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Over the years, producing a lively boat that performs well on the race course yet provides comfortable quarters for the summer cruise has been the holy grail for boat manufacturers. Whether it was called a cruiser/racer in the 80's, which became the performance/cruiser in the 90's, manufacturers continually tried to please the sailors who wanted it all—the fun and performance demanded of a race boat, the comforts of home required for cruising, and they wanted it all in one boat.
With its clean, simple, functional lines, it is clear that the J/109 is a direct descendant of the popular J/105. At 35.25' LOA the J/109 is slightly longer than the J/105 (34.50') and has 6 inches more beam. The J/109 displaces a bit more than the J/105, about 3,000 pounds, but has more sail area, about 70 square feet of 100% more. The SA/Dsp of the J/109 is 21 versus 24 for the J/105. On Deck: The first thing you notice in the cockpit is the very large wheel. But since there probably won't be anyone behind the helmsman when sailing, that shouldn't be a problem. It may be a bit inconvenient when getting on and off the boat from astern when cruising, but the convenience and comfort it provides the helmsman while sailing more than makes up for it. The most innovative idea is the removable transom locker. It looks like a standard transom locker but can be removed, resulting in a completely open transom for racing, or a swim platform for daysailing. This is a terrific feature that I don't doubt will appear on other performance/cruisers in the future. The cockpit is actually a bit narrow but is comfortable and quite efficient, given the ease of which the boat is sailed. The coamings are wide and, since most of us sit up there anyhow, quite comfortable. Side decks are wide and, without a spinnaker pole and the accompanying gear to catch sheets or stub toes, is very clean. So where's the spinnaker pole? Rod Johnstone took a well thought out leap of faith when he introduced the J/105 and designed it with a retractable bowsprit for offwind sailing, rather than the traditional spinnaker pole. Figuring racers rarely sail directly downwind because it's the slowest point of sail, and the growing use of asymmetrical spinnakers, he committed to the bowsprit and asymmetrical spinnaker. This has proved effective for the J/105 and becomes even more functional given the cruising aspects of the J/109. Down below: This is where comparison with the J/105 ends. Though not an opulent cruising palace, the interior of the J/109 has a nice feel for cruising or just a weekend getaway. The woodwork is nicely done with the varnished cherry interior providing that home-away-from-home feel. The layout is relatively standard with standing headroom throughout. You descend the stairs into the main salon to find the galley to port and a nav station to starboard. The galley is small but sufficient. I like the nav station standing alone with its own seat, a good organized place dedicated to the ship's business. Aft of the galley is a double berth with closet. There is a small door granting some access to the engine. The main head is aft of the nav station. There is door large enough to go through from the head that provides access to the gigantic locker/lazarette on the starboard side of the cockpit. The salon features two bench seats with a fold out table in the center of the simulated teak and holly cabin sole. Forward is a double v-berth with hanging lockers. The retracted bowsprit resides here but doesn't really interfere with the sleeping area. Sailing: It was our pleasure to join Dave Dack and Rick Nordquist for the first sail of their new J/109, J-Tripper, the first J/109 in the Northwest. Joined by Quantum Sail's Bob Pistay and Bob Ross and Carol Reid of Sail Northwest, we headed out into a foggy day on Lake Union. The wind wasn't enough to start an America's Cup race but was plenty for us to stretch a few things out and see how the boat performed. We put up the main and unrolled the 125% fusion cloth Kevlar, UV protected jib from Quantum. The boat heeled a bit and began to move Ð and move Ð and move. Even with the little bit of wind, the boat glided effortlessly through the water. The instruments on the boat hadn't been calibrated yet, but it was obvious that we were sailing very high and very fast with the wind we had. The helm was sensitive and very responsive with easy, fingertip control. The double mainsheet allowed fine or quick adjustment and can be operated by crew or by the helmsman. We quickly ran out of lake so we reached off and readied the asymmetrical spinnaker. Now the boat really accelerated, with positive comments on how well the J/109 was moving compared to a J/35 in similar wind. The sprit was extended, the spinnaker hoisted, and jib rolled up on the Harken furler. The wind was building and again it was impressive how fast the boat was going with little to no effort on the helm. It was obviously very fast across and off the wind. We fell off to almost dead down and trimmed the chute. It was surprising how much of the spinnaker actually crossed the headstay. No, it wasn't anything like a spinnaker on a regular pole pulled back to the shrouds, exposing a lot, if not most of the chute, but about a quarter of the chute appeared on the "windward" side of the forestay, much more than anticipated. We hoisted the spinnaker out of a bag which was easy with crew. For cruising, a spinnaker sock or snuffer would make it extremely easy for a couple to put up the chute. In sailing the boat it was obvious that you didn't need a lot of crew. I can remember sailing J/29's with a crew of 10, of course that was mostly for weight. I can't imagine sailing the J/109 with more than four to six max. With the low VCG keel, you won't need a crowd to keep her down, especially if your predominately sailing in Puget Sound. Some particulars: The J/109 features the SCRIMPª (Seemann Composites Resin Infusion Molding Process)* technology. The hull and deck are laminated using the SCRIMPª system with biaxial and unidirectional glass fabrics over a Baltek balsa core with vinylester resin used on the outer hull skin. Most deck hardware; winches, blocks, traveler, are by Harken. Mast is double spreader Sparcraft One-design anodized aluminum. Propulsion is Yanmar 37 hp. diesel engine with saildrive. Among other options available, the owners of the boat we tested had installed a stereo and a forced air heater. Summary: While the search for the perfect racer/cruiser will continue as long as sailors have opinions, the J/109 has really raised the bar. It provides a pleasant, comfortable interior for those weekend getaways or summer cruises. But it's on deck and sailing that the boat takes off, figuratively and literally. The J/109 will certainly perform for a couple but should turn a few heads with its debut on the race course. Its generous sail area and easily driven hull should thrive on Puget Sound's light to medium winds. The J/109 left me wanting—wanting to sail her more, with the bone in her teeth in a good breeze. I'm sure there's lots of grins and smiles ahead for her owners and crew. Thanks to Bob Ross at Sail Northwest and congratulations to Dave Dack and Rick Nordquist for letting us share the first ride on their new J/109. * The process uses a vacuum to pull liquid resin into a dry lay-up. Because the vacuum pressure compacts or debulks the dry fiber, components made using the SCRIMPª process have a higher fiber content by weight and volume than conventionally laid-up components. The SCRIMPª advantage website: www.TCIcomp.com ... on to page two specifications and more photographs |