J/90
J/Boats · Rod Johnstone · 1997
Updated
The J/90 is a 9.25 m planing racing yacht designed by Rod Johnstone and built by J/Boats, first launched in 1997. It races in Class C.
Length
9.25 m
30′ 4″
Beam
2.59 m
Draft
2.04 m
Displacement
1.6 t
Sail area
55 m²
On the podium
Where a J/90 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/90 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/90 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
5.54
35°
Beam reach
9.64
90°
Broad reach
13.10
135°
Downwind VMG
11.09
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 the run once it pipes up, where it goes better than its measurements say it should, and by a margin worth having. It holds that advantage cracked off as well, so the gain is not down to one leg of the course.
Where it pays
It falls short on the beam in light air, giving away time it never gets back. A planing hull rarely rewards a drifter: there is not enough pressure to get anything out of it.
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 3.0 kn either way.
At 10 knots it gives away time on the beam reach — the rating asks more than the boat returns.
How fast is a J/90
Boat speed in knots, by true wind angle and wind strength.
| Angle | 6 kn | 10 kn | 14 kn | 20 kn |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beat VMG | 3.91 | 5.17 | 5.42 | 5.54 |
| 52° | 5.90 | 7.14 | 7.46 | 7.69 |
| 60° | 6.17 | 7.34 | 7.72 | 8.04 |
| 75° | 6.33 | 7.53 | 8.18 | 8.75 |
| 90° | 6.21 | 7.53 | 8.55 | 9.64 |
| 110° | 6.33 | 7.89 | 8.89 | 10.54 |
| 120° | 6.23 | 8.03 | 9.38 | 11.50 |
| 135° | 5.63 | 7.68 | 9.63 | 13.10 |
| 150° | 4.75 | 6.83 | 8.40 | 12.80 |
| Run VMG | 4.11 | 5.93 | 7.28 | 11.09 |
How they are set up
The range each sail spans across the fleet.
Most run a fixed propeller. A bowsprit is standard across the fleet. Crew weight is declared around 620 kg.
Rigging
J/90 rig and sail dimensions
A J/90 carries 10.93 m of mainsail hoist on a 4.42 m boom, a forestay 10.85 m above the deck and a 5.49 m bowsprit. Typical figures across the 2 boats measured under the current VPP, with the range each one spans.
Rig
Sails