Story of the J-Class Yachts:

The J-Class was adopted for America's Cup competition in 1928, looking forward to the next regatta in 1930.  The Class itself, though, dated back to the turn of the century when the Universal Rule was adopted though no J-Class yachts had yet been built.

The Rule used a yacht's various dimensions to calculate an equivalent rating in feet.  Boats of equal rated lengths could then race against each other directly without making other allowances for time or distance sailed.  Even though one yacht might have a longer length or another yacht a larger sail area, their overall configurations had to produce a rated length that met the Universal Rule for that class. Boats in Class J, more commonly today termed J-Class yachts, were the largest constructed under the Universal Rule.  The Rule actually includes provisions for an even larger type of boat, the I Class, though none were ever built.  Inquiries made in the 1930s for a Defense in the smaller K Class were rejected.

The J-Class were the first yachts in an America's Cup match to be governed by a formal design rule.  Previous defenders and challengers were only restricted by minimum and maximum lengths set forth in the Deed of Gift.  Sir Thomas Lipton, challenging in 1930 for the fifth time, had held earlier discussions with the New York Yacht Club in hopes of adopting the Universal Rule for the previous America's Cup match, intended for 1914 but delayed until 1920.  Though an agreement to use the rule was not reached for that match, the 1914 US boats, Vanitie and Resolute, still roughly followed J-Class parameters.

Building Program:

There were only 10 J-class yachts designed and built.  Additionally, several yachts of closely related dimensions, mostly 23-Meter International Rule boats, were converted after their construction to meet the rating rules of the J-Class. 

Only the purpose-built Cup yachts, though, could compete in the America's Cup.  The "converted" J-Class yachts, while acceptable for Class racing events, were not admissible for America's Cup competition.  Responding to issues that surfaced in earlier defenses, the America's Cup rules required that all boats had to be sailed to the event on their own bottom.  Some critics pointed out the possibility that the challenger might, as a result, be disadvantaged by  being of heavier construction than the defender.  In order to avoid a situation that could be perceived as an undue advantage, the NYYC eventually agreed that all America's Cup J-Class yachts would be built to Lloyds A1 standards, ensuring that defender and challenger met the same minimum construction specifications (the nautical term is "scantlings").  Most existing yachts were not built to such standards, so the Cup-eligible boats thus ended up heavier than the ineligible J's.

(The issue of challengers having to build heavier boats due to the ocean crossing was a popular, if uncertain, explanation in the British press for the long string of American victories.  In practice, a number of challengers added internal bracing for the crossing, which was then removed before racing.  And on a few occasions defenders subsequently made the crossing in reverse in search of competition following their successful defense.  The rule requiring that the challenger sail to the event on her own bottom was actually instituted in response to a super-lightweight challenger towed to the match through canals and rivers from Canada.

The J-Class Yachts

Disposition:

Conceived at the height of the affluent 1920's, the J-boats arrived during the Great Depression.  They required enormous crews, and, despite expert attention to their technical details, still broke an astonishing number of masts.  While they were in most regards the most advanced sailing yachts yet built, and they were  indeed powerful sailing thoroughbreds formed in sleek lines that can race the pulse of almost every viewer, the glorious J's proved too extravagant for their own good.  Most had very limited sailing careers outside of America's Cup.  Ranger , whose 1937 cost was upwards of $500,000, was laid-up at the end of her debut season and never sailed again.  All of the American J's were scrapped between 1935 and 1941. Most of the British J's were either abandoned or scrapped.

When NYYC sought to revive the America's Cup in the 1950s, there was a faction that favored returning to the J-Class.  Mike Vanderbilt even stated that not only would he like to see the Cup contested in the large boats, but that if so he would consider rebuilding a new Range r to the design of the original.  Still, another faction hoped for smaller dual-use yachts that could be used in offshore racing when the Cup year was ended.  With cost estimates for a 1958-era J starting around three million dollars, the impulse for a J-Class defense faded away in the face of economic pressures and a compromise was reached to sail the America's Cup in International Rule 12-Meters.

The J-Class Resurgent

J-Class rigs today are no longer built of wood or dur-alumin, but with modern lightweight composites.  Their sail technology is long past being canvas duck, and many other subtle changes have been made to make the ongoing maintenance and operation of these yachts a realistic proposition.  Still, the J-Class owners have gone to great lengths to insure the integrity of the boats.  The J-Class is self-administered, rather than governed by an outside organization as is the case with almost all other classes.  This allows the members to more easily adapt the rules in order to serve the needs of these uniquely historic yachts.

