J/11
J/Boats · Rod Johnstone · 2014
Updated
The J/11 is a 10.90 m semi-displacement racing yacht designed by Rod Johnstone and built by J/Boats, first launched in 2014. It races in Class B.
Length
10.90 m
35′ 9″
Beam
3.30 m
Draft
2.20 m
Displacement
4.5 t
Sail area
67 m²
On the podium
Where a J/11 finishes when she goes racing.
On the podium
14%
of 71 starts by 3 boats
Wins
4%
Read from 71 starts by 3 boats between 2020 and 2026, counting races with six boats or more.
Recent regattas
The latest events where a J/11 was on the start line, named as the organisers publish them.
"Πορος 2026"2026- Aegean 6002026
- 32nd Cyclades Regatta - '262026
- Κασίδι2026
Kopun Kaksinpurjehdus2026
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
0%
of these races end on the podium
Offshore & coastal
22%
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/11 actually lines up with, most often first. The bar shows how those meetings ended.
Some of the boats it races against
How the J/11 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
5.58
37°
Beam reach
8.96
90°
Broad reach
11.17
135°
Downwind VMG
8.43
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. On a windy coastal course it is in its element; on a light-air windward-leeward it has to be sailed well to hold on.
Where it gains
Its best ground is on a broad reach in a strong breeze, where it outruns what it looks like on paper, and by a margin worth having. It holds that advantage on the run 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 1.4 kn either way.
At 10 knots this design makes back more than its rating asks on the broad reach.
How fast is a J/11
Boat speed in knots, by true wind angle and wind strength.
| Angle | 6 kn | 10 kn | 14 kn | 20 kn |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beat VMG | 3.59 | 4.99 | 5.44 | 5.58 |
| 52° | 5.47 | 7.15 | 7.57 | 7.74 |
| 60° | 5.77 | 7.33 | 7.79 | 8.00 |
| 75° | 5.95 | 7.46 | 8.07 | 8.48 |
| 90° | 5.94 | 7.60 | 8.18 | 8.96 |
| 110° | 6.12 | 7.92 | 8.75 | 9.68 |
| 120° | 6.00 | 7.88 | 9.00 | 10.35 |
| 135° | 5.32 | 7.53 | 8.71 | 11.17 |
| 150° | 4.46 | 6.71 | 7.98 | 9.73 |
| Run VMG | 3.86 | 5.81 | 6.95 | 8.43 |
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 690 kg.
Rigging
J/11 rig and sail dimensions
A J/11 carries 12.66 m of mainsail hoist on a 4.35 m boom, a forestay 13.93 m above the deck and a 5.54 m bowsprit. Typical figures across the 4 boats measured under the current VPP, with the range each one spans.
Rig
Sails
The spinnaker spreads widest of all — 113 to 122 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.