J/30 Class Association Forums J/30 Forum The Boat, Sails and Equipment Market For New Boats?

I wonder if the Johnstones have given any thought to bringing back the J30 - as in doing the same kind of deal as the J24 "2000?"

It seems like there is a giant hole in the market - there aren't really any racer/cruisers in the 30 foot range being built anymore. I sail in SoCal and the new boats seem to fall into three categories: megabuck one-offs, semi-megabuck one-designs (J120, Farr 40, etc.) and sport/sprit boats with very limited interiors. In PHRF, with the exception of the above types, most of the
boats were built from the mid-Seventies to the mid-Eighties.

Used J30's seem to get snapped up fairly quickly and there is a pretty long list of people wanting to buy them listed on the this site, so there are buyers.

Any opinions?

I think the J30 is probably not viable for new production. I personally would like to see something like a J92 with a more roomy interior. The new hull forms combined with bulb keels, newer rigs and bow sprits makes for much more enjoyable sailing. The J120 is awesome but too expensive. The J110 is nearly as costly (made only in France now) and not that great a performer. The J105 and J92 are neat boats that look like fun to sail but have very little interior comfort (no standing headroom). The J32 is a pure cruiser. Looks like there is a spot for a 30 foot racer/cruiser in there.

I say take the J30 and the J92 and combine the best of both.

Anybody ever consider designing a bow sprit for a J30? Hummmm????

Alan, I think you hit it right on the head: a J92 with the "modern" J-type deck style/sprit combined with some headroom. That would be a boat I would defintely be interested in.

I think that X-Yachts builds what is essentially an updated J-30, the X-302. In addition (and more relevant for my future) they also build a 33 and a 36. The European market seems to be much stronger in the racer/cruiser category. Why?

For me, the key element is the fact that the J/30 is intended to be a _one-design_ racer/cruiser. While they aren't full-bore racers (like the Mumm 30), I don't consider the J/105 or /92 to be strong as cruisers either. In fact, in a Practical Sailor interview, Al Johnstone said that he designed the J/32 after spending a rainy weekend on Block Island in the cabin of a J/105. I like the layout of the J/32 and think that it would be a nice follow-on to the J/30, but only if they could sell enough of them (with spinnaker gear) to make up a one-design fleet. So, the problem as I see it is marketing. The don't want to cannibalize their very successful J/105 marketing niche with one-design emphasis for the J/32.