Most of the surviving J's are available for charter.  Cambria was reportedly for sale in 2000.  Endeavour changed hands in 2006 for a reported $13.1 million USD, though as her former owner Dennis Kozlowski said, "No one truly owns Endeavour .  She's a part of yachting history.''

Recreations, Replicas, and a Tender:

For decades, most yachting fans thought that we would never again see the likes of these boats again, the few survivors would sooner or later fade away, and the whole history would be reserved for books and fading photographs, but following the restoration of the surviving hulls rumors grew throughout the late 1990's and early 2000's about building "new" J's.  In 2001, all of this dock talk began to become reality:

Ranger Wooden Boat magazine, March/April 2001, described a "Dutchman" who had commissioned a new Ranger built to the original's plan.  This incredible rumor came true, and a piece of lost sailing history was brought back to life.  The new version of this "Superboat", as Mike Vanderbilt once called her, was officially launched in October, 2003. 

Designed by Studio Scanu and Reichel-Pugh, and built by Danish Yachts, Skagen, Denmark, she is not an exact replica of the original. Some would term her a re-interpretation, as a number of changes were made including greater freeboard, and Ranger 's original designers did not participate in the project.  The new Ranger first competed head-to-head against other J's in Antigua, Spring, 2004.  It took some additional adjustment after launch by her owners and designers to seek the proper trim that would make her float on her lines, an essential step in the process of being officially rated a J-Class yacht.  Visit the Ranger Website for more info.  J-Class Management is also at work on a restoration of Bystander, tender to the original Ranger .

Endeavour II An Endeavour II replica is being built at Royal Huisman Shipyard, with a planned 2008 launch date.  Gerard Dykstra and Partners is leading the project, which features a lightweight Alustar (aluminum alloy) hull and carbon-fiber mast.  See additional photo at Yachtspotter

Lionheart Based on an unbuilt alternate design by Starling Burgess and Olin Stephens II that was considered for 1937's America's Cup defender Ranger , this new boat is being built at yards in the Netherlands for an expected 2008 launch.  Lionheart will be the longest J-Class yacht when completed. See more including photos of the completed hull at the Lionheart Website and the story of sailing onboard including photos and videos Cruising J-Class Style Aboard Lionheart at Yachting World Designer:  Hoek Design Builders: Bloemsma Aluminiumbouw and Claasen Jachtbouw BV

Svea Tore Holm's unbuilt 1937 design, said by some to be faster in the test tank than any of the original boats, is being pursued by Hoek Design

Name To Be Announced In late March 2008, reports of another replica about to begin construction appeared on the Classic Boat website .  Whether this is one of the known projects, such as Svea , above, or yet another replica about to become reality, such as Rainbow , below, should become known shortly.

Rainbow In late May, 2008, Dykstra and Partners announced that a new build of the 1934 America's Cup Defender Rainbow was underway, with an expected launch date of 2010.  Read the Press Release

Other projects: Hoek Design is also studying replicas of 1930's Enterprise and another boat from Yankee designer Frank Paine.  Yankee herself has also been rumored as a new project, as well.  Earlier reports of a Ranger alternate-design carrying the name of Seawolf may have been referring to the project that has become Lionheart , see above.  Whirlwind and Weetamoe are the only two designs of the original ten J's that aren't known to be sailing, building, or under serious consideration as of 2008.  The J-Class website points out that there are 10 unbuilt J designs from the 1930's, so the possibilities for more J-Class yachts are intriguing.

Yachting World reported in May, 2003 , that construction was underway on a yacht replicating the famous G.L Watson design Britannia .  Photos showed a nearly completed hull at Solombala Shipyard, in Arkhangel, Russia, and included interviews with the yacht's owner Sigurd Coates of Norway.  The design was adapted by Cesil Stephansen from published plans.  The original designer's modern descendent company, G.L.Watson & Co., Ltd., has no involvement with the Arkhangel boat.  Little was been heard of this ambitious project for years, until the yacht was finally launched only to become subject of a financial dispute, trapping her in Russia until 2009, when she "escaped" to Norway. 

