The J-29 is the product of some creativity in response to market demand and a proven hull. In the early 1980s, J-Boats saw many J-24 sailors moving up in size but not to J-Boats’ J-30, as they had hoped. Instead, the J-24 generation wanted to move into bigger one-design racing boats with minimal accommodations.

Designer Rod Johnstone knew he had designed a good hull for the J-30 and saw no reason for radical changes. So he took the 30-footer’s lines, and in fact even a mold., to create the J-29. The major changes were lowering the freeboard 4-1/2", designing a new keel and designing a new deck. The changes gave the J-29 a significantly lower VCG than her big sister. A light interior and a 7.5 horsepower diesel outboard motor lightened the boat considerably.

The J-29 was originally offered in fractional and masthead versions, with the two theoretically of equal performance when the fractional rig carried a 163 percent genoa and an oversized spinnaker pole. Later, inboard engines were offered.

The interior was basic and practical. Quarterberths, settees and some galley amenities made up the accommodations. With the lower freeboard and smaller doghouse, the headroom was reduced to 5’4". A permanent head could be installed, though many choose to use lighter portable heads. The forward V-berth was installed on some J/29s as an option.

Fleets started forming along the East Coast and in California. Currently, there are active fleets in Long Wand, Sound, Chesapeake Bay, Lake Eric, Puget Sound and San Francisco Bay. J-29 fleets can also be found in Houston, Texas, and Portland, Maine. There are organized regattas, especially on the East Coast where fleets combine for some events.

The Chesapeake Bay fleet averaged nearly 12 boats on the line for its regular summer racing series last summer.

The J-29 is predictably fast, especially upwind in a breeze. Like other J-Boats, keeping the helm neutral upwind is a key, as is keeping the stern out of the water and the boat flat. The rig is sensitive to tuning and must be raked aft. The J-29 responds well to rail weight and with seven hefty people on the rail, it has a lot of sail-carrying power. The no. I genoa on the masthead rig can be carried to 18 knots true wind. On a reach there is some weather helm on the unbalanced rudder.

The key to the J-29 is simplicity. Class president and sailmaker Will Keyworth describes the J as "user friendly." The decks are wide, uncluttered and relatively uninterrupted by winches, stoppers and cleats. Both rigs are also simple. The fractional rig has no running backstays and the masthead rig has only checkstays. The sails are moderately sized and the loads do not demand excessive strength.

One of the J-29’s greatest strengths is its versatility. It sails well as a one-design. Even the disparities between fractional and masthead rigs don’t prevent them from racing boat

for boat. The J-29 is also a formidable MORC racer, often sailing on a par with specially designed MORC 30-footers. In PHRF, the J-29s sail to a rating of I I I on Chesapeake Bay. It has proven competitive under the IMS rule, though on Chesapeake Bay the J29s do not meet special interior requirements.

The J-29 is not currently in production. There is an active used market, however, with well-kept boats selling for $20,000-30,000.