can stay ahead of shrek and catch tachyon. The other boats I know are not doing well, ie kiwi is getting spanked, Shoot the moon is not doing as well as they have been at WBRW and PSSC a few weeks back. off to a ski intructor dryland clinic.............booooooooring!  

Not to hijack, but I have to talk to you about the skiing thing... I'll PM when I have a moment.  

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Shorthanded: going from J/105 to J/109

Peter Gustafsson Gear & Tech🛠 j/105 , j/109 , läsarfråga , shorthanded 2

Some interesting questions from a shorthanded sailor that’s upgrading from a J/105 to a J/109.

Hopefully this will help somewhat.

Thanks for taking some time to respond on my questions. As said, I just bought a J/109. Very proud. In my search for a new boat where also on the shortlist a Dehler 36sq, X-37 and Grand Soleil 37. My J/105 did a marvellous job, and i liked it very much. So why change brand. I sail 40% solo and 40% duo. The J/109 has also a good name sailing shorthanded. In the shorthanded class I saild with the J/105 we have a couple of J/109 competing. And I have seen some speed difference in different conditions. Your experience? But the questions I would like to ask: On the 105 during up wind I could helm and do mainsail. Second man on the rail. Now I read that on a J/109 it pays to put the 2nd man on the main sheet and work it? Is she sensitive for traveller? The 105 had a full size door as a rudder and would steer almost always. Did you find the 109 with some heel, ‘tricky’?When put a reef in the main? And how soon you put in a reef in your jib or host a #4. We use ORC as a handicap format here, I will calculate how many sec it will cost me to measure a #G2. Did u use shorthanded a overlapping sail? Or to much work? About hosting gennaker, on the J/105 I use to do this from the bag that I placed just aft of the shrouds. And sometimes from the cabin? What was your favourite spot? And the worst? Backstay. On the Internet you read that it needs to be shorten, to get the right amount of tension. Do you agree? If you would comment on this, I am sure it would be very fun to read, as all the other articles, during the holidays ;-) Many thanks and again Merry Christmas.

First off, the J/105 and J/109 are quite different animals.

The J/105, like the J/111, is primarily an offshore boat that does great on a reach. It needs some wind to get moving, and it’s can be hard to point upwind. Lots of stability makes it a great shorthanded racer that can be pushed really hard.

The J/109 is designed more with windward/leeward racing in mind. Excellent boat upwind, but a bit tender compared to the J/105. Will be faster in anything below 10 knots, and may struggle with stability when the wind is up.

Steering, backstay & mainsail? As said, the J/109 has less stability, and a bigger mainsail, so it’s more demanding upwind when you’re powered up.

It definitely pays off to work the mainsheet, and in puffy conditions it’s great to be two. At least in the beginning. After a while you learn the boat and it’s ok to both drive and trim the main. We usually tried to work the sheet to get twist while still keeping the boom in to be able to point.

Compared to the 105, you’ll have more modes upwind. Poining is realtively easy, but keep your eyes on the target speeds. Achieve them first before trying to go high. It may take a season or two to get there, but then you’ll be able to do wonders on the upwind legs.

We didn’t have any issues with the backstay, but keep in mind that hard = fast. You need to get the main really flat while keeping the headstay straight in 16.-20 knots. And it’s often more backstay than you thought from the beginning.

Below are our numbers. Shorthanded with jib and no weight on the rail, 150% genoa is with max one-design weigh on the rail. In a few years you’ll learn to do +6.80 upwind with 2 as well :-)

Genoa or just the jib when shorthanded? We used the jib. Worked great in most conditions, except 4-6 knots and choppy seas (not very often) and in TWA 60-90 where the genoa works better. But the lower rating will make your life easier.

Note that the 105% J3 that usually comes with the boat is designed for 16+ knots and pretty flat. We did a “medium” jib that worked through the whole range, with a “sweet spot” in 10 knots.

Also, if it’s not fitted already, a good “in-fucker” on the jib is essential. The boats loves to get the jib-sheet just inside the grabrail (=8 degrees sheeting angle). It takes some practice, but well worth it. If you need inspiration for the setup, look at a J/111.

