JPK 960
JPK Composites · Jacques Valer · 2003
Updated
The JPK 960 is a 9.60 m semi-displacement racing yacht designed by Jacques Valer and built by JPK Composites, first launched in 2003. It races in Class C.
Length
9.60 m
31′ 6″
Beam
3.45 m
Draft
2.00 m
Displacement
3.7 t
Sail area
56 m²
On the podium
Where a JPK 960 finishes when she goes racing.
On the podium
22%
of 23 starts by 2 boats
Wins
0%
Read from 23 starts by 2 boats between 2020 and 2026, counting races with six boats or more.
Recent regattas
The latest events where a JPK 960 was on the start line, named as the organisers publish them.
"Πανελληνιο Κυπελο ORCI 2026"2026- ORC DH World Championship2026
- "Κυπελλο Αμφιθεας 2024"2024
- "Ειρηνης Φιλιας - Βαθυ Μεθανων 2024"2024
- Aegean Regatta2024
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
—
Not enough data yet: 8 races of 10 NM or less carry a published distance.
Offshore & coastal
33%
of these races end on the podium
Who she races against
The designs a JPK 960 actually lines up with, most often first. The bar shows how those meetings ended.
Also met, too few times for a figure:
Jv 44 (7 meetings), X-40 (6 meetings), IMX 40 (6 meetings), X-41 (6 meetings), Bavaria Cruiser 40 S (4 meetings), Dehler 36 (Stadt) (3 meetings), J/105 (3 meetings), Caribbean 40 (3 meetings), Bh 36 (3 meetings), Corby 25 (2 meetings), Platu 25 (2 meetings), J/35 (2 meetings), J/109 (2 meetings), J/110 (2 meetings), JOD 35 (2 meetings), Waarschip 107 (2 meetings), Grand Soleil 37 (Design) (2 meetings), First 27.7 (2 meetings), Sun Odyssey 469 (2 meetings), Elan 410 (2 meetings), X-412 (2 meetings), Moody 39 (2 meetings), Bavaria Match 35 (1 meeting), X-43 (1 meeting), First Class 8 (1 meeting), J/80 (1 meeting), X-119 (1 meeting), Formula 28 (1 meeting)
Some of the boats it races against
How the JPK 960 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
5.20
38°
Beam reach
8.34
90°
Broad reach
9.84
135°
Downwind VMG
7.88
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 off the wind when it blows, where it outruns what it looks like on paper, and by a margin worth having. It holds that advantage downwind 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 0.8 kn either way.
At 10 knots this design makes back more than its rating asks on the downwind.
How fast is a JPK 960
Boat speed in knots, by true wind angle and wind strength.
| Angle | 6 kn | 10 kn | 14 kn | 20 kn |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beat VMG | 3.27 | 4.55 | 5.05 | 5.20 |
| 52° | 4.99 | 6.56 | 7.07 | 7.26 |
| 60° | 5.26 | 6.75 | 7.26 | 7.51 |
| 75° | 5.44 | 6.90 | 7.48 | 7.96 |
| 90° | 5.51 | 7.14 | 7.73 | 8.34 |
| 110° | 5.60 | 7.26 | 8.17 | 9.18 |
| 120° | 5.44 | 7.19 | 8.15 | 9.64 |
| 135° | 4.88 | 6.88 | 7.90 | 9.84 |
| 150° | 4.13 | 6.25 | 7.37 | 8.74 |
| Run VMG | 3.57 | 5.41 | 6.64 | 7.88 |
How they are set up
The range each sail spans across the fleet.
Nearly all carry a folding propeller. Crew weight is declared around 580 kg.
Rigging
JPK 960 rig and sail dimensions
A JPK 960 carries 11.85 m of mainsail hoist on a 4.48 m boom, a forestay 12.22 m above the deck and a 4.95 m bowsprit. Typical figures across the 7 boats measured under the current VPP, with the range each one spans.
Rig
Sails
The spinnaker spreads widest of all — 62 to 97 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.