In the Spirit

A similar project to return elegant yachts to competitive racing, the W-class, was set in motion by Donald Tofias, an American enthusiast.  He commissioned naval architect Joel White to design a new class with lines evocative of famous racing yachts like the New York 50's and the J-Class.  The first two boats, Wild Horses and White Wings , were built in Maine of modern cold-molded wood construction and launched in 1998.  It is Tofias' aim that there will eventually be a whole fleet of the beautiful W-class to regularly compete against each other.  The one-design W-76 is actually similar to the New York 50's.  Tofias' long-range plans involve a range of classes including 46, 62, 76, 105, and 130.  The 130's would be nearly identical in basic dimensions to the J-class. See the W-Class Websit e .  

Additional Links: Chris Cameron onboard Ranger at Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup, 2010: Photo Gallery

Web Sites of Particular Interest: The J-Class Association J-Class Management, Inc.  

Further Notes:

K-Class: The Royal London Yacht Club made and withdrew its inquiry for a K-Class challenge in 1935.  The intent had been to reduce costs, not the least of which was hoped to be a lower velocity of mast replacement, but the K-Class line of thought was rejected for several reasons.  For one, the K-Class wasn't so much smaller than the J-Class as to have clearly led to significant savings.  Additionally, no K-Class yachts existed on either side of the Atlantic while several J's of various pedigree were available for testing, training, and racing in 1935.  Also a factor was that the NYYC was already actively considering another challenge at the time the RLYC began their communication  about the K-Class and it was the NYYC's policy to consider only one challenge at a time, in keeping with the Deed of Gift.

Sailing to the Event on Own Bottom: This provision of the Deed of Gift was at times strictly interpreted to the the degree of making sure that the challenging yacht actually was under her own sail while traveling to the match, not towed by another boat.  Challengers returning across the Atlantic after Cup matches concluded were sometimes towed for convenience. Eventually the NYYC agreed at various times to permit towing the yachts to the match, particularly when conditions were light, and in 1956, for the coming of the 12-meter yachts in 1958, the Deed of Gift was amended to eliminate the requirement.

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Understanding the AMYA J Class Model

By john hanks iii.

Understanding An AMYA J Class Model

Let me begin by saying that the AMYA J Class models are BIG. The J Class models are 1/16th scale models of the full-size J Class yachts that Raced for the America’s Cup in the 1930s.

 The full-size yachts were between 120 and 135 feet long and after doing the math, that gives you a model 90 to 101 inches long. To put that in perspective, that is as long as two Marbleheads end to end. In fact some of the J models have main booms as long as a Marblehead. 

The weight of the Js, when they are ready to sail, matches their dimensions, with the lightest being about 65 pounds and the heaviest about 95 pounds. 

The masts are also huge, ranging from 8 feet above the deck to over 9-1/2 feet above the deck.

The size of the models and the fact that they have scale hulls presents some unique problems for the J owner. Probably the most obvious question is “How do I get my model to and from the lake?” Well it takes a little planning and a large vehicle of some kind. I know of J owners who have purchased trailers for their Js, while others transport their model Js in full-size pickups or vans. I have also witnessed a J model arrive at a regatta, from Oklahoma, in a mid-size hatch back, with the stern resting on the dash and the bow just under the hatch glass on in the back. I can imagine how that affected the conversation between the driver and passenger. I carry my J models in a 1956 Chevy station wagon. It was a great excuse to buy a classic car. 

The next question is “How do I get my 90 + or – pound model in the water once it is ready to sail?” Well it takes two people that are willing to lift your model and carry it to the water and then not mind getting their feet wet as they set it in the pond. Hopefully you have brought that willing individual with you to the pond so you do not have to persuade a by-stander to be your assistant. I am very fortunate in that my wife, Barbara, is always a willing deck hand when it comes to working with the models. 

The scale aspect of the model produces some handling characteristics that are somewhat different than those associated with a modern fin-keel model. When the boats are scaled down, and this is true of any scale model sailboat, the wind and water do not scale down in the same proportions. You lose stability in the hull faster than you lose the power of the wind in the sails. Several things come together in a model J to help over come this phenomenon. First, the percentage of ballast weight to total displacement is much different in a model J than a full-size yacht. The full-size yacht is doing well to get 40% of the total displacement in the ballast, while a model J can get 70% or more in the ballast. 

