J/105
J/Boats · Rod Johnstone · 1991
Updated
The J/105 is a 10.57 m semi-displacement racing yacht designed by Rod Johnstone and built by J/Boats, first launched in 1991. It races in Class C. Across the measured fleet it goes better than its own numbers promise, ahead of 61% of the designs it races against. It comes alive as the breeze builds, and gives time away in the light.
Goes better than its own measurements promise, and does it better than 61% of the boats it races against.
63rd of 159 in its class.
This design has been found in real race results — 83 starts across 34 events — not only in measurement files.
Length
10.57 m
34′ 8″
Beam
3.34 m
Draft
2.00 m
Displacement
3.9 t
Sail area
60 m²
On the podium
Where a J/105 finishes when she goes racing.
On the podium
27%
of 83 starts by 13 boats
Wins
8%
Read from 83 starts by 13 boats between 2015 and 2026, counting races with six boats or more.
Recent regattas
The latest events where a J/105 was on the start line, named as the organisers publish them.
Lliga Creuers2026
"Αγκιστρι 2026"2026- XXX Lliga Social CMPO2026
- Τρίγωνο Καλλιθέας2026
- ORC DH World Championship2026
Raced one we are missing?
Report a regattaRound the buoys, or offshore
A short windward-leeward and a night at sea ask different things of a boat. Here is how this one does in each.
Round the buoys
24%
of these races end on the podium
Offshore & coastal
27%
of these races end on the podium
Level across both. Plenty of designs fall away once the course gets long — a light hull that thrives round the cans can struggle through a night at sea. This one does not.
Who she races against
The designs a J/105 actually lines up with, most often first. The bar shows how those meetings ended.
Also met, too few times for a figure:
Comet 36 (7 meetings), Bavaria Match 38 (7 meetings), First 35 (Farr) (7 meetings), X-412 (7 meetings)
Some of the boats it races against
How the J/105 has fared against each of them, boat against boat on corrected time. Ordered by how often the two meet, not by who wins.
Speed at every angle
The shape of this design's speed, drawn from the measured fleet. Pick a wind and watch it stretch.
Upwind VMG
5.45
37°
Beam reach
8.64
90°
Broad reach
10.58
135°
Downwind VMG
7.92
170°
Speed in knots at 20 knots of true wind. Green marks the angles that pay: the closest useful beat and the deepest run worth sailing.
Where it wins and where it pays
Every boat is judged against its own measurements — length, weight, sail area. The quicker those say it should be, the more it has to deliver just to break even. Going fast is not enough: it has to go faster than its own numbers promised.
The stronger it blows, the better this design looks. Give it a fresh day and long legs and it delivers more than it promised; in a drifter it is working uphill.
Where it gains
Its best ground is off the wind when it blows, where it outruns what it looks like on paper, and by a margin worth having. It holds that advantage running deep as well, so the gain is not down to one leg of the course.
Where it pays
There is no condition where it falls away badly, which is worth something over a season of mixed weather.
Above the line it delivers more than promised and gains on the fleet. Below, it falls short. Move the wind: plenty of boats sit on one side in the light and the other when it blows.
Full width is 1.2 kn either way.
At 10 knots this design makes back more than its rating asks on the broad reach.
How fast is a J/105
Boat speed in knots, by true wind angle and wind strength.
| Angle | 6 kn | 10 kn | 14 kn | 20 kn |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beat VMG | 3.36 | 4.74 | 5.28 | 5.45 |
| 52° | 5.14 | 6.82 | 7.33 | 7.53 |
| 60° | 5.43 | 7.01 | 7.53 | 7.78 |
| 75° | 5.64 | 7.16 | 7.78 | 8.23 |
| 90° | 5.78 | 7.40 | 7.95 | 8.64 |
| 110° | 5.86 | 7.61 | 8.53 | 9.55 |
| 120° | 5.71 | 7.53 | 8.61 | 10.27 |
| 135° | 5.14 | 7.16 | 8.26 | 10.58 |
| 150° | 4.32 | 6.46 | 7.62 | 9.14 |
| Run VMG | 3.74 | 5.59 | 6.65 | 7.92 |
How they are set up
The range each sail spans across the fleet.
Nearly all carry a folding propeller. A bowsprit is standard across the fleet. Crew weight is declared around 560 kg.
Rigging
J/105 rig and sail dimensions
A J/105 carries 12.65 m of mainsail hoist on a 4.45 m boom, a forestay 12.37 m above the deck and a 5.90 m bowsprit. Typical figures across the 79 boats measured under the current VPP, with the range each one spans.
Rig
Sails
The spinnaker spreads widest of all — 80 to 141 m² depending on bowsprit and set-up. Before ordering a sail, read the figure on your own measurement record rather than the typical one for the design.