J70 Review
Having recently sold my SB20 in which I had enormous if infrequent fun (work commitments), the new challenge is to find an alternative boat which provides a similarly lively and rewarding performance with perhaps a bit more comfort and security. As a former J24 owner I have a high regard for J Boats, largely because of their fuss free performance and high build quality. So, when in the USA recently, I was delighted to have an impromptu opportunity to get a sail in a decent 15-18 knot breeze on the latest J Boats creation, the J70.
The J70 represents the culmination of several years design effort and I was smitten immediately when I first saw this sensible 22.75 foot ‘pocket rocket’ sitting on a trailer as the owner and one of his crew effortlessly raised the carbon mast and quickly rigged it in about 10 minutes.
First impressions are of an elegant modern plumb bowed hull with powerful but not extreme lines, finished to an outstanding standard. The lifting keel has an ingenious lifting and lowering mechanism but the substantial rudder proved a bit fiddly to attached to the transom. The boat is full of high quality equipment and is very sensibly laid out. The boom is at a comfortable height and is controlled by a powerful vang system and excellent mainsheet setup on a traveller which proved easy to use under load. Rather surprisingly, the main and jib are made from Dacron, presumably in an attempt to keep costs down, however I expect the keen racing owners will push for this change.
Currently sails are provided by North or Quantum and to my untutored eye looked very well, if somewhat flat, perhaps because the carbon mast seems pretty stiff. There is good control from a powerful double ended backstay. The standard of the foils looked superb and I understand all the keels are weighed during manufacture to ensure they are all exactly the same. There is provision for a small petrol or electric outboard motor which is stored down below in the cubby which is easily accessible and quite accommodating.
There are loads of options in the sub 23 foot sports-boat category but it is clear that J Boats have targeted a broad spectrum of potential owners by aiming to provide exciting performance without the physical effort needed to get the best out of other boats such as the Melges 20, Viper and SB20.
Whats it like to sail?
The initial impression sailing to windward is one of great stability and close windedness. The boat virtually sails itself, light on helm, easy to keep tracking and the backstay proved ideal and effective for controlling the available power.
The zip luffed jib sits flush to the deck despite being on a roller reefing system. The feeling when driving the boat to windward is similar to being in a dinghy as there are no lifelines forward of the shrouds and the foredeck is utterly devoid of fittings. The trick is to keep the VMG consistent and always try to hit your target speed which on our Velocitek instrumentation showed it to be just shy of 6 knots. In the harder puffs it was easy to keep the boat on its feet with use of the traveller and backstay which had to be anticipated rather that reacted to for best effect.
We did not use the winches for jib sheeting until it was really blowing and cross sheeted similarly to a J24. The 2:1 sheeting arrangement is more than adequate for most conditions. My sense was that the boat was probably about the same pace as its bigger sister the J80, but closer winded. The boat felt a lot quicker and easier to sail to windward than an SB20.
I was not disappointed when we decided to fly the asymmetric spinnaker. Launching from the companionway was trouble free and like an SB20, timing on pulling the tack line was critical to a good set. The boat immediately lit up and quickly accelerated to 14-15 knots. Being used to the low clew of the 1720 and SB20 it was a pleasant surprise to have such good vision down to leeward with the high clew and shorter foot of the J70 Genniker. The ride was exhilarating but being honest it felt pedestrian when compared to an SB20 which I think was somewhat of an illusion largely because the boat felt infinitely more controllable and stable. It is just over 100kgs heavier than an SB20 with most of this in the keel.
Gybing the boat proved trouble free but it has a tendency to slow down very quickly and unless you were quick and accurate with the sheet and tiller, things loaded up more suddenly than I am accustomed to. It also did not seem to pay to sail it very hot as the increase in pace once planning from doing so did not seem to be justified. The first take-down was a leeward drop which worked very well as the Genniker foot is not huge and it is easy to get under control. Subsequent weather drops seemed to me to be more comfortable to execute but that is perhaps because it is the only option with low clewed Gennikers with which I have more personal experience.
Overall I think J Boats have a major winner on their hands with the J70. It is very well sorted as one would expect from J Boats. It ticks a lot of boxes and second hand values are likely to remain high because of J Boat’s reputation for build quality. Its really big advantage is the relative comfort of obtaining a thrilling performance allied to being capable of being launched on a slipway and being easy to trail. 400 boats have been built since May 2012 and plans are afoot for a second mould to increase production in Europe. However it has one drawback which is its price, approximately 45K and the likelihood of frequent spending on Dacron sails to remain competitive.
