My Arch Nemesis in light air is an S2 9.1 in club racing on my lake. It has a similar sail area to weight ratio as the J30. That boat weighs like 800lbs more, but very competitive below 5 kts. There are 2 of them I have to deal with! They are tough. The keel on that 9.1 is 1.3x the J30. But, in 10+ kts, I never even see them. Just walk away. And, they have an additional 1000 lbs in ballast.
In my Laser days in heavy air, I’d pull the dagger up about 1/3. It gave way better control upwind.
I am not a marine architect, but Im thinking this why the J30 is good in heavy air, not as good in light air. The keel was just a little too shallow.
Just thinking out loud. I know this boat is ancient history, and Rod learned a lot from it. Look how awesome his boats are now.
