J33 Review: by Yachting Magazine

Ever since he designed the J/24, Rod Johnstone has made a name for himself building fast racing/cruising boats with a bent toward performance. Now comes the latest J/Boat, the J/33, with a planing hull. It is the talk of the dock as it more than maintains this builder's go-fast tradition.

Johnstone's idea of building an affordable, fast sailboat that is comfortable for the entire family to race has been well documented (see "Boat of the Decade," January 1988). His success with that initial design - the J/24 - and all subsequent designs over the past 10 years is already a part of yachting lore. So it was with great anticipation that many sailors awaited the arrival of the new J/33 this spring.

Like others before it, the J/33 is a racing machine with its roots in small-boat sailing. Its sailing characteristics are similar to that of a dinghy responsive steering, quick acceleration and sensitivity to weight. But the accommodations are that of a cruiser.

The 33 is an attempt by J/Boats to provide a boat with adequate headroom below while maintaining the distinctive, graceful lines of its predecessors. At the same time the price is well suited to those not willing to stray near the magic $100,000 mark.

As expected, the J/33 makes its biggest statement on the race course. The deck layout is simple and straight forward with a cockpit that is, by any definition, huge. It is the same size as the cockpit of the J/34 (a boat once built for the International Offshore Rule) that has since been discontinued. Measuring 10.5' x 9' on the deck and 7.5' x 4.5' in the well, its size is accomplished by a lack of seats, leaving plenty of room for the crew while keeping the helmsman away from flying elbows. When we took her for a sail we had seven people aboard and found little difficulty staying out of each other's way and running the boat smoothly, even during a spinnaker set. Out of the box, the boat is ready to sail. Standard are #46 Lewmar primaries and #40 secondaries, a 6:1 Harken mainsheet system and a 3:1 Harken traveler system.

Another dramatic part of the boat is the size of the main. At 290 sq. ft. it is much larger proportionally compared with the J/35, making jib changes easier for a family and the boat faster downwind.

While the 33 is closest in size to the 35, its hull characteristics more closely match that of the 27. The 33 has much less volume below the waterline than has the 35, with a finer, narrower hull and a more vertical bow.

The hull of the 33 is also a bit flatter than that of the 35 while the stern is proportionally narrower than most other J/Boats. It is, in short, a planing hull, and Johnstone claims the boat is just that.
Combined with a large inboard rudder (7.5 sq. ft. that is well aft), the boat is easily driven. We had no trouble controlling her on a tight spinnaker reach in 10 to 15 knots of air and never got the sensation that we were going to lose control. The 33 is built with balsa laminate construction with biaxial and unidirectional glass roving with vinylester resin on the hull and comes with a I0?year warranty against blistering.

A first-place finish in division for hull No. 14, If Only, at Audi Yachting Race Week at Block Island proved the boat is fast. The other J/33 in the division, Hoodlum, finished in a tie for fourth in a division that included four Express 37s and three Tripp 37s. Each of the two Block Island boats had a PHRF rating of 87 ? it's estimated that most of the 33s will rate between 81 and 87. An International Measurement System (IMS) rating has yet to be established.

Belowdecks the interior faithfully follows the J/Boat philosophy: functional, with no attempts to be fancy. The J/33 has two quarter and two settee berths with a small galley to port and a nav station with ice box to starboard. Forward of the bulkhead is a head along with a forepeak that can either be empty for racing or hold a V-berth.

The latest addition to the J/Boat fleet - now run by Johnstone's sons, Jeff and Alan, is everything one would expect: fast, easy to sail and fun to cruise.

-Charles Barthold