J 100-105s and cruising

[Kd9truck]

Hi,
I am down sizing, I am selling my Jeanneau, I love her she is fast and comfortable but I day sail 95% of the time and I do not need the size.
I am looking at the J-100-105 for its draft, speed, and simplicity to single hand on day sails and occasionally coastal passages

Has anybody adapted there J-100-105 to coastal cruising distances?

[wingssail]

Originally Posted by Kd9truck

Hi,
I am down sizing, I am selling my Jeanneau, I love her she is fast and comfortable but I day sail 95% of the time and I do not need the size.
I am looking at the J-100-105 for its draft, speed, and simplicity to single hand on day sails and occasionally coastal passages

Has anybody adapted there J-100-105 to coastal cruising distances?

There are many suitable boats in that size range which can offer great cruising.

I did it for years in a C&C Mega 30. After expanding the galley to install a gimbelled stove and oven and adding a 30 gallon water tank (at least the J105 has a galley unit) we sailed around Puget Sound and both inside and outside Vancouver Island and had great cruising times. We towed a light dingy (solid not inflateable) and we stayed out for 2-3 weeks at a time. Sailing a boat like this is fun and cruising is simple. We loved it. Max four people.

My fastest time ever from Race Rocks to Victoria was on this boat, 9 miles, 54 minutes, towing a dingy.

[Gudgeon]

We owned a J105 in Hawaii it was a wet boat boat but two of us could do weekends on it. The single burner alcohol stove was able to make coffee and one hot item in the evening, we brought a propane camp grill along. It is not luxurious but worked for us as we were racing more at that point. You will want a dodger and possibly some type of sun shade.

[Kd9truck]

Originally Posted by wingssail

There are many suitable boats in that size range which can offer great cruising.

I did it for years in a C&C Mega 30. After expanding the galley to install a gimbelled stove and oven and adding a 30 gallon water tank (at least the J105 has a galley unit) we sailed around Puget Sound and both inside and outside Vancouver Island and had great cruising times. We towed a light dingy (solid not inflateable) and we stayed out for 2-3 weeks at a time. Sailing a boat like this is fun and cruising is simple. We loved it. Max four people.

My fastest time ever from Race Rocks to Victoria was on this boat, 9 miles, 54 minutes, towing a dingy.

First, thank you Wing Sail, and yes I am not locked into the J boat options, I choose the J Boat because they are stripped down and fast and fairly numerous , I like the look of the Maga 30, will look for a PRF rating for reference to add for comparison.

[Kd9truck]

Originally Posted by Gudgeon

We owned a J105 in Hawaii it was a wet boat boat but two of us could do weekends on it. The single burner alcohol stove was able to make coffee and one hot item in the evening, we brought a propane camp grill along. It is not luxurious but worked for us as we were racing more at that point. You will want a dodger and possibly some type of sun shade.

Yes, to the wet boat especially in off shore conditions, I am imagining that would be all of the sea state sailing Hawaii, and yes to the Dodger I have construction skills in both the hard and soft dodger and Bimini options. Ty

[wingssail]

Originally Posted by Kd9truck

First, thank you Wing Sail, and yes I am not locked into the J boat options, I choose the J Boat because they are stripped down and fast and fairly numerous , I like the look of the Maga 30, will look for a PRF rating for reference to add for comparison.

I didn't mean to recommend the Mega 30. It's quite old and has a few problems.

I just wanted to encourage you by sharing how practical and how much fun a smaller boat can be for cruising.

[Kd9truck]

Understood WS, your support and encouragement are appreciated, i am looking forward at my next 10 yr sailing trajectory and it is day sailing with brief passages coastal off shore, my intention would be to have fuel water and refrigeration augmentation off boat but ready to plug in and play, the Bimini and Dodger options would be part of that. All the weight added would be to make the vessel more stable at sea, so low and close to the keel in theory. I am sure the compromises will be numerous. PS all the boats I’ve sailed and owned have had “problems” it should be in the definition of the word “Boat” we should be able to use the term interchangeably . Cheers

[danstanford]

Having followed the same path, I have some thoughts. First, the J boat will be a far superior day sailor because it will sail fast in wind the Jeanneau would be frustrating to try and get any way on.
My J/88 is a ton of fun but I really miss the standing headroom and it makes a weekend away not much fun to contemplate as the cockpit is fine but missing a bimini making sitting out there impractical at times due to sun or rain.

The next step for me will be a similar J to what I have but enough bigger that I have standing headroom and more space below.

[wingssail]

Originally Posted by danstanford

Having followed the same path, I have some thoughts. First, the J boat will be a far superior day sailor because it will sail fast in wind the Jeanneau would be frustrating to try and get any way on.
My J/88 is a ton of fun but I really miss the standing headroom and it makes a weekend away not much fun to contemplate as the cockpit is fine but missing a bimini making sitting out there impractical at times due to sun or rain.

The next step for me will be a similar J to what I have but enough bigger that I have standing headroom and more space below.

The balance one has to find is between fast and fun modern sport boats and inexpensive older racer cruisers.

Most of us like cool boats which fly upwind and down, with asymmetrical kites and big sail areas. But they cost a lot, comparatively and interiors are rather sparse. On the other hand there are heaps of really good older boats with more headroom and cruising conveniences avaialabe for astonishingly low prices but they don't offer the sailing excitement.

How one rolls on that choice is largely based on the kind of sailing experience we (and our families) want.

