J/22
J BOATS · Rod Johnstone · 1983
Updated
The J/22 is a 6.86 m semi-displacement racing yacht designed by Rod Johnstone and built by J BOATS, first launched in 1983. It races in Sportboat. Across the measured fleet it goes better than its own numbers promise, ahead of 26% of the designs it races against.
Goes better than its own measurements promise, and does it better than 26% of the boats it races against.
21st of 28 in its class.
This design has been found in real race results — 386 starts across 11 events — not only in measurement files.
Length
6.86 m
22′ 6″
Beam
2.45 m
Draft
1.18 m
Displacement
0.9 t
Sail area
24 m²
On the podium
Where a J/22 finishes when she goes racing.
On the podium
15%
of 386 starts by 20 boats
Wins
3%
Read from 386 starts by 20 boats between 2021 and 2026, counting races with six boats or more.
Recent regattas
The latest events where a J/22 was on the start line, named as the organisers publish them.
Lei & Lui - Tino x22026- 54° Campionato Invernale Vela d'Altura del Golfo di Napoli2026
- Vesuvio Race2025
- 53° Campionato Invernale d'Altura del Golfo di Napoli2025
- Regata dell'Amicizia2024
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
14%
of these races end on the podium
Offshore & coastal
18%
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/22 actually lines up with, most often first. The bar shows how those meetings ended.
Also met, too few times for a figure:
Comet 770 (1 meeting), X-332 (1 meeting), Mylius 14 (1 meeting), Grand Soleil 46 (Carkeek) (7 meetings), First 45 (Briand) (7 meetings), First 36.7 (7 meetings), Comet 105 (7 meetings), Sun Odyssey 40 (7 meetings), Bavaria Cruiser 42 (7 meetings), Sun Fast 32 (7 meetings), Stag 32 (7 meetings), First 260 (7 meetings), First 44.7 (7 meetings), Dufour 365 (7 meetings), First 30 (Berret) (7 meetings), Furia 25 (7 meetings), Comet 910 (Finot) (7 meetings), Farr 40 (1 meeting), X-412 (1 meeting)
Some of the boats it races against
How the J/22 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
4.33
39°
Beam reach
7.51
90°
Broad reach
9.15
135°
Downwind VMG
7.05
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 cracked off in a strong breeze, where it goes better than its measurements say it should, 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 1.6 kn either way.
At 10 knots this design makes back more than its rating asks on the upwind.
How fast is a J/22
Boat speed in knots, by true wind angle and wind strength.
| Angle | 6 kn | 10 kn | 14 kn | 20 kn |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beat VMG | 2.84 | 3.90 | 4.32 | 4.33 |
| 52° | 4.35 | 5.62 | 6.03 | 6.16 |
| 60° | 4.58 | 5.77 | 6.22 | 6.43 |
| 75° | 4.74 | 5.88 | 6.47 | 6.93 |
| 90° | 4.87 | 6.13 | 6.59 | 7.51 |
| 110° | 4.92 | 6.23 | 7.16 | 8.30 |
| 120° | 4.75 | 6.12 | 7.15 | 9.19 |
| 135° | 4.24 | 5.85 | 6.78 | 9.15 |
| 150° | 3.57 | 5.37 | 6.36 | 8.06 |
| Run VMG | 3.09 | 4.69 | 5.80 | 7.05 |
How they are set up
The range each sail spans across the fleet.
Most run a fixed propeller. Crew weight is declared around 290 kg.
Rigging
J/22 rig and sail dimensions
A J/22 carries 7.96 m of mainsail hoist on a 2.75 m boom, a forestay 7.13 m above the deck. Typical figures across the 20 boats measured under the current VPP, with the range each one spans.
Rig
Sails