SPECIFICATIONS
MAKE/MODEL
J-Boats J/45
PRICE FROM
£450,000 ex VAT
DESIGNER
Alan Johnstone
BUILDER
J-Composites, France
Moving water is hard work. A big, foaming wake might look impressive, but it’s not fast. Glide through the water with as little disturbance as possible, however, and the chance are it’ll be a quick boat. Sleek and slippery hulls are something that J-Boats does very well.
The US-based and (mostly) French-built J-Boats has a phenomenal reputation for racing boats that are amazingly fun to sail, fast and extremely competitive on the race course, both under IRC and in one of their many one-design fleets. Nor are they extreme boats. More than capable of taking a family cruising, they are also easy to sail, to at least 90 per cent of their potential, without breaking a sweat, although accommodation has always tended towards the more spartan end of the spectrum. Alan Johnstone (the company is still owned by its founding family) draws boats that are instantly recognisable: low freeboard subtly elegant sheerlines, modest beam, retractable bowsprits sporting large asymmetric spinnakers, and super-clean lines that pay little notice to the latest fad if it’s not fast. It is also a sector of the market where there aren’t too many brands stealing their wind – an enviable position to be in.
Having spotted a shift in the breeze, however, the company has put in a tack to pursue a more cruising-orientated boat with more emphasis on comfort than all-out speed, though the boat should still hold its own around the cans if you so wish. J-Boats are keen to prove their cruising credentials, knowing their performance record needs no burnishing.
‘Family cruising has always been in the J-Boats DNA,’ explained Frederic Bouvier, J-Composites commercial manager, as we motored out of Key