Back in the 1980's I chose a high performance trailerable which made cruising more like "camping out" but many others like the idea of easy, more sedate, sailing with an arm around their sweetheart and a glass of wine in hand.

I wouldn't trade the adventures I had for anything but I recognize that a different choice would have also brought memorable times.

When you can get a J30 for $10,000 vs a J105 for $50,000 it makes you stop and think.

[redneckrob]

It's too bad the J Boats designed for cruising are so few and dear.

I do Wed night beer can racing on a J-105. I feel like it would be pretty work intensive to routinely sail that boat with just my wife and I, and setting and flying the spinnaker would not be fun in any winds or if anything went wrong (of course nothing ever goes wrong).

I have heard a bunch of stories, including from the original owner of the boat I race on, of buying a J-105 to cruise and eventually ripping out all the cruising stuff because they only ever did one cruising trip. Of course I'm around a bunch of racers so there's some selection bias going on.

[Gudgeon]

Redneckrob I would not call it cruising on a J105, it more of camping. We liked the 105 because it was easy for the two of us to sail the boat. With two you will not fly the spinnaker but the boat sails well with out it. Cons on the 105 for cruising cooking facilities limited, no shower, limited fresh water, no refrigeration and limited creature comforts. I had two storage boxes that went on on off the boat so we could keep the weight down for racing. The 105 also did not have standing head room. I think J Boats answer to the cons for cruising the 105 was the J-109.

Originally Posted by redneckrob

It's too bad the J Boats designed for cruising are so few and dear.

I do Wed night beer can racing on a J-105. I feel like it would be pretty work intensive to routinely sail that boat with just my wife and I, and setting and flying the spinnaker would not be fun in any winds or if anything went wrong (of course nothing ever goes wrong).

I have heard a bunch of stories, including from the original owner of the boat I race on, of buying a J-105 to cruise and eventually ripping out all the cruising stuff because they only ever did one cruising trip. Of course I'm around a bunch of racers so there's some selection bias going on.

[wingssail]

Originally Posted by Gudgeon

We liked the 105 because it was easy for the two of us to sail the boat. With two you will not fly the spinnaker but the boat sails well with out it. Cons on the 105 for cruising cooking facilities limited, no shower, limited fresh water, no refrigeration and limited creature comforts. I had two storage boxes that went on on off the boat so we could keep the weight down for racing. The 105 also did not have standing head room. I think J Boats answer to the cons for cruising the 105 was the J-109.

None of the modern sportboats are great for cruising. Like Gudgeon mentioned, as much fun as they are with five of your mates to go banging around the race course, they are a bit sparse for cruising. And if you kick off your buddies to make room for your wife and kids, the racing thing just can be a bit much. Pretty soon the wife and kids stay home and you and your buddies have a guy's thing.

But cruising can be done. Maybe it's like putting a pop-top camper on a Porsche 911.

Take a boat with a little more ballast and some creature comforts, and cruising can be a family activity that everyone enjoys and you can still race it, just forget about those screaming reaches with the kite up. But, you will save some money.

Originally Posted by redneckrob

...a J-105. I feel like it would be pretty work intensive to routinely sail that boat with just my wife and I, and setting and flying the spinnaker would not be fun in any winds or if anything went wrong (of course nothing ever goes wrong)...

I would like to point out though, that if you don't have kiddies along most couples can handle a spinnaker on a more stable boat.

My wife and I (in our 70's) set, gybe, and douse our kites (both asymmetrical and symmetrical) quite frequently, including the 1462 sq ft monster pictured below, without a sock or snuffer. It just needs planning and CALMNESS.

[redneckrob]

Originally Posted by Gudgeon

Redneckrob I would not call it cruising on a J105, it more of camping. We liked the 105 because it was easy for the two of us to sail the boat. With two you will not fly the spinnaker but the boat sails well with out it. Cons on the 105 for cruising cooking facilities limited, no shower, limited fresh water, no refrigeration and limited creature comforts. I had two storage boxes that went on on off the boat so we could keep the weight down for racing. The 105 also did not have standing head room. I think J Boats answer to the cons for cruising the 105 was the J-109.

Yeah, it's too bad the J-109s are 2X the price or more than the 105s and not too many around. The Beneteau First series is another line worth looking at. There are a good number around, decent at racing and not bad for cruising.

[Kd9truck]

Originally Posted by redneckrob

Yeah, it's too bad the J-109s are 2X the price or more than the 105s and not too many around. The Beneteau First series is another line worth looking at. There are a good number around, decent at racing and not bad for cruising.

I had a 1990 Beneteau 285 first before the Jeanneau 44i, very fun responsive vessel but a bit of a doll house in the Sense that the v birth looks nice but is not a place to sleep a full night, everything is kind of 3/4 size, the aft cabin was very tight even for 1 person, I sold it to a guy who was 150 lbs and he was 5”7’ the perfect size or smaller for that vessel…..but the PRF rating for that boat was almost 200 top speed, terminal velocity was 7.2 mph. To me that’s to slow, again I do not race, but I love going fast, (the 44i was 9.7 knots).
I am fortunate that the price tag is not an issue, it is really about ease of use. I will not be flying a spinnaker but I might be inclined to set up a Code 0 a go, or pin a Genoa out with a whisker pole, and set up a boom preventer for long runs.
I will be single handing 90% of the time.

[Pete7]

Would a Jeanneau 3200 fulfil the requirements? Now that there is a newer model (3300) the prices are dropping and were sold in the US.

https://www.yachtworld.co.uk/yacht/2...-3200-7396182/

Pete