Newport Boat Show 16-19 Sept 2010

Newport International Boat Show

Date: Thursday 16 Sept through Sunday 19 Sept 2010
Time: 10am - 6pm (5pm on Sunday)
Location: Newport, RI - entire waterfront.
Parking: Park at designated commuter lots and take the shuttle
Tickets: Purchase Online or buy at the show (check with marine suppliers - some have discount and complimentary tickets)

The J/111 will be on display there. Come visit. I'm planning on attending Sat 18 Sept. Send me a message if you plan on attending.

I will be there on Saturday the 18th or Sunday.

Vee Jay mooring off boat show will be available for a J30 that weekend.
41 29.046 // 71 19.307

I had an opportunity to go to the boat show this weekend. The images below can be clicked on to view higher-resolution images.

For all you out of town folks, here is a view down Americas Cup Ave looking at the flag staff with the boat show banner flying.



I visited the J/Boats booth and got to speak with Rod, Al, and John Johnstone. These are great folks who continue to develop and market very impressive boats for our sailing pleasure. The Johnstones are all classy people and down to earth. I asked Rod if he knew what happened to J/30 hull #1 "Warhoop" since we don't have it in the class database. Rod promised to send me info on where the boat was previously located so we can find it. He also offered to help identify any "ghost" J/30s missing from the class database with information that he may have from when the boats were first sold.

Here are some pictures taken at the J/Boats exhibit.

The J/105 on display


Here is the J/95 "Banjo" I saw race in the Off Soundings spring regatta. It cleaned up there....



Here is a picture of Rod Johnstone standing with me in front of the new J/111. Rod is going to get hull #20 for his very own (I'm jealous....).


and here are Rod & Al Johnstone in front of the J/111


I spoke with Al Johnstone and he told me about the tours they made of boat builders all over to select a boat builder for the J/111. J/Boats selected CCF Composties in Bristol, RI. As a Rhode Island resident, it's nice to see the business go to a local builder to help promote the craft in this area. Here is a picture of the J/111

This boat looks fast just tied up at the dock!

This has roller furling. You can see the low profile furling unit and the high tech jib rolled on the headstay.


Below decks seems spacious compared to our J/30. The mast is aft of the V-berth bulkhead, unlike the J/30 (and it's carbon!). The J/111 you can tell is predominantly a speedster with minimal cruising amenities. If you are looking for more creature comforts, the J/109 is similar size and is definitely more cruising friendly. That said, the J/111 has enough stuff below for basic comforts. Here is a view aft looking forward.



Here is a view of the Galley, very similar to the J/30 except that the chill box is on the same side as the stove and sink.


Continues in the next post....

A nice touch in the galley is the addition of sliding drawers with locking latches. Here is a view of one drawer open underneath an Origo alcohol stove. Al said that some people prefer propane, and others alcohol, so they offer either option.


Unlike the J/30, the J/111 Nav station has a bench that you can sit at that faces forward. All of the instrument and power panel breakers are located on the stbd side outboard of the Nav station. It appears that there is ample room at the panel to mount whatever instruments and communications gear you want. The first J/111 was equipped with a stereo to keep the racing crew energized with tunes!


I have some more pictures that I'll post after checking with the Johnstones. I offered to swap my J/30 for the J/111. It was almost a deal, but the J/111 wouldn't be ready in time since they have orders for over 35 boats, so.... I'll just have to keep Rhapsody!

There was more than J/Boats at the show, so here is a classic looking Spirit 130

Bill, thanks for posting the pictures and notes. Rod J is always gracious in person and interested in the class.

Some may recall from previous posts that the Bebop crew chartered Hull #1 War Whoop for the 1988 Midwinters in Key Biscayne, FL. The bottom was atrocious and the cushions wet as a sponge. Even the wooden boards underneath had to be left out in the sun all day to dry. I recall the boat had been set up with running backstays which we removed for racing and the backstay was too long and had to be cut and swaged. Nothing that a decent bottom job and some TLC wouldn't fix, but I have no idea what happened to the boat after that.

Based on permission from Al Johnstone, I'm posting some more interior photos. Al pointed out that there may be some differences in the production run since the purpose of the 1st hull is to validate the design and configuration. I looked at the interior of the J/111 as a comparison to how the J/30 was built and changes in the construction techniques learned over the years.

The head on the J/111 is in the same position as the J/30 and contains a similar setup with a wash basin and manual pump flushing toilet. It's nice that everything is accessible for servicing since sooner or later we all need to unplug something that wasn't supposed to be flushed but was....



The ice box is similar in size to the one on the J/30 and is easily accessible from the port side counter top (without having to slide the chart table back....). I forgot to ask what the 2nd spigot was on the sink next to the ice chest.



Ok - Now some views looking aft under the port quarter berth. You can see hot and cold water pipes running to an aft shower (that I wish I had on my J/30...). The engine exhaust hose feeds aft here along with a cockpit drain hose.




Looking in the same area but further inboard the steering gear is visible.



Under the Starboard center seatee are two batteries. Al indicated that an optional third battery would be installed forward of these. From a maintenance standpoint these are pretty easy to get at and are located with the weight right near the keel unlike our J/30s that have these aft next to the engine. Access under the seatees is via removable wooden covers just like the J/30.



Bilge access is easy with the cover having a stainless rotating latch that flips up so you can grab it and pull up the cover. The keel sump is very shallow and appears to be very strong. Look how easy it is to get to the keel bolts.



Just aft of the center bilge is the section affectionately know on the J/30 as the "hidden bilge". There is a big difference here with the J/111. Unlike the J/30 area that is filled with vermiculite and not accessible the J/111 area is open and is easily accessible. Looking at this I may modify the hidden bilge on Rhapsody like the J/111 when I clean up and recore the area around the keel.



Here is a view into the V-Berth with the bow sprit on the stbd side. This appears to be the same as the other J/Boats with bow sprits



The area under the V-Berth cusions is open for storage. Unlike the J/30 the holding tank is not forward but rather located outboard the head.



In summary - I'd like to thank Rod and Al for their gracious hospitality and allowing me to crawl all over their new J/111. It's a great looking boat that follows in the footsteps of many successful J/Boat designs.

I also saw the boat. It is very cool boat. However I did not feel the fit and finish was not near what other J's are when new. You can see from the photos the boat has numerous nicks and dings and sloppy work around fittings (look at the shots aft near the rudder post). When I went through the boat I was thinking I would be really pissed if this was how my boat was delivered after paying +250k.

I brought this up to the dealer I know that was on the boat and he said many of them would be fixed prior to full production run - I hope so.

The owners of the J/122 that I race on have downsized to a J/111 which means that I'll be racing hull #16 come spring. I'll do a full write up for the class if you'd like Bill...

Wes - most definitely!