Second, the J Class allows a 2 inch extension to the keel depth to increase stability. This adds to stability in two ways; first it lowers the center of gravity slightly; and second, it adds volume to the hull, which needs added ballast for the model to get to the proper water line. The 2-inch keel extension forces the addition of between 5 and 10 pounds of ballast to the total displacement over and above the scale displacement. Most of the model Js also sail with a reduction in sail area compared to a truly scale sail plan. Most of the model Js would carry about 4,200 square inches of sail in a full-size, scale sail plan. The best all round sailing model Js carry a sail plan with about 3,500 square inches on the larger models, such as Ranger or Endeavour, and 2,900 square inches on the smaller models such as Shamrock V or Enterprise. This change allows them to sail in a fairly broad range of wind conditions.

How do the boats handle on the water?

 In short, they sail and handle like a big boat. They do not turn on a dime like the smaller fin-keel boats most of us are used to sailing, so it takes a little planning to get around the race course, especially if you are in a fleet. The models are deceptively fast because their great size fools you into thinking that they are moving more slowly than they actually are. 

All of this takes a little getting used to for the first time J skipper, but all of the skippers who have sailed a model J get to love it very quickly. Most of the skippers cannot get over how stable and solid the boats feel. They are not twitchy in the puffs, within reason of course, and they handle with light control inputs.

The majesty and grace of a J Class yacht on the water carries over from the full size yachts into the models. It is hared to describe the beauty of a fleet of J Class models as they make their way around the marks. 

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J Class Yachts were born from the introduction of the 'Universal Rule' in 1930, which for the first time efficiently controlled the size and performance of yachts built to compete for the America's Cup. Ten massive yachts conforming to the J rule were built between 1930 and 1937, although more were designed and tank tested. They were all but extinct, however three English yachts survived.

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The J-class yachts were originally designed to race for the Americas Cup between 1930 and 1937. Their revival in recent years was initially driven by the acceptance of aluminium as a hull material, which in itself created an incredible new level of interest in these fabulous America’s Cup Yachts of the 1930s. The close and competitive racing and well-crafted handicap system, together with exciting fleet starts, have attracted owners that enjoy competitive and fair racing combined with great cruising and charter options. Hoek Design has been involved in a string of projects as part of the J-class revival. The first was Lionheart, which was based on an original lines plan by Starling Burgers and Sparkman & Stephens. The original design is one of the lines plans originally drawn for the Ranger project and never built. J8 is  the second J-class under construction and J11 the third, with various others in development at our office. We developed a Velocity Prediction Programme (VPP) geared specifically to J-class yachts and additionally calibrated using tank test data and wind tunnel data for J-class yachts. This sophisticated VPP software allowed us to analyse all existing yachts as well as all possible models that can be built according to the present J-class Association rules. The test designs which resulted from this research were also tested with computational fluid dynamics software, a study normally only carried out for America’s Cup and other high-profile racing yachts. This research gave us great insight into the qualities of these yachts, as well as into performance under the new handicap rules by the J-class Association. The new deck and interior layouts we have developed have given the new Js a multipurpose use for both cruising and racing.

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2023 J Boat Down the River Race Aug 25th Info CPM is now producing the Shamrock V Original Plug and mold by Dave Brawner and Ranger mold and plug by Gary Mueler

Shamrock V and Range Fiberglass hulls, Rudders, Mast fittings.

Current prices for the Shamrock V are as follows Hull - $625.00 Rudder w/Shoe - $175.00 Ballast (3 Piece) - $200.00

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Hull - $700.00 Rudder w/Shoe - $175.00

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The new heyday of the J Class – why this illustrious class is now more popular than ever

  • Toby Hodges
  • March 24, 2017

Toby Hodges on the 2017 renaissance of the giant J Class yachts

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Yacht brokers Edmiston created the opportunity to get us aboard Endeavour , which is currently for sale ( see original blog and history here ), the most beautiful of the J Class yachts and ranked among the most iconic yachts ever. Sailing simply doesn’t get any finer than this.

Compare all the J Class yachts with our pocket guide .

The word that kept entering my head and one that can be applied to all J Class yachts is ‘majestic’. They sail upwind at 10 knots and downwind at up to 13 knots – pedestrian by today’s planing and flying standards – and can be beasts to handle. But J Class yachts remain sensational to sail and mesmerising to watch.

