Several production builders such as Jeanneau and JPK have been tapping into the new enthusiasm with models such as the Sun Fast 3200 and 3600 as well as the JPK 1010 and 1080. But now J Boats has joined in.

If the J11S looks familiar it is because she is based on the J111, a boat that has proved herself to be successful and potent in fully crewed racing. This new 36 footer shares the same hull, deck and to a large extent, cockpit layout of the J111, but that’s where the similarities end.

From here the J11S has been tweaked to make her both an easier boat to sail shorthanded and more competitive. As a result she has twin rudders connected to a single tiller, a slightly shorter rig and a smaller jib. To contribute towards the lack of bodies on the rail she has more internal ballast. She also has an alloy mast and boom.

The changes and tweaks have helped to bring her IRC handicap down from 1.096 to 1.050, a reduction that gets her under the upper rating limit for the popular Transquadra race, (a transatlantic race for single and double-handed amateur sailors over 40 years old). But J Boats believe that there is another key area in which the new model can score.

Unlike the beamy and angular Jeaneaus and JPKs, the J11S is a more modest hull shape and as a result her builders believe that she will prove to be a better all rounder. Even from just an arbitrary glance, the J appears to have less wetted surface area aft suggesting that she will be less sticky in the light.

For the full test report see Dec 15 issue (on sale 12 Nov)