J/Boats News & Reviews

(Milwaukee, WI)- With yet another enormous storm with hurricane force winds winding its way across the Midwest towards the East Coast, there are surely a lot of armchair sailors around the Great Lakes wondering when they’ll get the opportunity to launch their boats to enjoy some gorgeous spring-time sailing.
For those on Lake Michigan, look out for this new J/9 daysailer headed out to the Milwaukee area. It’s likely she will be dry-sailed out of Milwaukee Yacht Club in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. If you wish to take a peek at her and, perhaps, go for a demo sail, make sure to reach out to Richie Stearns at Stearns Boating ([email protected]).   Learn more about J/9 daysailer here

This past week saw a lot of shipping activity in Rhode Island as boats were completing initial commissioning items like keel mounting, rudder mounting, bottom jobs, and topside paint and graphics.
This week alone a J/9 and J/70 are going out on one truck (above) to the Pacific Northwest. Their 3,000 miles continent-spanning scenic tour heads for the Seattle area and to their happy owners to go sailing on Puget Sound.

This blue J/9 daysailer is also headed to the west coast and will also travel 3,000 miles across the American continent to San Francisco for her excited new owner to be sailing on gorgeous San Francisco Bay!

Yes, in the case of a J/9 shipping via container to Switzerland!
(Newport, RI)- One of the little-known attributes of Al J’s clever design for the new J/9 daysailer is the fact that it can be “shoe-horned” on a special cradle into a 40-foot container! The keel, rudder, and mast (cut & sleeved) all fit inside, too! An amazing feat of engineering, to be sure.
If you are in the market for a J/9 and wish to ship it worldwide, it can be done quite easily using the world shipping standards for containerization- a 40 foot high-cube. The benefits are excellent for your boat, since it stays clean- no road grime, no exhaust film, no snow, no rain, no ice! Learn more about the benefits of container shipping your J/Boat by calling J/Boats in Newport, RI, USA, or J/Composites in Les Sables d’Olonne, France .  For more J/9 daysailer sailboat information

(Seattle, WA)- When the Seattle Boat Show sails into town on Feb. 4th, 2022, it will be the 75th anniversary of what began modestly in 1947, with 13 marine dealers pitching a tent on the shores of Lake Union. From those humble beginnings, it has grown into one of the most important boat shows in the country, featuring 255 exhibitors with more than 800 new and brokerage boats.
In addition to being a place to shop for the boat of your dreams, the show has always been a celebration of boating and a place for boaters to rendezvous with friends, share boating memories, plan for summer adventures, and have some fun. The 75th show will be no different, with many fun promotions!
Come on down and talk shop with the Sail Northwest Team (Bob Ross and Ben Braden), get some insights from them on the latest J’s such as the J/9 daysailer, the J/99 shorthanded offshore speedster, and the J/45 offshore performance cruiser. They are located at Lumens Field Center- West 11 location.  For more Seattle Boat Show information

(Boston, MA)- “There are plenty of boats out there that can be used for daysailing. It could be argued, though, that a true “daysailer” is not just a boat that can be used for this kind of sailing, but a boat that takes care of its crew— including guests who might not be as thrilled with sailing rail down as their host— in much the same way a bluewater boat takes care of its crew on passage.
With this in mind, it would be hard to think of a better daysailer than the J/9 . The latest design from J/Boats’ Al Johnstone, the J/9 not only offers the same great performance sailors have long come to expect from the famed builder, it’s also great at standing up to a hatful of wind. How do we know? From experience.  The day of our test sail was a spirited one to say the least, with winds in the low 20s gusting to 25 knots and more. The J/9 , though, couldn’t have been happier. Al expressly designed the boat to handle as well under main alone as under main and jib, and while this works it terms of convenience, it also provides a great way of de-powering the rig. When tacking back and forth off Fort Adams under full sail started to feel a little too much like work, we simple rolled up the headsail and kept on going, pretty as you please— gossiping to our heart’s content without a care in the world.  The boat’s expansive cockpit, easy-to-board open transom aft and comfy cockpit benches with equally comfy, practical wraparound cushions meant there was plenty of room to stretch out in as we did so. Electrical auxiliary power only served to make this sporty little sloop that much more pleasant for anyone looking to enjoy an after-noon on the water— no matter what the weather.” Thanks for this award from the SAIL Best Boat Awards selection team.  For more J/9 daysailer sailboat information