{"id":74713,"date":"2022-12-16T11:10:00","date_gmt":"2022-12-16T16:10:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/?p=74713"},"modified":"2023-05-07T00:03:37","modified_gmt":"2023-05-07T04:03:37","slug":"2023-boat-of-the-year-j45-best-crosover","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/sailboats\/2023-boat-of-the-year-j45-best-crosover\/","title":{"rendered":"2023 Boat of the Year Best Crossover: J\/45"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\"J\/45\" <\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n
\n Powerful, is how the judges described the J\/45’s sensation upwind, and great visibility from the helm across the backs of the hiking crew. <\/span>\n Walter Cooper<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t <\/figcaption>\n <\/section>\n\t\t\n\n\n

Sailing World Magazine\u2019s annual Boat of the Year tests are conducted in Annapolis, Maryland, following the US Sailboat Show. With independent judges exhaustively inspecting the boats on land and putting them through their paces on the water, this year\u2019s fleet of new performance-sailing boats spanned from small dinghies to high-tech bluewater catamarans. Here\u2019s the best of the best from our <\/em>2023 Boat of the Year nominees<\/em><\/a> \u00bb<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Family Flagship<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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  • Stated purpose: Offshore performance, cruising yacht, club racer<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Crew: Two to eight<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Praise for: Powerful hull shape, high-quality build, versatility<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Est. price as sailed: approx. $900,000 to 1 million<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    The Johnstone family and their builders take their time to get it right. It\u2019s what makes J Boats synonymous with proper and purposeful sailing boats, which now includes the J\/45. For the many legacy J Boat owners, this sailboat is for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \u201cIt\u2019s been a long time since we\u2019ve come out with a boat this size,\u201d says designer Alan Johnstone. \u201cA lot of different trends have come along, and we\u2019ve been paying attention and applying them in the sportboat range and in some of our smaller racer-cruisers.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    A good current-model comparison, says Jeff Johnstone, would be the company\u2019s J\/121e, which has been very successful on the offshore racing scene. \u201cThe J\/45 has over a 40 percent ballast ratio, so that\u2019s pretty substantial,\u201d he says. \u201cThat means we can get away with a pretty sizable rig. Our markets are San Diego, Chicago and New England, where it doesn\u2019t blow so hard, so we wanted to be able to actually sail in 5 knots of wind. With sails that work across the wind range, we have a more powerful hull that allows you to carry more sail area.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n