J Boats J/34/35/37c Cruising Comments?

[jasn]

Looking for any comments from folks who have cruised, (as opposed to raced), the J Boat cruising models. In particular the older 34/35/37 "c" series. Stuff like where'd you go, how many of you went, what was great about the boat for cruising, what wasn't, etc.

Thanks..

[stacy]

We had a 1985 J-40 for approx 5 yrs. Cruised from Seattle as far south as Ixtapa/ z-town. Then back up into the sea of Cortez and then back to S.F. Bay. Loved that monohull. Sailed like a dream. Down wind in big seas and wind it was like it was on rails. Easy to sail with a couple or even single handed. The only trouble we had with it was the volvo turbo engine. Very expensive to repair. Also it was a mono so when you are down below, you are down below. It also tended to sail at anchor but a riding sail helped with that.

[Thank you dad]

I currently sail and Cruise a J/37, not the C model though. For the 37's both the "c" and non "c" models are very cruise friendly, and the "c" is really more of a MKII than a different boat. Check out J/Cruiser.org - Home for more info on those boats and SV Jeorgia for info on cruising a J/37. Paul sailed his from the west coast up to the Chesapeake where he sold the boat.

[djmarchand]

I owned a J/32 that I sailed out of San Diego. It was a great sailing and cruising boat. The boat had a nice interior with all of the cruising stuff, just more fiberglass and less teak than most boats.

The boat sailed like she was on rails. In San Diego harbor there was nothing that could keep up with me under 40' except for the fleet of Etchels ;-).

This boat was supposedly designed by Bob Johnstone's son and he really hit a home run.

David

[jasn]

Thanks for the comments all. I'm considering getting an older J for cruising, and while there's plenty of comments about racing them, there seems to be less regarding cruising them. (With the exception of the j40 owners and jcruiser websites.)

Can anyone comment on the differences with the "c" models? For example looking at photos from YW, it appears that for the J/37, the non-cruiser model has the larger table, (containing the engine), and smaller galley, as well as a stand only nav station. However, (and as pointed out above by Thank you dad), they both seem nice for cruising. Can anyone with hands on experience comment on the major differences with the "c" models?

Thanks..

[Thank you dad]

[
Can anyone comment on the differences with the "c" models? For example looking at photos from YW, it appears that for the J/37, the non-cruiser model has the larger table, (containing the engine), and smaller galley, as well as a stand only nav station. However, (and as pointed out above by Thank you dad), they both seem nice for cruising. Can anyone with hands on experience comment on the major differences with the "c" models?

Thanks..[/QUOTE]

It's on a model by model basis, on the 37, the "C" model has a longer cabin top to accommodate larger galley and moving the engine under the stairs. the 37 C has a smaller cockpit as a result. Both boats have the teak interior, stand up head room ect. The 37 has a stern facing sit down nav station.

On the J35 there are major differences between the 35 and 35C. On the 35 it is striped out inside, there is no standing head room where as the 35C, you have a much taller cabin with real standing head room, the teak interior ect.

The 37 is a great boat, easy to single and double hand and the loads are low enough that i can still man-handle things when needed.

[casual]

Originally Posted by jasn

Looking for any comments from folks who have cruised, (as opposed to raced), the J Boat cruising models. In particular the older 34/35/37 "c" series. Stuff like where'd you go, how many of you went, what was great about the boat for cruising, what wasn't, etc.

Thanks..

There is a post somewhere on the forum SV Shearwater just made an Atlantic Crossing I,beleive there is a Blog Google it.

[Curmudgeon]

They sail well, but the interiors are for small people. I'm 6'2" and have to stoop in the galley of the J-37C. The head is small too.

[Paul L]

We sailed our J/37 from Seattle thru the Canal and up to the Chesapeake over 2 years. Fun boat to sail. We did a lot more actual sailing than most while on the Pacific side where many motor a lot. Handled heavy weather fine. It is a very easily driven boat, so you just don't need much sail to be moving along comfortably without a lot of pressure on the boat or crew. The boat is big enough to carry the cruier gear we wanted. It is difficult to store it all in convieniently accesible ways. The Volvo 2003 engines ensure that you will have an intimate relationship with your machinary. It is a two person boat with the deck gear layed out for easiy single handing. When it blows you can furl the headsail and put a reef in the main and drive it like a dinghy
OK I'm typing this on a Kindle and can' t spend the time to edit and sprll check.

[psk125]

We've cruised on our J/36 from Connecticut to Maine several times, spending weeks exploring Penobscot Bay up as far as Blue Hill, Deer Isle, and Northeast Harbor. It is great to have a boat that can get you where you want to go, pretty much regardless of the weather. On one trip we returned from Harpswell, ME to Southport CT in a touch over 30 hours, doing better than 10 knots most of the way with just a reefed main up. On another, we had to beat into a nasty chop and rain that simply wore out the crew, so we put in at Gloucester and New Bedford. The boat holds up and goes where you point it. Fast is fun when you can get places that would be too far to go in a smaller or slower boat. Stowage is at a premium, and with the two cabin layout we find that two couples is about all there is room for, despite our having replaced the pipe berths forward with cushioned v-berths that have storage underneath. We removed the rusted-out water heater (it was in the hanging locker) and use a sunshower for bathing. The icebox with 30 pounds of ice holds for four or five days, depending upon how hot it gets. (We keep drinks in a separate cooler to keep from opening the icebox too much.) The fractional rig is easily handled by just one couple, especially since we got roller furling for the jib. This year we didn't go as far, but spent three weeks exploring Essex CT, Orient, Greenport, & Coecles Harbor NY, Block Island RI, Stonington & Mystic CT, Sag Harbor & 3-Mile Harbor NY, Westbrook & Milford CT. Last year we cruised up to Cuttyhunk, Marthas Vineyard, and Nantucket in a long week. We like to race too.

[jasn]

Thanks all. Your comments reflect what I would have expected to hear, from all that I've read on J Boats. I do think that they could work out well for my sailing desires, although the low headroom may be an issue. I looked at a J/40 a couple of days ago, and the headroom was right on the edge of being too short, (I'm about 6'2" as well).

Jason