J/92
J BOATS · Rod Johnstone · 1992
Updated
The J/92 is a 9.14 m semi-displacement racing yacht designed by Rod Johnstone and built by J BOATS, first launched in 1992. It races in Class C. Across the measured fleet it goes better than its own numbers promise, ahead of 89% of the designs it races against.
Goes better than its own measurements promise, and does it better than 89% of the boats it races against.
18th of 159 in its class.
Updated — First Race Edge for this design. Enough boats of this design have now been measured on the current scale to rank it. It is strongest in light and heavy air.
This design has been found in real race results — 83 starts across 22 events — not only in measurement files.
Length
9.14 m
30′ 0″
Beam
3.04 m
Draft
1.82 m
Displacement
2.7 t
Sail area
52 m²
On the podium
Where a J/92 finishes when she goes racing.
On the podium
20%
of 83 starts by 17 boats
Wins
13%
Read from 83 starts by 17 boats between 2019 and 2026, counting races with six boats or more.
Recent regattas
The latest events where a J/92 was on the start line, named as the organisers publish them.
73° Loro Piana Giraglia2026- REGATA DELLA GALLINARA - Trofeo della Cappelletta2026
MIYC Winter Trophy 2026 - Act 62026- MIYC Winter Trophy 2026 - Act 52026
- Campus Cup2026
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
26%
of these races end on the podium
Offshore & coastal
8%
of these races end on the podium
Sharper round the buoys. Short courses reward acceleration and manoeuvring, and that is where this design makes its money.
Who she races against
The designs a J/92 actually lines up with, most often first. The bar shows how those meetings ended.
Some of the boats it races against
How the J/92 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
5.06
37°
Beam reach
8.01
90°
Broad reach
10.50
135°
Downwind VMG
7.86
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 needs pressure to show what it can do. Give it a fresh day and long legs and it delivers more than it promised; in a drifter it is working uphill.
Where it gains
Its best ground is off the wind once it pipes up, where it goes better than its measurements say it should, 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
It falls short on the beam in moderate air, giving away time it never gets back.
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 downwind.
How fast is a J/92
Boat speed in knots, by true wind angle and wind strength.
| Angle | 6 kn | 10 kn | 14 kn | 20 kn |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beat VMG | 3.44 | 4.64 | 4.96 | 5.06 |
| 52° | 5.22 | 6.54 | 6.83 | 6.97 |
| 60° | 5.47 | 6.69 | 7.01 | 7.19 |
| 75° | 5.63 | 6.81 | 7.26 | 7.58 |
| 90° | 5.71 | 6.95 | 7.44 | 8.01 |
| 110° | 5.82 | 7.22 | 7.93 | 8.86 |
| 120° | 5.69 | 7.19 | 8.15 | 9.59 |
| 135° | 5.11 | 6.88 | 7.93 | 10.50 |
| 150° | 4.33 | 6.29 | 7.29 | 9.06 |
| Run VMG | 3.75 | 5.45 | 6.40 | 7.86 |
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 480 kg.
Rigging
J/92 rig and sail dimensions
A J/92 carries 11.58 m of mainsail hoist on a 4.11 m boom, a forestay 11.28 m above the deck and a 5.14 m bowsprit. Typical figures across the 45 boats measured under the current VPP, with the range each one spans.
Rig
Sails
The spinnaker spreads widest of all — 59 to 104 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.