 The Johnstones are on a roll, turning out one award-winning hit after another. Last year, the funky and fast J/95 sailed away with our Boat of the Year award, and this time they delivered an all-purpose racer with the potential of being their next big one-design. This 36-footer's arrival is a long time coming. For loyal J/105 and J/109 owners, this is likely the boat you really wanted all along. For the 105 guys, you finally get your headroom and better light-air performance. And for the 109 guys, it's the raceboat you'll love, with barebones accommodations. As the BOTY test sail confirmed, the J/111 will take you upwind at 7 knots and downwind at double-digits without breaking a sweat.
"We've sailed a lot of different J Boats over the years," said Holby,"and the 111, with its light interior, is the most lively of them all. I'm impressed-it sails really well on all points."
If there's one element designer Al Johnstone was keen to emphasize, it was the boat's overall weight, and getting that weight as low and centralized as possible. They invested in a new mast concept with Hall Spars (using carbon nanotubes to make a high-strength, smaller-section tube), and engineered an intricate 7-foot, stainless-steel fin keel, allowing them to put maximum weight in the flared, slab-sided bulb. The hull and deck are E-glass and vinylester with balsa core, with no headliner in the interior to further save weight. "You can really feel the benefits in light air," said Stewart. "It's got a very lively feel, tracked very well."
Below decks, the judges found a standard layout for a boat this size: V-berth with head, long setees, galley, and pilot berths aft. It's a no-frills, easy-to-maintain setup that will stand up to the regular abuse of a race crew. "One feature I really enjoyed was the cockpit, which is spacious," said Allen. "When helming, trimming, or doing pit, there were no problems in any area. The boat can be sailed with two people and raced with six or eight." Another key feature, Allen pointed out, was the sprit length. "At 8 feet, it keeps the 1,798 square-foot kite away from the main, which really keeps the slot open. It also makes jibing easier: with such a large triangle, we were pulling off jibes and the boat accelerated to its numbers quickly."
When it comes to the boat's purpose, the Johnstones are reluctant to typify the boat as merely their latest one-design for banging around the buoys, instead preferring to emphasize its multipurpose attributes: "We'd love to see it become our next big one-design, and fleets are already forming-in Chicago, for example," said Al Johnstone."But it's a boat that we think is the best performing, easiest-to-sail boat of its size."
As far as the judges are concerned, he's right. The J/111 has what it takes to become the preferred mid-sized keelboat for the sprit-boat-sailing masses.
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Jeff Johnstone, J/111 Video Interview
