J/Boats
J/Boats is an American boat builder based in Newport, Rhode Island and founded by Rod Johnstone in 1977. The company specializes in the design and manufacture of fiberglass sailboats.
| Company type | Privately held company |
|---|---|
| Industry | Boat building |
| Founded | 1977 |
| Founders | Rod & Bob Johnstone |
| Headquarters | Newport, Rhode Island , United States |
Key people | Jeff Johnstone (president) |
| Products | Sailboats |
| Website | www |
The company's model names all start with "J/" and then the design's length overall (LOA), in feet (such as the J/24), or beginning in 1994 in decimeters (J/130), or starting 2021 in meters (J/9). All J/Boat designs are monohull, sloop-rigged keelboats constructed of cored sandwich fiberglass. The current product line consists of eight models, ranging from the J/70 to the J/122E, ranging in length from 22.75 to 40 ft (6.9 to 12.2 m). A new 9 meter model has been announced for 2021. Past models have ranged from 22.5 to 64.5 ft (6.9 to 19.7 m), from the J/22 to the J/65.
The company's initial design, the J/24, is their most successful, with over 5,500 built. The J/24 is sailed 27 countries and is the world's most popular one design keelboat.
As Sailboatdata described, "the J/Boats company, a family affair started with brother Bob Johnstone, is arguably the most successful producer of performance-oriented boats in the world with nearly 10,000 boats built to Johnstone designs."