J-Boat reissue: Three years after the end of production: second life for the J 109

At the end of January, the idea was still circulating confidentially at boot Düsseldorf. Key Yachting, the active J-Boats dealer in England, was vehemently in favour of reactivating the J 109. There are large and actively sailed one-design fleets in the British Isles - and demand from long-standing owners for the 35-foot cruiser/racer, which was first launched in 2002, remains unchanged.

J Composites has now given in to the pressure. The shipyard in Les Sables d'Olonne, European partner of the successful US brand and pioneer of the model, is reintroducing the J 109 to its programme - three years after the last yacht left the premises. This makes it one of the evergreens on the market with a production time of 15 years - which is highly unusual for boats of this size, especially in the regatta sector.

But the move is a logical one. J Boats has developed two models as successors - the very reduced, particularly powerful J 111 and the J 112 E presented last year. It will be years before even one of the two boats will have a field as strong as that currently offered by the J 109. Some owners therefore tend to prefer to buy the tried and tested boat.

The lines of the J 109 are timeless anyway. Its moderate freeboard, the slight deck step and the tapered stern may no longer correspond to current fashion, but they still look very harmonious today.

Technically, she was already one of the best on the market: the sandwich hull is laminated in a scrimp process under vacuum; the shipyard gives a ten-year guarantee against osmosis. The lead keel with stainless steel fin is unrivalled in terms of design, quality and shape. Rod rigging and hydraulic aft tensioner are standard, as are perfectly dimensioned winches and halyard stoppers. All features that are either not available elsewhere or only at extra cost.

J Composites has put together a thoroughly attractive complete package for the "reincarnation". With state-of-the-art B&G navigation electronics including a Zeus plotter and a set of regatta sails from North Sails made from the finest 3Di Race material, the newly launched boat costs 249,000 euros ex shipyard. However, you can get into this class with a second-hand J 109 for half the price or less.

Downloads:

J 112 E (pdf)

J/109 (pdf)

J 111 (pdf)