Gennaker set, What was your favourite spot? And the worst? We always set from a bag, to leeward behind the jib. Behind the shrouds it’s hard to pre-run the tack, and it’s easy to get it in the water. Up front it’ll be inside the lifelines and through the pulpit until you hoist.

We used a sock for a while, but nowadays we just sokh the A5 (or heavy weather gennakers when solo). Less hassle to hoist from the bag, and do a takedown behind the main or “letterbox” over the boom. See video below (@3:50).

Good luck with the J/109. It’s a great boat and you’ll have lots of fun learning to sail it.

Feel free to ask more questions.

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On the J105 in 14-20 kts TWS: I solo sail and at this wind speed I put 1 reef in the main before going out. I have a maybe a 105% with a very high clew and it’s really baggy. If I put the jib car back the leech is flopping all over the place. If I move the car up to tension the leech the sail fills and I get way overpowered. How do you handle this wind speed when alone, do you need to reef the main? Do you furl in the jib a bit? I assume I need a small blade and watch for used ones. Thanks so much!!

I haven’t done a lot of J/105 sailing in those conditions, but I’m pretty sure it would be fine with a flat jib and full main. Usually, we want to go to a smaller/flatter jib first before reefing the main, at least upwind.

So, as you already suspect, a better jib is probably the solution here.

Do you have photos, send to [email protected] and I’ll put them up.

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J/109 Standard

Sailboat specifications.

• Last update: 16th March 2020

J/109's main features

J/109's main dimensions, j/109's rig and sails, j/109's performances, j/109's auxiliary engine, j/109's accommodations and layout.

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• Sailboat Guide

J/109 is a 35 ′ 2 ″ / 10.7 m monohull sailboat designed by Rod Johnstone and built by J Boats starting in 2004.

Rig and Sails

Auxilary power, accomodations, calculations.

The theoretical maximum speed that a displacement hull can move efficiently through the water is determined by it's waterline length and displacement. It may be unable to reach this speed if the boat is underpowered or heavily loaded, though it may exceed this speed given enough power. Read more.

Classic hull speed formula:

Hull Speed = 1.34 x √LWL

Max Speed/Length ratio = 8.26 ÷ Displacement/Length ratio .311 Hull Speed = Max Speed/Length ratio x √LWL

Sail Area / Displacement Ratio

A measure of the power of the sails relative to the weight of the boat. The higher the number, the higher the performance, but the harder the boat will be to handle. This ratio is a "non-dimensional" value that facilitates comparisons between boats of different types and sizes. Read more.

SA/D = SA ÷ (D ÷ 64) 2/3

• SA : Sail area in square feet, derived by adding the mainsail area to 100% of the foretriangle area (the lateral area above the deck between the mast and the forestay).
• D : Displacement in pounds.

Ballast / Displacement Ratio

A measure of the stability of a boat's hull that suggests how well a monohull will stand up to its sails. The ballast displacement ratio indicates how much of the weight of a boat is placed for maximum stability against capsizing and is an indicator of stiffness and resistance to capsize.

Ballast / Displacement * 100

Displacement / Length Ratio

A measure of the weight of the boat relative to it's length at the waterline. The higher a boat’s D/L ratio, the more easily it will carry a load and the more comfortable its motion will be. The lower a boat's ratio is, the less power it takes to drive the boat to its nominal hull speed or beyond. Read more.

D/L = (D ÷ 2240) ÷ (0.01 x LWL)³

• D: Displacement of the boat in pounds.
• LWL: Waterline length in feet

Comfort Ratio

This ratio assess how quickly and abruptly a boat’s hull reacts to waves in a significant seaway, these being the elements of a boat’s motion most likely to cause seasickness. Read more.

Comfort ratio = D ÷ (.65 x (.7 LWL + .3 LOA) x Beam 1.33 )

• D: Displacement of the boat in pounds
• LOA: Length overall in feet
• Beam: Width of boat at the widest point in feet

Capsize Screening Formula

This formula attempts to indicate whether a given boat might be too wide and light to readily right itself after being overturned in extreme conditions. Read more.

CSV = Beam ÷ ³√(D / 64)

Shoal draft version: 5.75’/1.75m. Volvo D1-30 diesel offered later.

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