J/160
J/Boats · Rod Johnstone · 1996
Updated
The J/160 is a 16.10 m semi-displacement racing yacht designed by Rod Johnstone and built by J/Boats, first launched in 1996. It races in Class 0. Across the measured fleet it goes better than its own numbers promise, ahead of 50% of the designs it races against.
Goes better than its own measurements promise, and does it better than 50% of the boats it races against.
6th of 11 in its class.
Updated — Figure recalculated as other designs in its class moved.
Length
16.10 m
52′ 10″
Beam
4.40 m
Draft
2.78 m
Displacement
16.2 t
Sail area
162 m²
On the podium
Where a J/160 finishes when she goes racing.
Not enough data yet to show how this design finishes. It has not been found in the race results we have collected so far.
Recent regattas
The latest events where a J/160 was on the start line, named as the organisers publish them.
No regattas found yet.
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
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Not enough data yet: no races of 10 NM or less carry a published distance.
Offshore & coastal
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Not enough data yet: no races over 10 NM carry a published distance.
Who she races against
The designs a J/160 actually lines up with, most often first. The bar shows how those meetings ended.
Not enough data yet to say who this design races against. No result we have collected puts it on the water beside another design we track.
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
6.58
37°
Beam reach
10.14
90°
Broad reach
11.46
135°
Downwind VMG
9.12
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.
Soft conditions suit it. In the light it does more than its numbers promise, and gives some of that back when the wind arrives.
Where it gains
Its best ground is to windward in a strong breeze, where it outruns what it looks like on paper, and by a margin worth having.
Where it pays
It falls short downwind once it pipes up, giving away time it never gets back. That is a hull that will lift and run given enough breeze.
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 0.6 kn either way.
At 10 knots this design makes back more than its rating asks on the beam reach.
How fast is a J/160
Boat speed in knots, by true wind angle and wind strength.
| Angle | 6 kn | 10 kn | 14 kn | 20 kn |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beat VMG | 4.06 | 5.69 | 6.28 | 6.58 |
| 52° | 6.24 | 8.27 | 8.84 | 9.09 |
| 60° | 6.67 | 8.52 | 9.07 | 9.34 |
| 75° | 6.93 | 8.73 | 9.31 | 9.75 |
| 90° | 6.94 | 8.87 | 9.54 | 10.14 |
| 110° | 6.69 | 8.95 | 9.75 | 10.70 |
| 120° | 6.57 | 8.93 | 9.93 | 10.99 |
| 135° | 5.82 | 8.53 | 9.71 | 11.46 |
| 150° | 4.86 | 7.47 | 9.06 | 10.50 |
| Run VMG | 4.21 | 6.47 | 7.90 | 9.12 |
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 950 kg.
Rigging
J/160 rig and sail dimensions
A J/160 carries 18.90 m of mainsail hoist on a 7.36 m boom, a forestay 20.27 m above the deck and a 7.70 m bowsprit. Typical figures across the 5 boats measured under the current VPP, with the range each one spans.
Rig
Sails
The spinnaker spreads widest of all — 211 to 261 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.