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J Boats
The story of J/Boats is a classic entrepreneurial tale: With a $20,000 investment, and a speedy 24-foot sailboat that Rod Johnstone built in his garage, Rod and his brother Bob Johnstone went into business. That was 1977. Now, that boat (the J/24), has become the most popular recreational offshore keelboat in the world.
The Johnstone family has made an undeniable mark on the sailing world. In addition to the 5,300 J/24s cruising the waves, there are over 5,000 more J/Boats, including 1,500 J/22s and 400 J/80s.
While other manufacturers may sell more boats, the Johnstones have won the high-end, performance-oriented segment of the market. Theirs is the so-called racer/cruiser category: boats that perform well enough to race but which are comfortable and easy enough for the family to daysail and cruise. It is with knowledgeable, experienced sailors that the Johnstones have done best.
The J Boats Difference
Now it’s possible to sail fast with just a friend or two as crew. After all, isn’t this how we sail most of the time on a day’s sail or when cruising? Rarely is the gang aboard to hold the boat down or fly a chute.
Considering the realities of how we sail, the measure of a good sailboat should be how well it sails upwind and downwind with only 2-3 people aboard. Now more than ever before, differences between sailboats are greater than differences between golf clubs, tennis rackets, skis or cars! Performance is the reason you don’t see wooden or solid fiberglass tennis rackets, skis or golf clubs anymore. A fast new “J” can make a beginner look very good, leaving the experts far astern with little solace that slow is easier or more comfortable. It could take years, owning and sailing all types of boats, to learn that good design and high-quality composite construction makes so large a difference..