J/40 first look : The most comfortable J yet?

The J/40 is the latest cruiser from J-Boats. Not designed around any particular racing rules, she's a pure performance cruiser

When I tested the J/45, it was one of the most enjoyable boats to sail that I’ve had the pleasure of testing in recent years. So they may not be the most spacious cruising boat on the market, and the J/45 was certainly a long way from the most affordable, but J-Boats knows how to produce yachts that are exquisitely balanced and easily driven.

The J/40 is the latest in the line of J-Boat’s cruising orientated boats, following on from the J/112E and the J/122 as well as the J45. While still very much a performance-focused cruiser, the boat hasn’t been optimised for racing under any particular rule, giving the designers and builders a little more leeway to reach compromises for more comfort on board.

For example, the extent and quality of the fitout and finish is much more luxurious than a pure racing J; the hull windows and deck hatches might not be pure racing, but they bring in lots of light and ventilation; the fixed carbon bowsprit replaces the longer extending sprits of the racing Js, giving the asymmetric a little less projection, but making things simpler and saving space in the forward cabin.

The sailplan includes a non-overlapping jib for easier handling and better visibility forwards (also aided by promised 360º views from the helm), while the boat’s light weight and slippery, slender hull should be up to hull speed under code zero and full main in 8 knots of wind, matching boatspeed to windspeed.

The standard version comes with three cabins and six berths, plus sea berths in the saloon to sleep up to eight aboard, but cruisers may well prefer the two-cabin layout, leaving space for a second heads and large cockpit locker, which has access from on deck and from the heads compartment. The J-shaped galley promises plenty of space for stowage and worktops, while opposite is a proper forward-facing chart table. There are plenty of grab rails too.

J/40 specifications

LOA: 12.47m / 40ft 11in
LWL: 11.26m / 36ft 11in
BEAM: 3.83m / 12ft 7in
DRAUGHT: 2.2m / 7ft 3in
DISPLACEMENT: 7,665kg / 16,900 lbs
PRICE: Base £282,000 ex VAT, Sailaway £390,000 inc VAT
CONTACT: jboats.com

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