Notwithstanding this, I think we will ultimately see a fleet develop here in Ireland as it will be an attractive proposition for many owners wishing to move up from dinghies and downsizing from expensive cruiser racing. It looks like the optimum crew weight will be around 275kgs made up of 3 strong lads or 4 lighter people. J Boats will make a decision shortly on maximum permitted crew weight and the manner in which the boat can be hiked.
It has one other attribute which will be attractive to many potential owners which is its generous cockpit that is ideal for pottering about with family. The cubby is sufficiently roomy and accessible to be useful for this type of leisure activity. It literally can be sailed anywhere and I would be comfortable bringing younger children out when in pottering mode.
Pros
- Sparkling manageable performance
- Slip launching capability
- Comfortable and effective layout
- High build quality and durable modern equipment
- High re-sales values
Cons
- Expensive at 45K ready to go with racing bits
- Dacron white sails
Roger Bannon
The initial impression sailing to windward is one of great stability and close windedness. The boat virtually sails itself, light on helm, easy to keep tracking and the backstay proved ideal and effective for controlling the available power.
The zip luffed jib sits flush to the deck despite being on a roller reefing system. The feeling when driving the boat to windward is similar to being in a dinghy as there are no lifelines forward of the shrouds and the foredeck is utterly devoid of fittings. The trick is to keep the VMG consistent and always try to hit your target speed which on our Velocitek instrumentation showed it to be just shy of 6 knots. In the harder puffs it was easy to keep the boat on its feet with use of the traveller and backstay which had to be anticipated rather that reacted to for best effect.
We did not use the winches for jib sheeting until it was really blowing and cross sheeted similarly to a J24. The 2:1 sheeting arrangement is more than adequate for most conditions. My sense was that the boat was probably about the same pace as its bigger sister the J80, but closer winded. The boat felt a lot quicker and easier to sail to windward than an SB20.
I was not disappointed when we decided to fly the asymmetric spinnaker. Launching from the companionway was trouble free and like an SB20, timing on pulling the tack line was critical to a good set. The boat immediately lit up and quickly accelerated to 14-15 knots. Being used to the low clew of the 1720 and SB20 it was a pleasant surprise to have such good vision down to leeward with the high clew and shorter foot of the J70 Genniker. The ride was exhilarating but being honest it felt pedestrian when compared to an SB20 which I think was somewhat of an illusion largely because the boat felt infinitely more controllable and stable. It is just over 100kgs heavier than an SB20 with most of this in the keel.
Gybing the boat proved trouble free but it has a tendency to slow down very quickly and unless you were quick and accurate with the sheet and tiller, things loaded up more suddenly than I am accustomed to. It also did not seem to pay to sail it very hot as the increase in pace once planning from doing so did not seem to be justified. The first take-down was a leeward drop which worked very well as the Genniker foot is not huge and it is easy to get under control. Subsequent weather drops seemed to me to be more comfortable to execute but that is perhaps because it is the only option with low clewed Gennikers with which I have more personal experience.
Overall I think J Boats have a major winner on their hands with the J70. It is very well sorted as one would expect from J Boats. It ticks a lot of boxes and second hand values are likely to remain high because of J Boat’s reputation for build quality. Its really big advantage is the relative comfort of obtaining a thrilling performance allied to being capable of being launched on a slipway and being easy to trail. 400 boats have been built since May 2012 and plans are afoot for a second mould to increase production in Europe. However it has one drawback which is its price, approximately 45K and the likelihood of frequent spending on Dacron sails to remain competitive.
Notwithstanding this, I think we will ultimately see a fleet develop here in Ireland as it will be an attractive proposition for many owners wishing to move up from dinghies and downsizing from expensive cruiser racing. It looks like the optimum crew weight will be around 275kgs made up of 3 strong lads or 4 lighter people. J Boats will make a decision shortly on maximum permitted crew weight and the manner in which the boat can be hiked.
It has one other attribute which will be attractive to many potential owners which is its generous cockpit that is ideal for pottering about with family. The cubby is sufficiently roomy and accessible to be useful for this type of leisure activity. It literally can be sailed anywhere and I would be comfortable bringing younger children out when in pottering mode.
Pros
