Rod Johnstone's latest project, the J/29, reflects this attitude. The boat's performance and her already stellar win list make her even more attractive: first in the New England PHRF Championship; top performance at the annual Off Soundings Regatta; first in class and first overall in the Stamford-Vineyard Race, in spite of a hefty pole penalty. Add to these respectable tallies her less than numbing price-$27,500 bare, well under the psychologically critical threshold of $30,000-and the J/29 becomes a real eye-opener.

While the 29 may draw conceptually from Rod Johnstone's earliest design, the equally Spartan J/24, more prosaic details like hull form (with a distinctive freeboard flare and narrow waterline beam) were borrowed from the J/30. And structural components of the J/36 such as the positioning of the bulkheads and floor timbers, were translated into the J/29, adding substantial rigidity, according to her builders.

The J/29 is intended to be a sprinter, and as such, her belowdeck amenities are naturally meager. Fore-and-aft settee berths comprise her basic sleeping facilities, and a trampoline structure in the forepeak, intended for sail stowage, can be used as back up for catch-as catch-can sleeping. Quarterberths, a more elaborate V-berth and an enclosed head are all optional to appease the latent cruiser.

The Johnstones are quick to point out that the J/29 is not an ultralight displacement boat-those West Coast downwind flyers. There's a healthy New England respect for upwind ability-reflected in the J/29's beamy hull form, narrow entry and moderate freeboard. The boat comes with an optional masthead rig, which some owners prefer for general light-air conditions and to boost performance off the wind, particularly two-sail reaching. But, according to Bob Barton of Horizon Sails, who raced a J/29 last fall, the fractional rig offers certain advantages, especially upwind. In the Manhasset Fall Series, which had a preponderance of upwind sailing, Barton carried a 98 percent headsail a majority of the time.

"Downwind, we were surfing past Two Tonners almost routinely. But upwind, with our smaller headsail, a narrower sheeting angle and plenty of designed-in twist and power, the boat was spectacular. I was surprised at not only how fast the boat seemed to be, but how well it went through heavy waves-some real boat stoppers."

With a boat that packs plenty of upwind punch and downwind exhilaration, perhaps the J/29 is another score for J Boats. According to Barton, "She's a reaffirmation of the J/24."

That's not all bad.