The J/80 is a racing keelboat, with the hull built predominantly of fiberglass. It has a fractionalsloop rig with a retractable bowsprit controlled from the cockpit by a deployment line. The hull has a raked stem, a plumb transom, a transom-hung rudder controlled by a tiller and a fixed swept fin keel. It displaces 2,900 lb (1,315 kg) and carries 1,400 lb (635 kg) of ballast. The cockpit is 12 ft (3.7 m) long and the hull has a sealed buoyancy compartment on the bow.[1][2][5][11]
The boat has a draft of 4.90 ft (1.49 m) with the standard keel. It can be transported on land on a towed double-axle boat trailer.[1][2][5]
The design has a hull speed of 6.29 kn (11.65 km/h).[2]
Operational history
The boat is supported by an active class club that organizes racing events, the International J/80 Class Association. There are 30 fleets racing in 12 countries, including in North America, Europe and China. It has also been used for two-boat match racing.[12][13]
In a 1994 expert review in Sailing World Magazine Doug Logan concluded, "In the test's light airs, the J/80 could often sail at or close to windspeed, and in several instances recorded the best leg times. While hard to define as a "conservative" boat, this Rod Johnstone creation doesn't go to the max in sailplan and (lack of) stability, and employs the proven construction materials used in thousands of earlier J/Boats. This might cost a bit of speed in light air with chop, but should broaden the boat's user-friendliness in stronger winds."[11]
