J/41
Description
The J/41 is an American high-performance offshore racing sailboat designed by Rodney S. Johnstone (Rod Johnstone) of J/Boats and built by J/Boats in partnership with Tillotson-Pearson (TPI Composites) in the United States, using advanced composite construction (vacuum-bagged unidirectional fiberglass with Baltek Contourkote sandwich core and carbon fiber reinforcements in critical areas for rigidity, lightness, and impact resistance). Introduced in 1983–1984 and produced through 1987, it was conceived as an IOR One Tonner (rating around 30.5 ft IOR) for competitive grand prix racing, achieving notable success in events like the 1984 SORC (where examples placed highly overall and in class), the 1984 Newport-Bermuda Race (multiple finishers), and One Ton North Americans (sweeps and wins). It features a fin keel with spade rudder for responsive handling and upwind speed, aggressive hull shape (pinched ends, wide midsections per IOR rule), and available in masthead or fractional sloop rigs (masthead versions often carried more ballast for stability). The design prioritized racing performance over cruising amenities, with minimal but functional interiors, large cockpits, and durability that allowed multiple boats to complete rough races without major breakdowns. Production was limited to approximately 20 hulls (estimates range from 15–20 across sources, with some fractional-rig variants), making it a rare classic today with examples occasionally listed as restored or for sale in the US.
Construction Details
| Designer | Rod Johnstone |
|---|---|
| Builder | J/Boats |
| Length | 40.830 ft |
| LOA | 40.830 ft |
| LWL | 34.000 ft |
| Beam | 13.200 ft |
| Displacement | 14100 lb |
| Ballast | 7200 lb |
| Max Draft | 7.420 ft |
| Year Built | 1983 |
The standard boat dimensions
| i | 53.50 ft |
|---|---|
| j | 15.50 ft |
| p | 47 ft |
| e | 16.90 ft |
| p2 | - |
| e2 | - |
| i2 | - |
| j2 | - |
| I | J | P | E | P2 | E2 | I2 | J2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 53.50 ft | 15.50 ft | 47 ft | 16.90 ft | - | - | - | - |
Sails
J/41 - MAINSAIL
| Luff | * 47 ft - (14326 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 16.9 ft - (5151 mm) |
| Leech | * 49.22 ft - (15002 mm) |
| Tack Angle | * 88.01 ° |
| Diagonal | * 49.39 ft - (15054 mm) |
| Head (inches) | * 6 in - (152 mm) |
| Area | 396.74 ft² |
| Edit in Calculator |
J/41 - JIBSAIL
| Luff | * 44.56 ft - (13582 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 20.22 ft - (6163 mm) |
| Leech | * 39.29 ft - (11976 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 115 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 17.83 ft - (5435 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 12 ° |
| Area | 397.14 ft² |
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J/41 - GENOA
| Luff | * 52.92 ft - (16130 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 24.77 ft - (7550 mm) |
| Leech | * 50.11 ft - (15274 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 150 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 23.25 ft - (7087 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 4 ° |
| Area | 615.3 ft² |
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J/41 - SPINNAKER
| Stays | * 52.92 ft - (16130 mm) |
|---|---|
| MidGirth | * 27.9 ft - (8504 mm) |
| Foot | * 27.9 ft - (8504 mm) |
| Perc LP | * 180 % |
| Area | 1255 ft² |
| Edit in Calculator |
Disclaimer. Boats are not all the same -- even when produced in the same factory of the same model. Sailrite does its best to publish accurate dimensions, but we often find it worthwhile to have our customers measure their boats carefully before we produce kits for them. You should take the same precautions, especially when the data is not from Sailrite. The information on this site is not guaranteed to be accurate. Sailrite offers this content as a service to our community, but takes no responsibility for the reliability of the data provided.
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