The launch of the latest J Class yacht Svea this January takes the current fleet up to nine. That’s a collective weight of around 1,600 tonnes, with a sail area over 8,360m2 (90,000ft2).

Stack the J Class masts up end to end and they would reach the top of the Empire State Building. Their collective worth is over £100 million according to some camps – priceless in others.

When you consider that there were only ever ten J Class yachts built originally in the 1930s, a maximum of four of which sailed together at one time, and that all bar three were destroyed for scrap – the fact that five J Class yachts have launched in the last eight years is a pretty radical turnaround.

Six J Class yachts will race for the first time ever in St Barth this March. Eight out of the nine will then go to Bermuda for the America’s Cup showcase event in June (perhaps all nine if Endeavour sells before then), where a record seven will compete – a prospect that few people could ever have imagined before the recent resurgence of the class.

The J Class is unparalleled in any sport: historic yet cutting edge, competitive but also used for pleasure. They are the multimillionaire’s ultimate racer-cruiser.

Unlike maxi racing yachts, Js have fully fitted luxury interiors, a rule instigated by the class to ensure a multi-role yacht.

Endeavour’s finely appointed saloon.

Endeavour ’s finely appointed saloon.

One of the charms of J Class yachts is that their size and shape can swallow these interiors without harming performance – long overhangs mean the accommodation and associated weight remains central. And unlike modern performance superyachts that occasionally race, J Class yachts are seaworthy racing machines that can be cruised and are united by an absorbing history.

J Class yachts have the best systems, hydraulics, deck gear, sails and rigging to take the highest dynamic loads, and are crewed by armies of the most experienced pros on the circuit. Most J Class owners still enjoy cruising too. Indeed, both the current owners of Endeavour and Rainbow choose only to cruise – and over the last three decades, Endeavour has sailed all over the world.

A turning point for the class

In the last 15 years we have seen J Class yachts evolve from exhibition yachts to cutting edge race boats. The designs range from the wood-composite 1930-built Shamrock V , at 120ft the smallest J afloat, to the newly launched 143ft Svea , an aluminium masterpiece.

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Superyachts Palma J Class Lionheart J-H1. Photo Nico Martinez

The America’s Cup Jubilee regatta in Cowes in 2001 was a real turning point for the class. For the previous 20 years the three Js had only cruised or raced with Corinthian crew. But when Endeavour showed the difference that racing with professionals could make, things changed.

Many were against the introduction of pro crews, but it was a transition that was inevitable if the three-strong class was ever to grow. These 180-tonne yachts could not conceivably race safely with five or more on the startline today without pros in key positions.

Ranger entered the scene in 2004 and this increased the momentum in the class further. Together with Velsheda she has been a stalwart of the regatta scene since.

The owner-drivers have become confident and competent, particularly on Velsheda and Lionheart , and can regularly boss and win the prestart with the aid of their expert tacticians.

But with more Js on the line this summer, the experience of top helmsman such as Ken Read ( Hanuman ), Erle Williams ( Ranger ) and Peter Holmberg ( Topaz ) could be a deciding factor. Clear air will be gold.

I have been fortunate enough to race aboard several J Class yachts in big regattas during this modern era and it is always an electrifying experience. It requires around 30 crewmembers to race a J, which is more than most other large racing yachts, with a team of no fewer than eight required to handle the spinnaker pole.

“The excitement is the closeness of the racing and all the loads and the amount of effort it takes to coordinate all 30 guys to do something at once,” said North Sails Scott Zebny. “That’s the cool part.”

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J Class Yachts

Go inside the world of the iconic J Class yachts with reports on board these famous vessels, interviews with their owners and coverage of the J Class World Championships. Boat International is the official media partner of the J Class Association.

LATEST J CLASS NEWS AND FEATURES

Boat presents, from our partners, sponsored listings, yachts for sale, sailing news, more j class news and features.

THE AMYA

J Class Class

​description.

The J Class has its roots in the oldest international yacht race in the world, the America’s Cup.

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Our Heritage

Considered some of the most beautiful yachts ever built, the story of the J Class is defined by fierce transatlantic competition for the America’s Cup, followed by an era of steep decline, and the modern-day revival.

