Practical Boat Owner – June 2019

J/105

1992

It’s hard to believe this 34-footer, which

brought the asymmetric spinnaker

revolution to larger boats, is now a quarter

of a century old. It was conceived as a

fast racer-cruiser that would be easily

handled whether sailed fully crewed or

short-handed.

J/105s have since raced around the

cans, around Britain and across the

Atlantic. They can still be seen at the

forefront of prestigious events such as the

Rolex Fastnet Race and few designs from

Even as a teenager and in his early 20s

New Zealander Bruce Farr quickly built a

reputation for producing fast yet well

mannered boats. After establishing his

base in Annapolis, USA, he became

extraordinarily prolific.

In the performance world he

successfully navigated the transition

from IOR through IMS and into IRC

rating systems. At the same time his

boats dominated the Whitbread Round

the World Race, with a third place in

1982, which was followed by four

successive victories from 1986 to 1998.

By the early 1990s he was also

drawing production yachts, including

Beneteau’s First range, and soon moved

on to pure cruisers, including the French

company’s increasingly popular

Oceanis line up.

LOA 10.51m 34ft 6in

LWL 8.99m 29ft 6in

Beam 3.35m 11ft 0in

Draught 1.98m 6ft 6in

Displacement 3,515kg 7,750lb

Ballast 1,542lb 3,400kg

Price £35,000-£50,000

j-boats.com

this era have been so enduring, even

though this is not a twin rudder boat.

Equally, they make a fun daysailer or

cruiser, providing you don’t mind the

limited accommodation with maximum

headroom of just 5ft 4in.

A whole host of asymmetric designs

followed from J/Boats, including the later

J/109 that launched in the early 2000s.

Like the 105 this was initially often seen as

a fast racer, a perception reinforced by

photos of big Cowes Week fleets planing

in heavy weather at speeds of more than

15 knots under what seemed at the time

to be huge asymmetric spinnakers.

However, by today’s standards J/109s

Popular Classics – 1990s

Designer profile: Bruce Farr

J/105 is a popular, fast

design still able to cut it

on the racecourse

➜

are relatively heavy for performance boats

and are generally seen as much more

moderate designs, with many now

enjoying a second life as capable, fast and

fun cruisers.

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