J/122
J BOATS · Rod Johnstone · 2006
Updated
The J/122 is a 12.19 m displacement racing yacht designed by Rod Johnstone and built by J BOATS, first launched in 2006. It races in Class B. Across the measured fleet it goes better than its own numbers promise, ahead of 86% 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 86% of the boats it races against.
14th of 92 in its class.
Updated — First Race Edge for this design. Enough boats of this design have now been measured to rank it. It is strongest in light air.
This design has been found in real race results — 227 starts across 60 events — not only in measurement files.
Length
12.19 m
40′ 0″
Beam
3.64 m
Draft
2.23 m
Displacement
7.2 t
Sail area
92 m²
On the podium
Where a J/122 finishes when she goes racing.
On the podium
28%
of 227 starts by 18 boats
Wins
12%
Read from 227 starts by 18 boats between 2012 and 2026, counting races with six boats or more.
Recent regattas
The latest events where a J/122 was on the start line, named as the organisers publish them.
Round Aeolian Race 2026 - Campionato Italiano Offshore ORC2026
25. Bosphorus Cup2026- Edison Next Italian Offshore Sailing Championship - Campionato Italiano Assoluto d’Altura2026
73° Loro Piana Giraglia2026- 151 Miglia - Trofeo Cetilar2026
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
13%
of these races end on the podium
Offshore & coastal
25%
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/122 actually lines up with, most often first. The bar shows how those meetings ended.
Some of the boats it races against
How the J/122 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
5.76
37°
Beam reach
9.02
90°
Broad reach
10.74
135°
Downwind VMG
8.30
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.
It does most things without giving much away. 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 outruns what it looks like on paper, 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/122
Boat speed in knots, by true wind angle and wind strength.
| Angle | 6 kn | 10 kn | 14 kn | 20 kn |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beat VMG | 3.75 | 5.16 | 5.59 | 5.76 |
| 52° | 5.74 | 7.40 | 7.81 | 7.97 |
| 60° | 6.05 | 7.59 | 8.01 | 8.21 |
| 75° | 6.26 | 7.72 | 8.25 | 8.62 |
| 90° | 6.34 | 7.92 | 8.42 | 9.02 |
| 110° | 6.39 | 8.11 | 8.82 | 9.67 |
| 120° | 6.26 | 8.08 | 9.00 | 10.16 |
| 135° | 5.63 | 7.75 | 8.79 | 10.74 |
| 150° | 4.73 | 6.98 | 8.17 | 9.57 |
| Run VMG | 4.10 | 6.05 | 7.16 | 8.30 |
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 750 kg.
Rigging
J/122 rig and sail dimensions
A J/122 carries 15.64 m of mainsail hoist on a 5.33 m boom, a forestay 16.57 m above the deck and a 6.45 m bowsprit. Typical figures across the 38 boats measured under the current VPP, with the range each one spans.
Rig
Sails
The spinnaker spreads widest of all — 139 to 176 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.