1st to Finish Speed, Without the Costs

Until J/35 came along, the costs of spectacular sailing performance were high. Cost in dollars, time, comfort, relaxation, even friends. Because, 1st-to-finish speed usually meant large, expensive, difficult to manage 40 footers. Intimidating rigs. More crew, and not always those you'd choose to cruise with. "Why seek performance, if freedom to enjoy sailing on one's own terms is lost?" Thanks to the J/35, however, this very real problem has become academic.

Faster Than Grand Prix
Now, you can take a quantum leap in sailing performance, with increased sailing enjoyment, without the costs. The J/35 design starts with the fastest hull shape possible, disregarding bumps used to get a good "rating". An anomaly of sailboat racing is that Grand Prix, contrary to auto racing, encourages a "low rating" rather than "maxi¬mum speed" for a given size. It gets worse. Manufacturers, trying to create a performance image, then promoted "warmed over" Grand Prix handicap racers as family cruisers. That's why a Beneteau 42, Swan 44, C&C 41 or custom, carbon/kevlar 1 tonner (39-41 ft) is no faster than a stock J/35. PHRF rates the J35 an average of 72. Among the most popular 100 designs sailing PHRF across the country, J/35 is the fastest boat you can buy. One owner reported after a two week cruise with his wife, "No other sailboat of any size passed us. We had the only Indy 500 car on the highway." If you get serious, here's what J/35 can do; 1st Overall MHS Chicago-Mackinac and Block Island Race Week 1984; 1-2-3 Overall PHRF Monhegan Race 1985; Best Boat Under 40 Feet 1984 Bermuda Race MHS; Double-¬handed Champion New England 1986; Ist Overall Miami-Montego Bay 1986. Under IMS (x-MHS), J/35 is considered to be the most competitive boat you can own.

Seaworthiness
Speed is worthless without seaworthiness! Tony Lush, veteran of 45,000 miles of open ocean sailing and 7 trans-Atlantic singlehanded crossings, chose the J/35 for the 1984 OSTAR. He beat all multi-hulls in his class except one. "A faster crossing is a safer crossing, because there's less exposure to low pressure gales and frontal systems. Less fatigue. And, I liked J/35's rugged construction and structural engineering. On the way to the start in England, I beat to windward for 5 days in 35-50 knot gales. Seas were larger than those which destroyed my 54 footer in the BOC. There are few boats of any size that can perform in such weather! Soloing trans-Atlantic in 22 days, upwind to Newport must be some kind of record, tool"

Good freeboard, hull flare and reserve buoyancy in bow sections prevent submarining when surfing before huge storm seas or under spinnaker when racing. One owner reports sustained 17 knots of speed, under control, in 35 knots of wind!

By minimizing weight in the ends, lowering center of gravity with a deep lead keel and avoiding hull line distortions, J/35 sails fast comfortably ... with minimum pitching and rolling. When the boat behaves better, so does the crew. Increased resistance from either is slow!

Easy-to-Sail
The fact that J/35 is the choice of people sailing shorthanded, also says that it's well suited for cruising. Mostly, cruising is with two people, which means that one has to sail while the other gets some sleep. A 35 footer still qualifies as "manageable" for a family crew. But, J/35 is even better because a fast 35 footer is less work than a slow one. Less sail area is needed to attain acceptable speeds. A J/35 under mainsail alone (controlled by a 6 part Harken Hexaratchet, Hall Quik-Vang, and Navtec Hydraulic Backstay) is faster than a Pilot 35 under full sail. With small jib and main, a cruising couple on a J/35 can sail circles around a Frers 36 with full racing crew using a large genoa. If it's blowing over 20 knots, it's a lot easier to drop or roll up the jib to sail with full main only, than it is to have to fight the jib and reef the main.

Other keys to ease of handling and seaworthiness are balance and control. To feel J/35 accelerate in a puff of wind with hardly more than small pressure on the tiller, is one of the ultimate joys of sailing. And, so your pleasure is not interrupted by a clump of weeds or a crab pot, both keel and rudder leading edge angles (& folding prop) are designed to shed underwater snares.

Cruising Yacht Interior
Most are amazed that such a fast sailboat has any interior at all, let alone one with extensive teak cabinetry, teak hull sidings, and radiused cold-molded trim. The new standard J/35 comes complete with quarterberths, 8 Bomar opening ports, large head with shower, spacious forward V-Berth cabin, built-in icebox, cabinets and storage behind main settee berths, and a 28 hp diesel engine.