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The J Class includes a mixture of refitted surviving yachts along with a number of new yachts faithfully built to original hull lines from 1930’s designs, with more yachts currently in build.

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The J Class Association was founded in 2000 to protect the interests of the Class, present and future, and organises an annual calendar of racing for these magnificent yachts.

2024 Calendar

The Superyacht Cup Palma

Palma, Spain

8 - 14 September

Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup

Puerto Cervo, Sardinia

5-11 October

America's Cup J Class Regatta

Barcelona, Spain

We love them because they are sublimely beautiful, utterly impractical and fiendishly demanding.

Elizabeth Meyer

Modern-day saviour of the J Class

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Latest news

J class duo velsheda and hanuman heading to saint barths bucket.

J Class duo Velsheda and Hanuman heading to Saint Barths Bucket

The renowned Saint Barths Bucket superyacht regatta has long been popular with J Class yacht owners and crews, many of whom have enjoyed success at the Caribbean spring showcase event over recent years.

Svea find more joy in Ibiza

Svea find more joy in Ibiza

The well drilled Svea team continued their winning ways when the Swedish flagged recent winners of the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup raced against Topaz under the J Class Association rule last week at the third edition of Ibiza JoySail.

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IMAGES

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  2. A pocket guide to the J Class yachts

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  3. J class yacht plan ~ Plans for boat

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  4. A pocket guide to the J Class yachts

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  5. J Class

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  6. The ultimate J Class yachtspotter’s guide

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  5. J Class yacht revival, CNN Mainsail

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COMMENTS

  1. J Class (yacht)

    J Class yachts Velsheda, Topaz and Svea downwind legs. The J Class is one of several classes deriving from the Universal Rule for racing boats. The rule was established in 1903 and rates double-masted racers (classes A through H) and single-masted racers (classes I through S). ... The New York Yacht Club refused the drop in size. The J Class ...

  2. A pocket guide to the J Class yachts

    J Class yacht Velsheda sailplan. LOA: 39.25m/128ft 9in · LWL: 27.8m/91ft 3in · Beam: 6.57m/21ft 7in · Disp: 180 tonnes. Original lines: Charles E Nicholson. Modified design: Dykstra Naval ...

  3. J Class: the enduring appeal of the world's most majestic yachts

    The J Class - so named because it was the letter allocated to its particular size by the Universal Rule to which the yachts were built (K and M Class yachts were, for example, shorter on the ...

  4. The ultimate J Class yachtspotter's guide

    Ranger is a 41.55 metre replica of the J Class yacht of the same name, which was built for the 1937 America's Cup by a syndicate led by railroad heir Harold Vanderbilt. Starling Burgess and Olin Stephens had been asked to produce eight sets of lines and the one selected as most suitable for the conditions expected off Newport, Rhode Island — design number 77C — was one of Burgess ...

  5. The Rise of the J Class Sailing Yacht

    The tide turned fair again for the J Class only as recently as 1984, when American sailor Elizabeth Meyer bought the hulk of Endeavour and set about restoring her. "Elizabeth is very much the catalyst for the revival of the J Class with the renovation of Endeavour in 1984," Philip Lotz, commodore of the New York Yacht Club, said in 2017. "Her vision and inspiration… got restoration ...

  6. America's Cup

    The J-Class was adopted for America's Cup competition in 1928, looking forward to the next regatta in 1930. The Class itself, though, dated back to the turn of the century when the Universal Rule was adopted though no J-Class yachts had yet been built. The Rule used a yacht's various dimensions to calculate an equivalent rating in feet.

  7. Understanding the J Class

    The J Class models are 1/16th scale models of the full-size J Class yachts that Raced for the America's Cup in the 1930s. The full-size yachts were between 120 and 135 feet long and after doing the math, that gives you a model 90 to 101 inches long. To put that in perspective, that is as long as two Marbleheads end to end.

  8. J class yachts: the ultimate guide

    J Class Regatta Falmouth Training. Discover J Class yachts with Yachting World. From race results to yacht profiles and videos, we have the definitive guide to the 2015 J class calender.

  9. About

    The J Class. J Class yachts were originally built to the specifications of the Universal Rule. The J Class really represents the golden age of racing for the America's Cup in the 1930s when this Universal Rule was used as the determining measurement system. J Class yachts were originally built to the specifications of the Universal Rule.

