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| by Richard Hazelton On the first perfect day of spring, we sailed out of Shilshole Bay to take a look at the new J/122. At 40’, this J/Boat is designed to be a racer/cruiser, with emphsis on performance. You may be asking yourself, why another 40-footer, there’s already the J/124 that’s also 40’ Good question. In short, the J-124 was designed to be a weekender, daysailer, whereas the J-122 is much more of a longer term cruiser, with plenty of power for racing. SA/Displacement ratios are close, with the J/124 at 22, and the J/122 at 23. However, the Displacement/Length ratio on the J/124 is 118, where as on the J/122 it’s 161. The J/122 is a diffent animal, physically larger, wider, with 500 pounds more ballast to carry more power. By the way, if you ever wondered about the model numbers on J/Boats, they don’t refer to feet or meters but rather Decimeters, which translate to .328 of a foot, or .1 meter. Now you can amaze your friends with that bit of knowledge. As we headed out of the marina, the Volvo D2 40-hp Saildrive was smooth and quiet. Steering with the nearly five-foot wheel, recessed into the cockpit sole, was easy, quick, and responsive. Most all hardware on the boat is Harken, with Spinlock stoppers on the cabin top, everything was simple, efficient and readily available. The boat comes very complete, right down to whipped sheet ends and three winch handles, but electronics and sailmaker choice is up to the customer. The 110 jib is on a flush deck, Profurl system. The 110 is as big a sail as the boat can use, as the shrouds come out to the gunnels. Jib leads are adjusted with an 8:1 Harken ball-bearing car system.With apparent wind at 17 knots, we headed to windward easily at about 6.8 knots. With dropped traveler and flat main, we moved quickly with a comfortable ride. Speaking of that, the molded toerail is raised from about mid-cabin forward, as well as back by the cockpit for sailor security. Amidships, however, it is flush decked, making it very comfy for the rail-riders. Just remember when going forward that there’s that gap in the toerail. Back to the large wheel. It is big, but it made it very easy to sit on the high-side and see the telltales and sea conditions. I like the way the cockpit area is “flat” and open, by that I mean that the seat backs/coamings were low, wide and nice to sit on. Given that most sailors don’t sit in the seats anyway, it was easy on aft ends of the cockpit crew and helmsman. By the same token, those cruising might find the back support a bit short but nothing that can’t handled handled with a cushion. An interesting feature on the J/122 is the mainsheet system. Called the German or Admiral’s Cup system, it is a 2:1 Harken system starting at the traveler, led forward through the boom, down to sidedecks, then aft under deck and exiting at the cockpit winches. Purchase isn’t a problem as that’s delivered by having the winches. Pretty spiffy. There is an optional, removable transom “dock box” that can be taken off for racing, then put back when you need your cruising stuff. Going below you’re greeted by a satin finished Mahogany interior. Two layout options are available: one head three cabin layout, or two cabin two head. The drop-leaf table had a very nice system for putting it up and down, much better than the older hooks or strut support systems. With four opening hatches and ten opening ports, there’s more than enough ventilation and light. A chrome grabrail running the length of the cabin above the ports was an appreciated practical feature. The J/122 was a delight to sail. On or off the wind, we moved quite quickly, without having to muscle anything in a breeze. With plenty of amenities below, the J/122 is a definitely as billed, a true performance racer/cruiser. Our thanks to Tom Kelly and Barbara Woodford for letting us sail their new boat, and to Sail Northwest and Bob Ross for getting us together. For more info on the J/122, visit www.jboats.com/ For more information on the J/122 visit: www.jboats.com/ ... continue to page two |
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