J/109
J/Boats · Rod Johnstone · 2001
Updated
The J/109 is a 10.76 m displacement racing yacht designed by Rod Johnstone and built by J/Boats, first launched in 2001. It races in Class C. Across the measured fleet it goes better than its own numbers promise, ahead of 78% of the designs it races against. It is at its best in light air and struggles to hold that once it blows.
Goes better than its own measurements promise, and does it better than 78% of the boats it races against.
35th of 159 in its class.
This design has been found in real race results — 117 starts across 39 events — not only in measurement files.
Length
10.76 m
35′ 4″
Beam
3.52 m
Draft
2.14 m
Displacement
5.1 t
Sail area
68 m²
On the podium
Where a J/109 finishes when she goes racing.
On the podium
21%
of 117 starts by 22 boats
Wins
5%
Read from 117 starts by 22 boats between 2018 and 2026, counting races with six boats or more.
Recent regattas
The latest events where a J/109 was on the start line, named as the organisers publish them.
Rodos Cup2026
73° Loro Piana Giraglia2026- 151 Miglia - Trofeo Cetilar2026
- ORC DH World Championship2026
- Coppa Regina dei Paesi Bassi2026
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
15%
of these races end on the podium
Offshore & coastal
27%
of these races end on the podium
Better the longer it gets. Boats that settle into a groove and hold it gain ground once the course stops turning.
Who she races against
The designs a J/109 actually lines up with, most often first. The bar shows how those meetings ended.
Some of the boats it races against
How the J/109 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
5.40
37°
Beam reach
8.39
90°
Broad reach
9.91
135°
Downwind VMG
7.74
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.
There is no obvious weak spot here. It rewards preparation and crew work more than it rewards picking the right day.
Where it gains
Its best ground is cracked off once it pipes up, where it does more than its size and sail area promise, and by a margin worth having.
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 0.4 kn either way.
At 10 knots this design makes back more than its rating asks on the broad reach.
How fast is a J/109
Boat speed in knots, by true wind angle and wind strength.
| Angle | 6 kn | 10 kn | 14 kn | 20 kn |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beat VMG | 3.48 | 4.81 | 5.25 | 5.40 |
| 52° | 5.29 | 6.87 | 7.29 | 7.45 |
| 60° | 5.57 | 7.04 | 7.47 | 7.65 |
| 75° | 5.78 | 7.18 | 7.69 | 8.02 |
| 90° | 5.85 | 7.36 | 7.82 | 8.39 |
| 110° | 5.96 | 7.59 | 8.28 | 9.00 |
| 120° | 5.83 | 7.53 | 8.41 | 9.50 |
| 135° | 5.24 | 7.20 | 8.17 | 9.91 |
| 150° | 4.43 | 6.53 | 7.61 | 8.85 |
| Run VMG | 3.83 | 5.66 | 6.69 | 7.74 |
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 630 kg.
Rigging
J/109 rig and sail dimensions
A J/109 carries 13.18 m of mainsail hoist on a 4.72 m boom, a forestay 14.18 m above the deck and a 5.73 m bowsprit. Typical figures across the 99 boats measured under the current VPP, with the range each one spans.
Rig
Sails
The spinnaker spreads widest of all — 94 to 127 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.