  10. J Class class

    J Class. J Class Yachts were born from the introduction of the 'Universal Rule' in 1930, which for the first time efficiently controlled the size and performance of yachts built to compete for the America's Cup. Ten massive yachts conforming to the J rule were built between 1930 and 1937, although more were designed and tank tested.

  11. Yachts

    Yachts. In total nine J Class yachts are currently active, including three original surviving Js - Velsheda, Shamrock and Endeavour - and six replicas that have been built since 2003; Ranger, Rainbow, Hanuman, Lionheart, Topaz and Svea.

  12. Endeavour, JK4

    About. Endeavour was designed for the 1934 America's Cup by Charles E Nicholson and built at Camper & Nicholson's in Gosport for Sir Thomas Sopwith. Along with Shamrock, Endeavour is one of the two remaining J Class yachts which actually raced for the America's Cup. Indeed she came closer to winning the Cup than any other Challenger.

  13. Lionheart, the new J-Class Yacht

    The owner then informed Hoek he'd like to build a new yacht based on that design. Warm, teak paneling lines the bulkheads, and nothing is fussy or overstuffed. Measuring 43.4 meters (142 feet), Lionheart is the longest J Class in existence. She also has astounding 17-meter (56-foot) overhangs. She's built entirely of aluminum, something the ...

  14. The history of the J class

    With the exception of Velsheda, all the original Js were built for the purpose of America's Cup racing. From 1929 to 1937, 20 J Class yachts were designed. Ten of these were built, and six raced ...

  15. Hoek Design » Hoek Design j class yachts

    The J-class yachts were originally designed to race for the Americas Cup between 1930 and 1937. Their revival in recent years was initially driven by the acceptance of aluminium as a hull material, which in itself created an incredible new level of interest in these fabulous America's Cup Yachts of the 1930s. The close and competitive racing ...

  16. Shamrock V, JK3

    In 1929 Sir Thomas Lipton, who had reached worldwide fame through his tea business issued his fifth challenge for the America's Cup and commissioned Charles E. Nicholson, to design the first J-Class Yacht, Shamrock V, to the Universal Rule, signifying the birth of the J Class and the start of a new era in design evolution and racing.

  17. J Boat

    The J Class models are 1/16th scale hulls of the J Class yachts that sailed for the America´s Cup from 1930 through 1937 as well as the yachts that were converted to the J Class and competed with the America´s Cup yachts in club regattas. ... The difference in sizes of the models is driven by the different sizes of the full size yachts.

  18. Svea: Inside the newest member of the J Class fleet

    Silhouetted against the Mediterranean sunset, Svea's overhangs are awesome to the point of outrageousness. Her original profile was based on an analysis of the development of the J Class after the 1936 match racing series.. The Swedish naval architect and boatbuilder Tore Holm, famous for his Six Metre and Eight Metre class racing yachts, had turned his pencil to the far bigger Js and he set ...

  19. Why the J Class yachts are more popular than ever

    The launch of the latest J Class yacht Svea this January takes the current fleet up to nine. That's a collective weight of around 1,600 tonnes, with a sail area over 8,360m2 (90,000ft2). Stack ...

  20. Svea, JS1

    Svea is the newest J Class yacht in the current fleet and was launched in January 2017. At 143ft/43.6m Svea has the longest LOA by 15cms. Her original designs were drawn in 1937 by Swedish Olympian and renowned 6 and 8 Metre boat designer Tore Holm along with compatriot boatbuilder Gustav Plym, but war put paid to any hopes of a Swedish America's Cup challenge.

  21. J Class Yachts World Championship

    J Class Yachts. Go inside the world of the iconic J Class yachts with reports on board these famous vessels, interviews with their owners and coverage of the J Class World Championships. Boat International is the official media partner of the J Class Association. Editorial Features. Svea: Inside the newest member of the J Class fleet.

  22. THE AMYA

    The J Class models are 1/16th scale hulls of the J Class yachts that sailed for the America's Cup from 1930 through 1937 as well as the yachts that were converted to the J Class and competed with the America's Cup yachts in club regattas. ... The full size yachts varied in size from about 120 to 135 feet in length and had waterline lengths from ...

  23. Home

    The J Class Association was founded in 2000 to protect the interests of the Class, present and future, and organises an annual calendar of racing for these magnificent yachts. 2024 Calendar. 19-22 June.