J/24
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The J/24 is an International One-Design keelboat class as defined by the International Sailing Federation.[1] The J/24 is a one design class created to fulfill the diverse needs of recreational sailors such as cruising, one design racing, day sailing and handicap racing.[2]
The J/24 is the world's most popular One-Design keelboat as measured by hulls produced.[3][4][5][6][7][8]
History
In the summer of 1975 Rodney Johnstone designed and built hull number 1 in his garage in Stonington, Connecticut. "Ragtime" would serve as the master mould for the subsequent hulls. This design allowed him to start the very successful J-Boat company with his brother Bob Johnstone. By 1978 the class was popular enough to hold a one-design regatta in Key West with twenty boats on the line.[citation needed]
Current status
As of January 2009 approximately 5,475[9] J/24s have been produced. Approximately 20 new boats were produced in 2008, the average price of complete new boat without sails was approximately GBP20,000.[9]
The International J/24 class has more than 50,000 people[7] sailing 5,300 boats worldwide; is established in nearly 40 countries with well over 150 active fleets; and is still considered the "gold standard" for modern one-design keelboats around the world.
Authority, rules and regulations
The international authority for the class is the ISAF, which shall cooperate with the International J/24 Class Association on all matters regarding these rules. Interpretations of these rules shall be made by the ISAF, which in coming to its decision may consult the International J/24 Class Association and the copyright holder.[2]
The International J24 Class Association (IJCA) has the sole authority worldwide for the conduct and management of the International J/24 Class. The IJCA Constitution, the By-laws and other regulations are binding on all members, and all registered J/24s shall conform to Class Rules and any limitations imposed by the IJCA and ISAF.[10] IJCA is a "not-for-profit" organization.
Current rules (as well as the history of changes) for the International J/24 Class is available from the International Sailing Federation web site[11]
Crew requirements
J/24s are usually raced with a crew of five, but class rules require only that there be at least three crew, with a total combined weight under 882 lbs (400 kg).
Reasons for the J/24's popularity
The J/24 is no longer considered the most modern sailboat in its class, but it is still a very popular sailboat among keel boat racers. While some of the world's best J/24 sailors have the latest version J/24, a well-prepared 1977 model, built to the same shape and weight with rigid end-grained balsa core construction can still win sailing the class world championship even after 30,000+ miles of trailering.[7] This is one of the many advantages of One-Design sailing that the J/24 is benefitting from.
Another reason for its popularity is that it is fairly easy and inexpensive to get hold of a used boat due to the number of boats produced. There are 136 active fleets in the US alone,[12] which offer a lot of race competition. This makes the J/24 a popular boat for beginners and experienced sailors.
Manufacturers / Builders
The boat is not manufactured by the designer. The manufacturing is done by multiple companies around the world in France, USA, Italy and Argentina.[13] J/24s shall be built only by builders licensed to do so under the copyright of J Boats, Inc., and shall comply with the building specifications detailed by the copyright holder.[11]
Mast Tuning
In a series of videos Mike Ingham of North Sails describes the boat as being designed a bit wrong with the mast too far forward and the keel too far back. "Everything is about getting the mast aft"".[14] Racing regulations set the maximum length of the forestay and the location of the mast. Therefore, Ingham states that the latest thinking is to shorten the mast so that it can be raked backwards and still have the same forestay length. This type of tuning on a J-24 is described as min-mast. Moving the mast step backwards, as in aft-mast rigs, isn't legal as the position of the mast step is set by regulation.
See also
References
- ^ International Sailing Federation "Classes and Equipment: J/24".
- ^ a b J24 Class Association "J24 Class Rules effective March 1, 2009" (PDF).
- ^ Royal Motor Yacht Club UK "Royal Motor Yacht Club / J24".
- ^ Comhem Sweden"Comhem Sweden".
- ^ Puerto Vallarta news"J24 Worlds – World-class Sailing on World-class Banderas Bay".
- ^ Sailing Networks "UK J 24 Class Association".
- ^ a b c J24 Class Association "J24 History".
- ^ JBoats Southwest"J24".
- ^ a b International Sailing Federation "2009 CLASS REPORT, International J/24 Class Association" (PDF).
- ^ International J24 Class Association "IJCA Constitution, Revised August, 2006".
- ^ a b International Sailing Federation "Class Rules J/24".
- ^ J/24 USA Class Association "US Fleets".
- ^ J/Boat web site - J/Builders "J/Builders".
- ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DNSuQSaZIKs&feature=youtube_gdata J-24 Tuning and Sail Trim Part 2 - Mast Balance Presentation by North Sail Mike Ingham